Housing Authority administration building renamed for W.D. Alexander

By MICHAEL CRIMMINS
Glasgow News 1

Packed tightly in the lobby of the Housing Authority of Glasgow stood the numerous family, friends and community members who gathered to honor and recognize the Authority’s first executive director, W. D. “Bill” Alexander.

In “honor and recognition” of Alexander’s quarter century tenure at the housing authority the operation center, located at 111 Bunche Ave., was officially renamed the W. D. Alexander Operations Center. Doug Alexander, child of W. D. Alexander, said it was a great honor for his father to get the recognition he earned for his life-long service to others.

“On behalf of [the whole family] we’d like to thank the board, the administrative staff for considering our dad for this honor,” Alexander said. “As I was thinking about today and our dad, he brought a very unique set of skills to the job at the time it was needed…. He had an understanding of what it was like to need a hand up sometime and that gave him a special skill in working with people who needed a hand up.”

Elaine Richardson, also a child of W. B., said “appreciation” was the word she would chose to use when talking about her father’s recognition.

“He was a member of the Greatest Generation and he really believed in service above self and he would have been very surprised to be honored like this because he thought whenever you had a job to do you did your best without the expectation of honor,” Richardson said. “I think he’d be very pleased.”

In addition to the naming, Sheri Lee, the current executive director, unveiled a commemorative plaque dedicating “in gratitude the leadership, exemplary service and commitment” of Alexander.

Rich Alexander, the grandchild of W. B., read aloud the proclamation at times pausing as emotions crept into his voice. The proclamation was unanimously adopted by the board during their meeting earlier in the morning at the recommendation of Glasgow Mayor Henry Royse and all the other commissioners.

Alexander was born on Dec. 11, 1917 to Albert Richard Alexander and Frances Kitturah Carden Alexander in Marrowbone, Kentucky. He is the father of Doug Alexander and Elaine Richardson, both of whom were present at today’s ceremony, and the late Rick Alexander. He has five grandchildren, one of whom is Rich Alexander, the Authority’s lawyer, and has numerous great and great-great grandchildren.

After graduating from Marrowbone High School he served as a Master Sergeant in the U.S. Army Air Corps during World War II in the China-Burma-India Theatre.

While living in Owensboro he moved back to Glasgow at the urging of then-mayor Robert Lessenberry to establish the first public housing authority in 1958. That started the 25 year career serving as the first executive director until his retirement in 1983. Alexander passed away the following April.

“During his tenure as executive director of the Housing Authority of Glasgow, Mr. Alexander oversaw the construction of the original public housing project, and would later expand the housing authority’s footprint in the community,” the proclamation states.