Dear Jim

Jim Williams was my friend. I can't claim that I was the nearest or the dearest to him. But, we got along very well during the three and a half years we communicated with one another. I would fit our phone interviews awkwardly into lunch hours or breaks during my day job. Whenever I had a day off for a holiday, I would schedule a prolonged interview with him, knowing that he would be at his family's real estate office regardless of the day. We would plan to talk for an hour, it would always turn into two or three. If I needed to get somewhere in the afternoon, I would always get there late. He always made me want to stay on the phone.

We would always stay on the phone for hours chatting, he was so colorful, so open and modest that each conversation was like a marathon deeper into his humanity. He was a farmer, veteran, family man, devoted husband, outstanding citizen, a mentor to me, great conversationalist, and thoughtful public servant. He was state senator during Florida's Golden Age, who once stood up to a Police Chief who attempted to fire a deputy for of all things giving Jim Williams a ticket.  When Dempsey Barron the legendary Senate President tried to manhandle Williams and Bob Graham outside of the senate chambers, ho coldly informed him that "If he ever touched him like that again they were going outside!"

When at a Campaign rally during his first senate race, a jolly Claude Kirk approached him and informed "You're a great guy. But, we're gonna kick your a**!" He smiled at him and told him to bring it on. He was a man who went to war a hawk and who learned to love peace when he earned his Bachelor's degree later in life. He was a furiously loyal friend to Reubin Askew  and the two men had the most caring friendship of any Florida gubernatorial ticket. Trust me on that, I've known a few of them.
He was also blessed with quality that has become rare in politicians, he was kind. Again many politicians try to project kindness, and a lot of them are openly very decent people. But, Jim Williams like Reubin Askew were kind at their core. Decency was marrow deep in them.

When Askew was looking to replace his first Lieutenant Governor, most everyone thought he would ask Bob Graham to be his running mate in 1974. When Askew called Williams to meet him at the Governor's mansion, Williams said no because he had been working all day. The Governor finally got a yes out  of the state senator after it was agreed that Williams didn't have to wear a suit. After losing the democratic primary to Bob Graham, Williams took what he considered the greatest job he ever had in public office, deputy Secretary of Agriculture in the Carter White House.  "I had to have senate approval and I got my own car!" Williams would say with a laugh.

When I told him once I was going to see Carter teach Sunday School he told me to say hi, before mentioning, "He probably won't know who the hell I am."

Jim Williams always looked with amazement that many within his old Senate district looked on Buddy Mackay with such distrust. As some kind of left wing nut. "I'm the freaking liberal!"
And, Yes he was, a shameless Liberal. He grew to dislike the Republican mentality and looked on the tea party with total amusement.  He called himself a "Dove" openly and with total conviction believed in loving your fellow man. He called me his friend and it was an honor that I will always hold dear in my heart. Next only to my Grandfather and Reubin Askew, this man has shaped my political identity.

During what would be our final conversation he talked about how odd it was that he was in his eighties as both his parents died before sixty. He spoke about wanted to throw away all his awards, yet his kids weren't letting him. Being that I have four of my grandpa's awards at my house I told him it wasn't gonna happen. Then I told him about my new book (the one on Jimmy Carter) and he said he was proud of me. In that moment I had a deep respect and admiration for that kind old man, that I didn't think possible. I then had to go pick up my wife from work, as always on a Jim Williams call, I was running late.

Me and the Family in the Wakulla News

Robert Buccellato of Crawfordville is an author, as well as Historian for the Clerk of Court of Leon County.
He has published three books to date, “Florida Governor’s Lasting Legacies,” “Finding Dan McCarty,” and “Jimmy Carter in Plains: The Presidential Hometown.” The latter tells the fascinating and inspiring story of Jimmy Carter’s surprisingly successful campaign and 1976 victory of becoming the 39th President of the United States.
The book describes how growing up in the small town of Plains, Ga., shaped the man, and how together he and his community of supporters, known as the Peanut Brigade, changed the nation through an unprecedented hands on approach to politicking.
It walks you through the presidency, highlighting those things that set Carter apart from presidents before him, such as his position on civil rights and his eventually winning the Nobel Peace Prize.
Buccellato also describes the inevitable changes the town of Plains underwent as a direct result of the influx of tourists and media attention surrounding the campaign and presidency. Much effort went into preserving the small town’s charm despite it’s growth during this period.
The book is not only well written, but it is also artfully illustrated with an array of old photographs to support and enhance the story.
From the moment you meet Buccellato, it is obvious that he has a great appreciation for history.
More importantly, he is a story teller who enthusiastically imparts bits of historical whimsy to anyone who will listen.
When asked what inspired him to write this book or why Jimmy Carter, he generally answers that he was largely influenced by his grandfather, a 20-year legislator in the Florida House of Representatives during the Golden Years of Florida Politics.
However, in a speaking engagement and book signing at the Gwinnett County Public Library in Atlanta earlier this year, he admitted that upon further reflection, the answer actually runs deeper than that. Carter, as a peanut farmer from South Georgia, beat all the odds and became a huge success who “has the ability to make things that seem extraordinarily impossible not only possible, but easy, with hard work and determination,” he says.


“And that feeling that you and your community can run, and win, a presidential campaign, is something, I think, that speaks to the best of our system,” Buccellato says. “And it’s still evergreen, this possibility of improving and helping to evolve our system.”
An avid supporter of preserving the “pockets of history across the country, because many have been lost” Buccellato says that upon entering Plains, one sees “miles of hill and tree, people feel they’ve stepped back in time to a lifestyle of day’s past.”
In fact, he has been known to compare Crawfordville to Plains.
When asked about this, he readily offered noteworthy similarities between the two towns. For instance, the old world feel of the 1940s, ‘50s and ‘60s is still present in both places.
In Plains, it’s in the preservation of the old Train Depot that acted as campaign headquarters, largely because it had the only public restroom in town.
Here, the sense of old Florida can be found in the beach bungalows and white sand beaches.
Additionally, both towns have what he described as a detached sense of community, still supporting a feeling of “the leisurely agrarian lifestyle and a freedom from being plugged-in.”
The book mentions that shortly after the election, Plains received its first traffic light.
This brought back memories of growing up in Crawfordville, during a time when there was only one traffic light.


Buccellato has been writing since around the age of 12, beginning with fiction and later focusing on non-fiction. Originally from Hollywood, Fla., he moved to the panhandle in 1998.
After attending FSU, he married his wife Stephanie and welcomed their son Croston to the family last year.
In addition to his family, career as historian and numerous book publishing’s, Buccellato manages book signings, radio shows and speaking engagements, as well as a YouTube channel and a Florida history blog.
He is currently working on writing his fourth book, a biography of Jimmy Carter.




here is the link folks
http://www.thewakullanews.com/content/%E2%80%98preserving-pockets-history%E2%80%99

Tallahassee Democrat Blog Post

Here gang here is my first blog post with the Tallahassee Democrat Community blog
hope you like it

http://blogs.tallahassee.com/community/2017/02/01/within-the-margin-of-error/

Whenever I close my eyes, my mind takes me to that boiling hot room in the summer of 1776, when those brilliant and flawed men signed a document. Creating in a moment of anger a new nation. I know you think I’m trying to be poetic or wistful. But, my wife will tell, I really am that big of a dork.

Some of my conservative friends take the textualist approach when reading our founding documents, seeking to uphold the original meaning of the United States Constitution and statutes. These are usually those who are strong supporters of the Second and Tenth Amendments, and  view federalism with distrust. They are also more likely to approve tax cuts for big businesses, go to church daily, and are almost sociologically unable to picture themselves voting Democratic.

Many of the Republicans I know think that government should get out of their pockets and that the free market can solve most of our basic economic needs.  In their eyes labor unions are lazy thugs who limit growth, and government regulations should be reduced to allow the nation’s business sector to flourish.

They of course forget however that such regulations were created to safeguard against new levels of corporate greed that periodically brought our entire nation to the brick of financial collapse. That it was labor unions that gave us paid family leave, the five day work week, and ended child labor. Things that they themselves benefit from.

These voters who champion individualism over community, are promoting a very attractive product. It really is, its the belief that you aren’t responsible. Global Warming, crime, poverty, low test scores; who cares, its not your problem. The only thing you have to worry about is your family, your street, and whats for dinner. Is my fridge full? Is my job safe? What do I care about the faceless untouchables of the world. Its tempting to think that your lifestyle, that your actions, and that your involvement doesn’t matter.

But, here’s the thing, its not enough to claim your faith and project your values, you must also strive to place yourself in others shoes. To allow their struggles to become your own. The founding fathers for their part lived lives of constant advocacy, setting an example for posterity, as well as trying to improve their own flawed characters.

I’m afraid these next four years are going to be trying times in this country. Our relationships, values, human comforts, and even our faith in ourselves will be fiercely tested. But, thats okay folks disagreement will never be as difficult to face as silence. We can not afford to cut off one another over a dumb facebook post, or the filling out of a ballot. Even something so important as a president’s rocky first few weeks is not reason enough to end friendships. It is always going to be important for me to remember that while I am a registered Democrat, most of the people I love are not. It’s not enough for me to look at America with rose colored glasses. I have to share that vision, and I have to also be open to other precious forms of patriotism.

This blog post is my opinion only and does not express the views of any other institution or individual not noted above.