12 Comments
User's avatar
K.C. Knouse's avatar

I'm afraid I am more familiar with the Bills than the Williams. My favorite uncle was a Bill. I enjoyed the humor, Steve. I hope you are doing well.

Steve Elliott's avatar

Thanks K.C. Interesting our favourite uncle was a Bill. I just had a silly idea and riffed with it for a while)))

KCG's avatar

Sadly I wish I got to know him more. He was a workaholic and pretty strict with his kids. I never really knew how he thought of me. He always seemed like a closed book. My favorite uncle is a Paul, for that reason.

Steve Elliott's avatar

Thanks for reading and commenting about your uncle Paul. I had a few uncles but Bill was the man, old school military dude and a great fisherman.

williamphaynes/elliott's avatar

As a person named William I use elliott most of the time online

KCG's avatar

Haha my cousins name is Elliot. His father, my uncle, is named Bill. He passed away. He always went by Uncle Bill, but at work, he was Dr William Woods

Steve Elliott's avatar

I am glad you are a William and thanks for reading

Bella Simonetta's avatar

What I enjoyed most was that this wasn’t really about William at all. It was about memory, association and the strange way a single name can become a thread running through family, history, literature and personal identity. By the end, William felt less like a name and more like a map of a life.

Steve Elliott's avatar

I don't know why my first reply got duplicated. Anyway, thanks again. I almost didn't upload this, thinking it a bit too silly. But my wife liked it so I thought what the heck. Your take on it is very astute, William being the equivalent of Proust's Madeleines.

Steve Elliott's avatar

Thanks for reading and your interesting comment. Much appreciated

Steve Elliott's avatar

Thanks for reading and your interesting comment. Much appreciated

Irving A. Lerch's avatar

Yes before Roy Rogers there was Hopalong Cassidy, Bill Boyd of blessed memory, the immortal William alongside Will Shakespeare.