Sugar Land residents are remembering former mayor Bill Little, the second mayor of Sugar Land, who died Jan. 13 at the age of 89.
Little is survived by daughters, Mary Cay Sunday and Suzanne Pugh and son William “Bud” Little and numerous grandchildren and great grandchildren. His wife, Mary Little, died in 2008.
Little died of natural causes resulting from bone marrow failure, said his son Bud Little.
Little had deep roots in Sugar Land, having spent his entire career with Sugar Land Industries and the Imperial Sugar Company. He worked with Sugar Land’s first Mayor T.E. Harman and the Kempner family, owners of Imperial Sugar, to transition the city of Sugar Land from company town to incorporated city in 1959.
“Bill had a phenomenal memory,” said Mayor Joe Zimmerman. “He was also someone with a big heart. He was a friend to not only me but to every mayor who served after him. He offered his insight and opinion.”
Little was born on a 300-acre farm in Sandusky, Ohio. He received a degree in Business Administration from the University of Dayton in 1953. This was also where he met his wife Mary, whom he married in 1955. The Littles would go on to have three children, five grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.
They spent two years in Fort Sill, Oklahoma where Little served as an instructor at the artillery school, and where their first child, Mary Kay, was born.
The young couple moved to Sugar Land in 1957, after Little accepted a job at the Imperial Sugar Company. Little became councilman at age 28, before being elected the second mayor of Sugar Land at age 30. He served as mayor from 1961 to 1965.
Friends and former colleagues agree that Little was a Sugar Land treasure whose decisions made a lasting impact on the city’s future.
Little went on to become a trustee of Fort Bend ISD (1966-72) and a trustee of the George Foundation (1996-2006). He also served on numerous boards and worked with many organizations.
Former mayor James Thompson said he though of Little as a mentor, having served with him for 15 years on the Fort Bend Levee Improvement District No. 2 board.
“We served on that board back in the early ’80s,” said Thompson. “Bill was like my brother, one of my closest friends. We used to go on a Fort Bend golf trip. He was a consummate traveler. After Bill retired, he and his wife Mary traveled all over the world, like three or four trips a year. He did it the right way.”
Bud Little said his father had been working on a memoir over the past two years.
“It’s about his (Bill Little’s) life and the history of Sugar Land, from selling houses for Imperial Sugar to being on the first city council to being mayor,” he said.
The book, titled The Road Ahead, contains numerous old Sugar Land photographs and documents. It is expected to be released in March.
The Little family held a memorial mass on January 23 at Saint Theresa Catholic Church in Sugar Land. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to Saint Theresa Catholic Church (Sugar Land) or any other charitable organization.
juhi.varma@hcnonline.com
The Link LonkJanuary 23, 2021 at 07:42AM
https://www.houstonchronicle.com/neighborhood/sugarland/news/article/William-Little-former-Sugar-Land-mayor-and-15891760.php
William Little, former Sugar Land mayor and community leader, dies at 89 - Houston Chronicle
https://news.google.com/search?q=little&hl=en-US&gl=US&ceid=US:en
No comments:
Post a Comment