Willis Papillion
Mr. Willis Papillion was born in Lake Charles, Louisiana, in 1935. Mr. Papillion’s family moved to Califor-. nia in search of employment opportunities, which was the case for thousands of African Americans dur- ing World War II. The family settled in San Francisco, where Mr. Papillion graduated from Albany High School. Mr. Papillion joined the Army with his two brothers (one being his twin) and was stationed at Fort Lewis, Washington. Mr. Papillion later enlisted in the United States Air Force, married and had five children. Once discharged, he worked for eight years in Navy Supply. He later married Cherron Lewis (they were married for 48 years) and they had two children. He received his Bachelor Of Science and Master’s degrees in social work from the University of California, Berkeley and served as president of the Black Student Union. He worked for the Department of Health Education Welfare and the Navy Recruiting District in San Francisco, and received an Honorary Ph. D. from San Francisco State University for being instrumental in the development of the Naval Officer Communication Training program. Mr. Papillion later worked for Housing of Urban Development as an EEOC investigator, retiring in 1990.
He moved to Silverdale in 1995 after his wife was transferred from Alameda Naval Air Base to the Trident Refit Facility and Naval Base Kitsap-Bangor. He suffered a stroke in 1996 that left him paralyzed on one side, but that did not stop him from starting a career in volunteering, which included serving on the board of Kitsap Mental Health Services, Harrison Memorial Hospital, Vice Commander Of Kitsap National Association Of Black Veterans, NAMI Veteran Board and The American Legion. Mr. Papillion was a fierce advocate of racial diversity and refused to be used as a token African American in the civic arena. His convictions at times put him on the ire of various groups, but one could not question his honesty and dedication to the mission statement of those civic groups which he was a part.
Mr. Papillion, your dream wasn’t deferred.
Written by: Roosevelt Smith, Guest Columnist, Bremerton Sun