Willie Gholar Dedication

1021 meeting room dedicated to late member activist

Half a century is a long time, but that's how long SEIU member activist Willie Gholar served his union, his co-workers, and his world before passing away late last year. Gholar was a Local (390 &) 790 activist employed by the City of Berkeley for 30 years and became a retiree activist for the next 20. On the eve of the formation of Local 1021, he pushed to ensure that retirees would always have a place in the new union.

At a January 3 ceremony, Willie's family and union friends joined 1021 staff to pay homage to the man and dedicate the first floor conference room at our Oak Street office in his name. Their personal remembrances painted a picture of a man unafraid to fight when he had to but bursting with laughter and generosity the rest of the time. He proposed and helped develop the city's Employee Assistance Program and knew everyone — he could even walk into the mayor's office unannounced. "The way to avoid fights is learn to do your job properly. Be the person you're supposed to be. Be part of a union," is how one person remembered his teachings.

But Willie never shied away from fighting city management. "As an African-American man, you just didn't do that in the 1950s unless you were a Martin Luther King or Sojourner Truth. Willie was a true hero," said 1021 President Damita Davis-Howard.

Willie Gholar will be missed by all who knew him ... and those who didn't as well.

Pictured: Executive Board members Ed Kinchley and Karen Bishop install a plate bearing Willie's name on the Oak Street conference room door.