William Adkins III

William Milton Adkins III was born in Charleston, West Virginia on April 28, 1943. He spent his childhood in the small town of Dunbar, which he was to remember with fondness throughout his life. In 1956, his parents moved their family to Melbourne, Florida. Young Will (known then to his family and friends as "Billy") thrived in Florida, especially at Melbourne High School, where he studied science with his mentor and longtime friend, biology teacher Jerry Einem. Will won several prestigious prizes in biology, most notably his third-place finish in the national Westinghouse Science Competition in 1961. This came with a scholarship which enabled him to spend a year studying at Harvard, after which he returned to Florida, and graduated from the Florida Institute of Technology. After graduate studies in Physics and Mathematics at the University of Florida and Florida State University Will took a job as a proofreader at Homes and Land Inc. He worked there and at its successor, The Printing House for a combined 30 years, in a variety of positions, including scheduling and graphic arts. Will joined the Unitarian Universalist Church of Tallahassee in 1974. He was active in church life, serving as chair of the Music Committee, scheduling volunteers for the Kearney Center, organizing the Old Sages breakfast meetup, and setting up coffeehouses and concerts where Unitarian Universalist talent could be showcased. He arranged concerts for charity events, enjoyed parties, and was one of the founders of the Winterfest. Will was devoted to creativity and the arts. He wrote poetry and prose works. He collected musical instruments. He played the recorder and wrote music for it. His sheet music was always decorated with his own illustrations. Visual art was his forte and he evolved from illustration to abstraction and from there to computer-modified images. He exhibited in a number of local galleries and museums. Will died on August 20, 2025. Will was preceded in death by his parents, William M. Adkins Jr., and Lou Ann Wright Adkins. He is survived by his significant other, Amy Weiss, his sister, Sandra (John) Adkins Bailes, four nephews and one niece: William John (Dinah) Bailes, Robert Eric Bailes, Dan Franklin Bailes, Scott Alan (Dawna) Bailes, Cynthia Lou (David)) Rice. He is also survived by 22 great-nieces and nephews.