Bill S. Weaks passed away peacefully at home on February 17, 2019 surrounded by his loved ones at the age of 91.  Services will be held at First Presbyterian Church in Plainview at 11 a.m. on Wednesday, February 20 with Reverend David Hawkins officiating. Visitation for family and friends will be held at the Church at 10 a.m.  Burial will follow at Plainview Memorial Park under the direction of Bartley Funeral Home.

Bill was born on January 2, 1928 in Silverton, Texas to Lester and Jessie Weaks. In 1941, he and two of his cousins found what is now known as the "Plainview Point" arrowhead along the Running Water Draw. The three are credited with discovering one of the most significant archaeological finds in North America. In 1962, the site was designated a National Historic Site by the United States Department of the Interior.

Bill graduated from Plainview High School in 1945 where he played football and became interested in photography.  He attended West Texas State College, where he met his first wife Wanda Davis (deceased) in 1949.  They earned their Bachelor of Science degrees in 1951 and their master's degrees from the University of Houston.

A Naval Reservist, Bill was called to active duty in 1952 and was elected by his peers as Honor Man of his boot camp Company class.  He was stationed at the Lakehurst Naval Air Station in Lakehurst, New Jersey where he served as a crewman on blimps until honorably discharged in 1954.

Bill opened his photography studio in 1955 and maintained it for nearly sixty years.  He also had a branch studio in Lubbock in the '70s and '80s.  He taught seminars in over forty states, Mexico, Canada, and England.  Bill taught over forty portrait, wedding, and commercial courses at the Winona International School of Photography as well as the Georgia Winona School, the Triangle Pennsylvania Institute, the Mid-America Institute, the North Carolina School of Photography, the Rochester Institute of Technology, and the Texas School of Photography. Weaks also served on the faculties of Amarillo College, Texas Tech University, and Wayland University.

Bill served as a judge of photography all over the United States and internationally. For over forty years, he was one of 15 jury chairmen who enforced national judging rules for the Professional Photographers of America (PPA). He held a Master of Photography and Photographic Craftsman designation from the PPA and accumulated over 1000 service merit awards from the PPA during his lifetime.  At one time, he was the third ranking merit holder in the United States.  Bill was honored with an Associate Fellowship by the American Society of Photographers, a fellowship by the Texas Professional Photographers Association (Texas PPA), and received the PPA National Award in 1994 for meritorious service and contributions to the Texas PPA and the Southwest Professional Photographers Association (SWAPPA).   He was a past president of the Texas PPA and the SWAPPA.

Bill's clients included Jimmy Dean (a lifelong friend), Jimmy Dean Sausage, Geigy Chemical, John Deere, Pioneer International, Cargill, Dow Chemical, WalMart, General Motors, Ford Motor Company, and many advertising agencies. He sold over thirty photographs to Eastman Kodak for use in their national advertising campaigns and had an invitational exhibit of photographs at the Kodak Gallery in New York City. He also had photographs exhibited at the International Photography Hall of Fame. He had the privilege of photographing President John F. Kennedy, President Lyndon B. Johnson, and General Douglas MacArthur.  Bill was especially sought out for wedding photography and portraits in the Southwestern United States and was well known for his breathtaking images of life in Texas and West Texas cattle ranches.

In the 1970s, Bill received a patent for the Weaks Polaflector, a system for polarizing light to aid in restoring photographs.   In 1973, he was awarded the West Texas Cultural Achievement Award by the West Texas Chamber of Commerce.  In 2014, Bill's work was honored and displayed at the Southwest Collection/Special Collections Library at Texas Tech University.  Many of his photographs are now a permanent part of that collection.

Bill was listed in Who's Who in the South and Southwest and a recipient of the Paul Harris Fellow Award from Rotary International where he was an active member for over 55 years.  He was a founding member of Grace Presbyterian Church, which he loved very much, served as an Elder, and later served in the transition when the church integrated into First Presbyterian Church.  Bill also served his community as a Board member of the Plainview Cemetery and Memorial Park, the Plainview YMCA, and was an assistant Scoutmaster.

In 2005, Bill married Lou Ann Wadley, and they had a grand adventure for 14 years.  They were constant companions and their love and dedication for each other was immeasurable. The entire Weaks family is grateful for Lou Ann's dedication to Bill.

Bill loved farming and ranching on his three farms.  He also loved Palo Duro Canyon, the mountains of New Mexico and the Sierra Nevada, and Lake Tahoe.

The family request in lieu of flowers, charitable contributions be sent to Meals on Wheels or Scholarship of Grace care of First Presbyterian Church in Plainview.

Bill Weaks is survived by his wife Lou Ann, his son and daughter-in- law, Micah and Laura of Dallas, his son and daughter- in- law Jonathan and Dawn of Zephyr Cove, Nevada, and his beloved granddaughter Braya of Las Vegas.  Until we see you again, rest easy.  Your family and shipmates have the watch. Godspeed, fair winds and following seas.