John Henry Williams

John Henry Williams (August 27, 1968 ? March 6, 2004) was the only son of baseball legend Ted Williams. His mother was Ted's third wife, Dolores. The couple also had a daughter, Claudia.

Related Topics:
August 27 - 1968 - March 6 - 2004 - Ted Williams

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He saw little of his father after his parents divorced in 1972. By all accounts, the relationship between Ted and Dolores remained chilly as their children grew. Dolores raised John Henry and Claudia on a farm near Putney, Vermont.

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Ted was a sporadic presence in the boy's life, but he did get John Henry accepted into the exclusive Bates College, where he spent three semesters before transferring to the University of Maine. He earned a B.S. in marketing 1991, but failed to make the baseball team.

Related Topics:
Bates College - University of Maine

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When Ted's long-time girlfriend died, John Henry moved into his house. Critics say he didn't so much care for Ted as hijack his life, capitalizing on his legacy to launch business ventures and support a lavish lifestyle. A company, which Ted had put seed money into and promoted at the 1991 All-Star game, failed miserably, losing more than $3 million dollars. John Henry also ran an internet service provider under the name hitter.net. The ISP went out of business in 2001. While some pointed to John Henry's control of the scheduling and marketing as some sign that he was doing this to get Ted's money, there is no evidence that the money went anywhere other than into Ted's personal accounts.

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At age 33, John Henry entered pro baseball, with Ted pulling favors to get him into the Red Sox's Class-A league. He played for an independent Northern League club after Ted's death.

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John Henry become the scourge of the sports world after Ted died on July 5, 2002. Announcing there would be no funeral, he had Ted's body flown to the Alcor Life Extension Foundation in Scottsdale, Arizona, and placed in cryonic suspension. John Henry's lawyer produced an informal family pact signed by Ted, John Henry, and Claudia in which they agreed "to be put into biostasis after we die."

Related Topics:
July 5 - 2002 - Alcor Life Extension Foundation - Scottsdale, Arizona - Cryonic suspension

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Barbara Joyce (Bobbie Jo) Ferrell, Ted's daughter by his first wife, sued John Henry, claiming that Ted wanted to be cremated, and lead a very public campaign against her half-brother; She also feared John Henry was planning to sell their father's DNA. A judge ruled that the signature on the family pact was Ted's, and, the note would stand as his final request.

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Sports Illustrated quoted an informant at Alcor, who claimed Ted's remains were being mistreated; the body had been separated from the head and stored in a different tank. The informant was the administrator of the lab itself, who would have been directly responsible for any 'mishandling', making his allegations somewhat suspect. On December 20, 2002, Ferrell withdrew her objections after a judge agreed that a $645,000 trust would be distributed equally among the siblings.

Related Topics:
Sports Illustrated - December 20 - 2002

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What was less widely reported, save a handful of articles in Minor League News was that the younger Williams had struggled long and hard to play baseball to bring himself closer to the father he never knew.

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Trainer and Williams friend Terry Hardkte said of Williams after his death "J-H lived in my home for seven months trying to squeeze 7 months of hard work into 7 years of experience. We worked together for 6 hours per day, 5 days each week. His determination in trying to be a good professional baseball player was relentless. We had several personal discussions regarding everything going on in his life but he was driven (based on his true love of his father) to give it his best."

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It was announced in October 2003 John Henry had been diagnosed with acute myelogenous leukemia, the same disease that claimed Ted's brother. He had already started chemotherapy, and underwent a bone marrow transplant with a donation from Claudia. He died at UCLA Medical Center, Claudia and Dolores at his bedside. His body was delivered to Alcor.

Related Topics:
Leukemia - Chemotherapy - UCLA - Alcor

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