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Always Using Kindness

William M. Weems paid attention to the small things in life, right down to the white tennis shoes he always wore. Gifts were more than presents, they were always a little part of himself: the lighter used in "Blood Simple" he gave to his movie buddy, or the steel theme (to represent the 10th anniversary) he built on last year -- down to the antique steel pens used to write the menu -- to celebrate his marriage to his wife, Lisa.

"His life was really based on what he could do to enhance the lives of others," said friend Cynthia Gardner. "Most importantly his wife and daughter Zoe."

"Love my girls," he said as he headed out for United Flight 173 a day earlier than necessary to accompany clients to Los Angeles and see relatives. A 46-year-old freelance commercial producer who lived in Marblehead, Mass., he went against type. "He always did things with kindness," said Dan Lincoln, the movie buddy who worked with him since 1986, "and a nice word."

Profile published in THE NEW YORK TIMES on December 28, 2001.


A freelance producer of TV commercials, William Weems was headed from Boston to Los Angeles aboard United Flight 175 when it crashed into the south tower of the World Trade Center, said his wife, Lisa.

Weems, 46, lived in Marblehead, Mass., on the coast of the Atlantic, north of Boston. He had a 7-year-old daughter Zoe.

Profile courtesy of THE CHICAGO TRIBUNE.