From the Managers’ Conference: Honoring the Memory of Robin Williams, an Exchange Hero

During the second day of the Retail, Food and Service Managers’ Conference, the Services and Food Directorate began its general session by observing a moment of silence for Robin Williams, Healthcare Program Manager for the Exchange, who passed away unexpectedly after suffering a heart attack on March 14. He was 60.

Williams’ Exchange career began in 2004, when he was an active-duty Air Force Senior Master Sergeant and the Public Health and Food Safety liaison for the Air Force. He arrived at a time when there was heightened concern about food vulnerability and the potential for attacks on the Nation’s food supply, at military installations in particular.

He quickly got to know key personnel in the Exchange’s retail, food, restaurant and theater operations, working with them to put protocols in place to enhance the food safety program. He was known for his work ethic, his kindness and his humor.

“Robin never met a stranger,” said SFD Senior Vice President Darryl Porter. “He was a great teammate and consummate professional who was all in to serve those who serve.”

In 2022, Williams told the Exchange Post: “Throughout the course of my career, the one thing that I try to leave behind when I move on to another assignment is a positive “I want my legacy to be that I helped others, as well as the organization, or left a positive impression that inspires other people to be positive and successful as well.”

Brad Nisbett, vice president of Corporate Policy, described Williams as a “mentor, friend and colleague to all.”

Williams was active in the HEROES special emphasis program, which recognizes the contributions and sacrifices of Exchange associates and retirees who are military Veterans, their spouses and family members.

“He was a leader among that group and just a true patriot inside uniform and outside of uniform,” said Nisbett, who is co-executive champion of HEROES. “There’s not a person out there that can say a bad word about him.”

Williams was born in London in 1963 and attended high school in Miami. In May 1983, he enlisted in the Air Force. After completing basic and technical training, he was assigned to the Air Force Medical Center at Keesler Air Force Base as an environmental health technician.

During his Air Force career, he held a variety of medicine- and public-health-related positions at installations worldwide, including in Italy, Guam and South Korea as well as CONUS. In March 2009, he achieved the rank of Chief Master Sergeant. He retired from the Air Force in 2011 after nearly 30 years of service and continued to work for the Exchange.

From Chief Master Sgt. Robin Williams 2011 retirement ceremony: His achievements and assignments throughout his military career.

Jason Woods, Director of Healthcare Services, worked closely with Williams and said he was “larger than life for those of us who knew him.”

“He was a man who loved his family and country,” Woods said. “A man that we all looked up to.  A man who knew sacrifice, commitment and hard work were essential to success. A giving man… of his time, his knowledge and life experiences. He selflessly shared his many virtues that made us all a better person.”

According to Williams’ official obituary, “His love for music, particularly the soulful rhythms of reggae, was a defining aspect of his life, evident to all who knew him. He shared his gift as a DJ across the world, whether spinning records or orchestrating playlists, to use music as a conduit for joy, unity, and cultural celebration.”

He was also a lifelong soccer enthusiast, who played in leagues all over the world, including an Italian Amateur league and recreational leagues in Texas.

Williams’ sense of humor extended to his sharing his name with a celebrity. “I was stationed in Los Angeles for three years and I’d get phone calls,” he told the Exchange Post. “People would find out my house number on base. They’d call and say, ‘Is this Robin Williams?’ I’d say, “Absolutely.’ And, when they said, ‘I love your movies,’ I would respond with a resounding ‘Well, Goooood Morning, Vietnam!’”

That sense of humor worked well for Williams. Around the time he joined the Exchange, Express stores, still known as Shoppettes, were rolling out the Snack Avenue program, which included a new feature: a self-serve roller grill that cooked items such as taquitos and hot dogs for the customers. Williams agreed to pose for some photos to promote the program.

One photo of Williams in uniform, about to take a big bite out of a hot dog in his right hand while holding a soft drink in the other, was placed in Shoppettes around the world. He was expecting it to only be in the HQ restaurant. The photo eventually made its way to the internet, where it went viral. Reddit users began to claim they’d seen the photo as early as 1992, more than a decade before it was taken.

Williams was a good sport about all the attention. Even in 2022, the photo would pop back up somewhere, and Williams would get emails saying, “The legend lives on!” He said he was happy to play along.

“I’d tell people, ‘If you saw the hot dog picture downrange or in Germany and also in CONUS, then I can check another thing off my bucket list,’” he told the Exchange Post. “They’d say, ‘What’s that?’ ‘International male model.’”

Williams is survived by his wife, Jacqueline, children Rajeev and Sheveada, and his grandchildren. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations in his honor be made toward a scholarship fund for his grandchildren. To donate, click here.