William Kenneth "Bill" McAfee

Tuesday, June 20, 2023

Bill (William Kenneth) McAfee died in hospice care in his home on Tuesday, June 20, 2023 with loved ones surrounding him. He was 96. Born in Corsicana in 1926, he was the youngest of five children. His parents were Terry Reno McAfee and Maggie Kerr McAfee. He was preceded in death by his beloved wife Anne in 2013; his sister Marie; his brother Milton; his brother Hugh; and his brother Garrett, who was killed during World War II.

Bill is survived by his five children: Susan McAfee Raybuck (Perry) of Wimberley, Mark McAfee (Diji) of Austin, Karen Kate McAfee Campbell (Greg) of Austin, Laura McAfee O'Neill of Austin, and Nancy McAfee Dyer

(Allan) of Medina.

He also is survived by 12 grandchildren: David, Abby, Sean, Adrienne, Adele, Kaela, Kevin, Emerson, Garrett, Kenny, Jeff, and Sarah; 17 great-grandchildren (and counting!), and many beloved nieces, nephews, and extended family.

The Great Depression had a huge impact on Bill's life, as his father was out of work for four long years. The family was evicted twice during that terrible period, and Bill said that was an experience that no one should ever have to face, as you never leave it far behind.

Bill got a job as a printer's devil (apprentice) at the age of 13 in a small Corsicana printing shop. When the National Guard was mobilized only a few months later, the two men who worked there were suddenly called up. Bill, who had a high aptitude for anything mechanical and was very well organized, was soon able to run multiple presses and fill the needs of the shop while also being a school student. Bill became an essential employee to the print shop's owner, Paget Marr, and the owner became a close friend and mentor to Bill.

Bill was double-promoted twice in school and graduated at the age of 16. He graduated in a class of two students from Kerens High School. Because it was wartime, his graduating class consisted of only two students and Bill loved to joke that he was neither the Valedictorian nor the Salutatorian. He worked in the Summer of 1943 for the Waxahachie Daily News, then moved to Denton to enroll at North Texas State Teachers College that Fall. He was a volunteer in the Denton fire department, gaining himself a free room in the firehouse. He also worked as a printer at both the NTSTC Press and at the daily newspaper, The Denton Record Chronicle.

His two older brothers, both in the Army, encouraged Bill to join the Navy rather than waiting to be drafted into the Army. However, the Army was the only major service branch open as he approached his 18th birthday in 1944, so he joined the Merchant Marines instead. After basic training he was sent to radio school. With his high aptitude for math and physics, he soon became a Radio Officer, attaining the rank of Ensign, and served in both the Atlantic and Pacific.

Bill was on a Liberty ship heading from Antwerp to Kyushu for the invasion of Japan, carrying a full load of ammo, large and small, when the atomic bombs were dropped and the Japanese surrendered. Bill liked to say, "They heard I was coming and they just gave in." Bill's ship was then given new orders to take supplies to occupied Japan. He spent many months in occupied Japan and learned to speak some basic Japanese. Although more merchant seamen were killed or seriously wounded than in any other branch of service, they weren't acknowledged or included in the GI Bill until 1988. By then Bill was 62 years of age.

After the war Bill worked for The Dallas Morning News and The Dallas Times-Herald, and also for The San Antonio Express and The San Antonio Light. In 1949 when he enrolled at UT, his first Austin job was as foreman of the typesetting department at The Daily Texan; later he worked for The American-Statesman.

A good friend and fellow student set Bill up on a blind date with Anne Castleberry, also a UT student, who would become his wife of 61 years. After an almost 2-year courtship, Bill and Anne were married in 1952, and became parents in 1953. Anne's large extended family in South Austin played a big role in their courtship and married life.

Bill volunteered to help his friend Mark Adams print the first issues of The Texas Observer. A few years later when Mark decided to leave Austin, Bill bought Mark's small print shop on South First Street, which later became known as Futura Press, Inc. Futura printed The Texas Observer for many years until Bill retired in 1992. For several years Futura Press was the only 100% union printer Texas: Futura's typesetters, pressmen, bookbinders, secretaries, and delivery people were all union members. Bill took great pride in Futura and had a special bond with his employees who remained close friends throughout his life.

In addition to being a printing shop, Futura also published The Austin Times, Go-Austin!, and The Jet Gazette among several other newspapers, magazines, and books. His wife Anne was the editor for The Austin Times. When the Post Office introduced Zip Codes in 1967, Futura added data processing and mailing services to its activities, eventually spinning off a new company - Futura Systems - that also sold computers and developed custom software for his customers.

Bill enjoyed the computer business and wrote many software programs for clients. The business grew rapidly, and the client demands kept Bill and two full-time programmers in a perpetual bind. Ultimately Bill designed and wrote a complex system of more than 28,000 lines of code that would interpret a small file of simple English instructions and, without any further programming, it would perform any jobs required of the data center.

Bill was an avid reader, interested in everything, and was a student of history, public policy, and economics. Although he was a successful businessman for some forty years, he always considered himself a Socialist, probably due to his memories and experiences during the Great Depression. He simply believed that life could and should be better for everyone and strived to make that happen. He and Anne were devoted regular attendees of "the Saturday meeting", a.k.a. "Saturday Sages", a.k.a. "Yeller Dawg Democrats" where they found kindred spirits and dear friends.

Bill cared deeply about the environment, democracy, and that people had enough to eat. For those who may want to make a gift in his memory, the family suggests The Nature Conservancy, Common Cause, the Central Texas Food Bank, or the nonprofit of your choice.

A celebration of his life will begin at 1 p.m. on July 8 at his home.

To share a memory or send a condolence gift, please visit the Official Obituary of William Kenneth McAfee hosted by ATX Cremation.