William Cheetham

Loved by some and liked by many, Bill Cheetham was respected by just about everybody who knew him. He was active in many facets of community life since moving to Seminole from his native Rhode Island with wife Anne and their three children in 1959.

Bill Cheetam’s five terms as a member of the city council - the longest in the 12-year history of the Seminole City - was his most publicized accomplishment. However, Bill Cheetham contributed far more to the Seminole community.

Bill was an active member of the Greater Seminole Area Chamber of Commerce, the Seminole Rotary Club, the Elks Lodge, and the Bay Ridge Civic Association. Over the years he played a leading role in the organization of the Seminole Family YMCA and his work with the Seminole Youth Athletic Association was a significant contribution towards establishing a strong sports program for Seminole area boys and girls.

In the early 1970s, he helped raise money to build a junior-sized Olympic swimming pool for the Seminole community, and he helped organize golf tournaments for senior citizens. He was a founder of the Seminole High School Booster Club and the Seminole Little League. He led the effort to build the recreation field for the high school.

It was often said by local residents that if there was any weakness in Bill Cheetham 's makeup and character one of them would have to be his inability to say no to any reasonable request for help. When the city was first Incorporated in 1970, Bill Cheetham was elected as one of its first council members and he served two more two-year terms before losing a re-election bid in 1980. But he bounced back again two years later to regain his council seat, and then he made a bid for the mayor's position when Juanita Gesling resigned to run for the State legislature. Bill Cheetham also served his country well and as a US Marine corps sergeant in World War II where he saw action in the invasion of both Italy and Okinawa.

In 1973 Bill Cheetam was awarded the Citizen Community Service Award by his employer, General Telephone, and then in 1981 he was named Mr. Seminole by the Seminole Area Chamber of Commerce.