Former Decatur City Councilman and County Board Member Bill Oliver died last Sunday. Oliver was an impactful public figure in Decatur history. He served for a generation on Decatur City Council, 20 years, from 1977 to 1997. He then served on the Macon County Board from 1997.
He came to Decatur from tiny Elkville in Southern Illinois. Work opportunity drew him to Decatur, where he was employed by Staley at age 18 in 1954. He eventually retired from Caterpillar in 1991. Oliver’s first attempt at public office came in 1962 when he ran for the County Board and lost. He then ran for City Council in 1975 and lost again. But Oliver was persistent and ran again in 1977, and then served for nearly 40 years as an elected official.
Oliver’s service to the community went far deeper than his official duties. He kept busy helping others in need. Oliver founded the Emanon Club, a group of black men, who raised money to help groups developing young people, and served as its first President. He was instrumental in supporting youth tutoring programs.
Oliver liked to tell the story of when he received a call at 2:30 AM from a Decatur resident who was complaining about a pothole in front of his house. He got up just a few hours later to go into the city offices to help arrange the repair of the pothole the very same day. He then called the gentleman back the next morning at 2:30 AM to let him know the pothole was fixed. He asked me, “Do you know what time it is?” Oliver said. I told him, “yes, you called me at 2:30 AM yesterday to tell me about the pothole and now I’m calling you back at 2:30 AM to tell you it’s fixed.”
One of the long-term projects spearheaded by Oliver was the renaming of Broadway Avenue after Martin Luther King, Jr. It took a nearly a decade from the first time he proposed it to get it done. In 1987, with the support of Mayor Gary Anderson and Oliver’s long-time friend, Jim Taylor, the council voted 6-1 to make the change. After Oliver’s passing, Taylor told History of the Heartland, “We had a lot of miles together.”
Oliver was the first black person to serve on City Council since Hue Singleton served on what was then called the Town Board in 1920. We send our condolences to Bill Oliver’s family and friends.
Photo: H&R
He came to Decatur from tiny Elkville in Southern Illinois. Work opportunity drew him to Decatur, where he was employed by Staley at age 18 in 1954. He eventually retired from Caterpillar in 1991. Oliver’s first attempt at public office came in 1962 when he ran for the County Board and lost. He then ran for City Council in 1975 and lost again. But Oliver was persistent and ran again in 1977, and then served for nearly 40 years as an elected official.
Oliver’s service to the community went far deeper than his official duties. He kept busy helping others in need. Oliver founded the Emanon Club, a group of black men, who raised money to help groups developing young people, and served as its first President. He was instrumental in supporting youth tutoring programs.
Oliver liked to tell the story of when he received a call at 2:30 AM from a Decatur resident who was complaining about a pothole in front of his house. He got up just a few hours later to go into the city offices to help arrange the repair of the pothole the very same day. He then called the gentleman back the next morning at 2:30 AM to let him know the pothole was fixed. He asked me, “Do you know what time it is?” Oliver said. I told him, “yes, you called me at 2:30 AM yesterday to tell me about the pothole and now I’m calling you back at 2:30 AM to tell you it’s fixed.”
One of the long-term projects spearheaded by Oliver was the renaming of Broadway Avenue after Martin Luther King, Jr. It took a nearly a decade from the first time he proposed it to get it done. In 1987, with the support of Mayor Gary Anderson and Oliver’s long-time friend, Jim Taylor, the council voted 6-1 to make the change. After Oliver’s passing, Taylor told History of the Heartland, “We had a lot of miles together.”
Oliver was the first black person to serve on City Council since Hue Singleton served on what was then called the Town Board in 1920. We send our condolences to Bill Oliver’s family and friends.
Photo: H&R
William “Bill” Frederick Oliver Jr.
June 24, 1936 – May 31, 2026