When Hamilton County Clerk Kathy Kreag Williams learned she was the recipient of the Sagamore of the Wabash award, she describes her reaction as “shocked.”
“I had no idea, I thought we were going to lunch,” Williams said. “I am very humbled and appreciative and honored to have received it.”
The Sagamore of the Wabash is one of the state’s highest honors and is a personal tribute usually given to those who have rendered a distinguished service to the state or to the governor.
Williams said she’s not sure who nominated her, but she expects she received the award for her 26 years of service to the statehouse and her 45 years in county government. Williams began working in the Hamilton County clerk’s office at the age of 19 and served as deputy clerk. She was the clerk from 1982 to 1991 and then ran for state representative of District 29 in 1992, a position she held until 2018. During that time, she also was the majority caucus chair for the statehouse. In 2018, Williams again ran for Hamilton County Clerk, a position she currently holds.
Williams’ friends worked together to surprise her with the award.
“I was supposed to meet two of my friends from the statehouse for lunch and I ended up taking off in the morning for an appointment, so I decided with that and the lunch to take the whole day off, but then (building and grounds director) Steve Wood called me and said I needed to be (at the county courthouse) at 11 for a meeting, and I was kind of upset about it because I wanted to take the day off,” Williams said. “I came in at 11 to have a meeting with him and (director of administration) Dan Stevens and (county councilor) Steve Nation, and then right after we started the meeting, one of the girls from the clerk’s office came in said ‘Kathy, you’re needed downstairs right away.’ I went downstairs, and when I walked into the commissioners’ courtroom, there were the commissioners and my staff and my friends form the statehouse and my husband was there, so I was like ‘what the heck?’ So, anyway, that’s how they got me there and surprised me because I thought we were just going to lunch.”
Tom Saunders, a former statehouse representative, presented the award to Williams.
Williams hopes to continue serving Hamilton County by running for clerk again next year, once her term is up. If she’s reelected, she said plans to retire at age 70 after four more years as clerk. Williams has been a Noblesville resident for her entire life. Outside of work, she is involved with the Hamilton County Extension Board, the Hamilton County 4-H Council, the Noblesville Lions Club, the Noblesville Kiwanis Club, serves on the board of the Noblesville High School Alumni Association and is co-chairing the Hamilton County Bicentennial with Surveyor Kent Ward. She also is very involved in watching her grandchildren play sports, she loves gardening and collects antiques.
