William recalls the harsh life as a boy in the Depression and on the home front during World War II. He was born in Texarkana, Arkansas, in a farmhouse without electricity and running water. To use a telephone, the family drove nine miles to Bradley, Arkansas. He recalls many items that were rationed during the war, including shoes. His parents could buy him only one or two pairs each year. Women made underwear from flour sacks. His mother made him wear around his neck an asfoetida bag, containing an odorous poultice, which was thought to ward off illness. After high school, William entered the University of Arkansas and graduated in 1953 with a Bachelor of Science degree in business administration. He enlisted in the U.S. Air Force and was stationed as a supply officer in Cheyenne, Wyoming and Charleston, South Carolina. After the service he moved to Shreveport to work for Arkla Gas. With $3,000 he started Murco Drilling, his own company that he ran for forty years. When he sold it, he employed 300, and worked seventeen drilling rigs.