Jack LeDuc sits at a table at Kavarna coffeehouse in downtown Green Bay. He used to be a fixture there—it was the favorite meetup spot for him and Paul Willems, his best friend for over 50 years. They talked for hours here, traded life updates, ruminated on the state of politics and found solace in companionship during the hard times. “There was never a disagreement, only smiles, humor, and helping each other,” said LeDuc.
Today is different. He’s here to talk about Paul, not with him. He’s brought pages of scrawled notes—dates, names, places. He doesn’t want to miss a single thing. He orders a large black coffee, makes sure to get his loyalty card punched, and doesn’t drink a drop over two hours. He has a lot to say.
Willems and LeDuc met in 1972. LeDuc had just returned to Green Bay after two years in Washington, D.C., serving with the U.S. Capitol Police. He first received an appointment through Alaska Sen. Mike Gravel and then a second-year appointment through Wisconsin Sen. Gaylord Nelson. Back home, he aspired to return to the Capitol in a different capacity. He rented an office in the Watermark Building downtown to be his campaign headquarters. Jack LeDuc was running for Congress.
LeDuc would lose that race, but in the process, he gained something. He remembers it was in that downtown office where he first met Willems. A UW-Green Bay Political Science student, Willems showed up to volunteer. He had just come off a narrow city council race loss (only 12 votes) but he wasn’t ready to stop fighting. LeDuc connected to that fighting spirit immediately. The two found common ground in a shared aspiration: to make the world a better place. Over their lives and friendship, Paul never failed to help his friend try to do exactly that. “His whole life was dedicated to serving others,” LeDuc said.
Before he entered politics, Willems was a soldier. Drafted in 1966, he served in Vietnam as an artillery officer, earning three Bronze Stars and a promotion to captain. Only one soldier was lost under his command, a man named Gordon Norman. Willems kept that name in his memory, honoring him every Veterans Day for more than five decades. “Everybody he could talk to, he’d say, ‘I’m here to honor Private Gordon Norman,’” said LeDuc.
After the war, Willems devoted himself fully to serving others. He won election in 1976 to both the Green Bay City Council and the Brown County Board. He went on to serve as a mayoral assistant to Mayor Mike Monfils and Sam Halloin, helped run successful campaigns for the state legislature, and became a longtime leader and mentor to others. He twice ran unsuccessfully for Congress, but he later served as district manager for Rep. Jay Johnson in 1996. LeDuc said Willems continued to support his alma mater and took time to mentor young people along the way: “Democracy only continues with each generation of new leaders doing their part,” he said.
When LeDuc talks about Willems, he isn’t overtly emotional, but there’s a reverence in his voice. LeDuc is 83, and he says his memory isn’t what it used to be. But the memories of Willems are clear. He talks about how Willems stepped in to help launch LeDuc’s Green Bay radio station, WJLW: “Paul was part of the longest application process for one FM station in the history of the FCC.” He talks about Willems’ work with tribal nations advocating for better opportunities: “he spent years [advocating] on behalf of Native Americans.” He talks about Willems’ role as an original co-producer when Mile of Music, the Fox Valley festival that celebrates and elevates local musicians, launched in 2013.
LeDuc doesn’t follow much of a chronology with his stories. He describes one memory which triggers another, a Rube Goldberg machine of moments, one bumping into the next, over 50 years of friendship.
The hardest memory is the most recent. LeDuc remembers getting a text: “I’m going to hospice. It’s been a hell of a ride.” At that point, Willems had been battling ALS for about 18 months. LeDuc knew time was limited, but now it was weeks. Right away, he called old friends and colleagues of Willems. Then he called UW-Green Bay to ask how he might set up a scholarship.
The Paul Francis Willems “Democracy in Action” Endowed Scholarship honors Willems’ life and legacy, “to create what his whole life stood for: public service; creating a better government for average folks; and the awareness that if good people don’t step up to do their part, democracy can be in trouble,” LeDuc said. He recalls calling Willems’ wife, Barb, to share the plan and ask her to pass on the news. She told him to tell Paul himself: “He wants you to come over right now.”
LeDuc told his friend that because of the endowment, “For the rest of time, every year, one student is going to [get a scholarship to] study political science, and the guiding principle is going to be what you stood for your whole life—public service.” Willems smiled at the thought.
Paul Willems passed away on May 14, 2025 at the age of 78. LeDuc encourages anyone who has been moved by Willems’ life and story to donate to the UW-Green Bay scholarship in his name.
https://bit.ly/WillemsDemocracyScholarship
