Nancy Turner Williams grew up like a lot of kids in Arkansas, shooting BB guns, but she ended up becoming a world champion trap shooter.
She was inducted into the Arkansas Sports Hall of Fame (ASHOF) in 2005 as part of the 47th class, along with Scott Hastings, Cortez Kennedy, Bud Brooks, J.P. Lovelady, Mickey O’Quinn, Hal Smith, Maurice Carthon, Carl Sawatski, Terri Conder Johnson, Scottie Pippen, and Doyne Williams, MD, her husband.
Born and raised in Mena (Polk County), Nancy spent a lot of time outdoors, shooting BB guns and .22 rifles. She graduated from the University of Central Arkansas in 1976 with a degree in nursing and biology, then earned a master’s degree in nursing from UAMS in 1978. She worked as a registered nurse, registered nurse practitioner, and clinical nurse specialist for more than 20 years in cardiovascular surgery.
In 1984, she married Doyne, who was born in New Orleans, but his family moved to Arkansas. He went on to graduate from Hendrix College and then UAMS, becoming a cardiovascular surgeon.
He won the Arkansas State Trapshooting championship in 1965 but was unable to defend his title because he was drafted into the U.S. Army in 1966 and deployed to Vietnam. He was awarded the Bronze Star for meritorious service for his surgical skills during the war. He returned to Arkansas in the late 1960s, joining the surgical staff at UAMS in 1970…