The Austin environmental community this week was shocked and saddened by the announcement that Bill Holloway, co-chair of the Travis County Green Party, had died at the age of 44. In a press statement, the Green Party of Texas called Holloway “a dedicated leader. … He will be missed as a mentor and a friend.”

Born in 1964, Holloway was the grandson of Oklahoma Gov. William Judson Holloway Sr. and the son of U.S. 10th Circuit Judge William Judson Holloway Jr. and Helen Hoehn Holloway. After earning a master’s in nonlinear physics at the University of Texas, Holloway worked for National Instruments before setting up his own Internet consulting firm. However, he is best remembered for his tireless volunteerism in many fields. Aside from holding his office with the Travis County Greens and working on committees for the state and national parties, he also worked as a rape crisis phone-line counselor, and, as Texas director of the Northern Flyer Alliance, he advocated for increased passenger rail. Holloway died on Jan. 8 in his home in Austin. At press time, the cause of his death was still unknown.

ACLU of Texas Central Texas (Austin) Chapter President Debbie Russell praised Holloway as “passionate and steadfast.” She recalled that whenever she was advocating an issue, “If there was another person who could take time off to support me, 90 percent of the time it was Bill. He was right there behind me on every issue and so dedicated to putting things in context.” She added that he was “someone who was so solid and together when so often the issues can be so divisive. … He was never doing this for the ego.”

Holloway’s funeral was scheduled to take place Wednesday, Jan. 14, in his birthplace of Oklahoma City, Okla. A celebration of his life will be held in Austin Friday, Jan. 16, 7pm at 5003 Wasson Rd. In keeping with Holloway’s traditions, the event will be an outdoor potluck, where friends and those who were touched by his work can exchange stories of his life. In lieu of flowers, his family asks that well-wishers make a charitable donation, with SafePlace and the Sierra Club as suggested recipients.

This article appears in January 16 • 2009.

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The Chronicle's first Culture Desk editor, Richard has reported on Austin's growing film production and appreciation scene for over a decade. A graduate of the universities of York, Stirling, and UT-Austin, a Rotten Tomatoes certified critic, and eight-time Best of Austin winner, he's currently at work on two books and a play.