We owe it all to William Small
The most likeable amongst us
A talented communicator
Some would say the glue between us all
Raise a toast to William Small
He died too young, but achieved so much
His absence leaves us with a hole
Remember when he came to Birmingham
From the Americas, where he insisted that the climate made him ill
With a letter of recommendation
Benjamin Franklin had penned to vouch of his behalf
We owe it all to William Small
A dear friend and doctor
A Socratic teacher, an enlightened inspiration to us all
Raise a toast to William Small
He's died too young, an unfulfilled potential
Yet a resume to shame us all
Someone has sent him a parcel
From Virginia, three cases of madeira and a note
It's addressed from an old student, Thomas Jefferson
Someone needs to tell him that William has died