William E. Powers; Blind Former R.I. Supreme Court Justice

William E. Powers, 81, who recovered from an accident that left him blind and went on to become a Rhode Island Supreme Court justice and attorney general. Powers became totally blind in 1928 after an accident at home the previous year. Despite the handicap, he became Cumberland probate judge from 1936 to 1949; a state representative from 1939 to 1949; attorney general from 1949 to 1958 and Supreme Court justice from 1958 to 1973. In 1954, Powers was cited by President Dwight D. Eisenhower’s Committee on Employment of the Physically Handicapped for his efforts to promote equal opportunity in employment for the disabled. He was featured on the television show “This Is Your Life” in 1959. Powers prided himself on being able to remember many people by voice and to make mental images of others. “I see every man and woman I meet,” he said, “and the women are always good-looking.” In Providence, R.I., on Jan. 7.