by Joy Esiemokhai
The year was 1963, and it was a time of struggle for equality and unwillingness in the face of change. That summer, West Georgia College welcomed with open arms its first African-American student in an act of peaceful integration in a time and landscape that did not quite encourage it.
Just recently, 51 years after that monumental act of peaceful integration, family, friends and members of the University of West Georgia community gathered at Ingram Library to celebrate Mrs. Lillian Williams, the woman at the center of it all. Mrs. Williams’ legacy of change, courage and contribution was honored with an exhibit highlighting her life and achievements as a wife, mother and WGC student.
UWG’s President Kyle Marrero introduced Mrs. Williams’ family who were front and center at the event, titled “Lillian Williams: Celebrating Her Life and Legacy.” The exhibit included a panel display of pictures and documents charting her time at WGC and her accomplishments beyond. An 11-minute mini-documentary, in which former WGC faculty and staff as well as her friends and family spoke about the significance of her enrollment at the university in the backdrop of the time while juggling marriage and motherhood as well as her impact in their lives, was also shown at the event.
In 1967, Mrs. Williams also earned the distinction of being the first African-American graduate of WGC, receiving a Bachelor of Science degree in elementary education, after which she continued her teaching career in the Carroll County School System. Not one to rest on her oars, she earned a master’s degree in elementary education from WGC in 1972. WGC presented Mrs. Williams with the Founder’s Award, the university’s highest honor in 1985. After a fulfilling career of over 30 years, Mrs. Williams retired from Sand Hill Elementary.
Mrs. Williams was remembered as a consummate educator, not just to her students but especially to her five children, with all her children having earned college degrees. Her daughter, Faye Williams, spoke about her mother’s love for teaching and innate ability to make others laugh even at her own expense.
“A lot of people said ‘it’s about time’ for this honor,” Faye said. “It’s not about time but rather it’s the right time. We would not have had the technology and the people to put this together if this had happened earlier.”
Faye also thanked the UWG staff who participated in one way or another to bring the exhibit to fruition, particularly Dr. Marrero and Deirdre Rouse, the director of UWG’s Center for Diversity and Inclusion, for their efforts in honoring her mother’s legacy and ensuring her memory lives on.
In addition to the exhibit, the Lillian Williams Memorial Scholarship Fund was formally established at the event. The scholarship, which was set up by her family, honors and reflects her determination and commitment to education and benefits mothers with at least a 3.0 GPA majoring in education.
Dr. Marrero, Ms. Diane Homesley, the executive director of development at the UWG Development and Alumni Relations office, Dr. Diane Hoff, the dean of the UWG College of Education, and the Williams family all spoke about the importance of the scholarship fund and the help that it will provide to recipients.
“We’re each of us angels with only one wing and we can only fly by embracing one another,” said Ms. Rouse, recalling the famous quote by Luciano De Crescenzo. “That quote comes to mind when I think about Lillian and her legacy at UWG.” No truer words reflect the journey of a great woman and the imprint she has left at UWG.
The Lillian Williams exhibit is still on display at the Ingram Library and the mini-documentary can be watched here. For more information on the Lillian Williams Memorial Scholarship, contact Diane Homesley at 678-839-5035 or dhomesle@westga.edu.
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