A Tribute to Archie Williams

May 1, 2021

I have had four "angels" in my life and Archie Williams was the first. Frequently, we are only aware of these individuals decades on. This was the case with Archie when I entered his class as a rather "hopeless" math student. Archie's personality had the ability to rise above everything. His humor, modesty, optimism and complete dedication enabled students to feel there no longer remained any obstacles. Once you walked through the door into "Archie Country," you left all your previous concerns behind. He imparted a manner of learning tailored to each individual student. He gave tirelessly of himself and yet never demanded. School schedules and "banal" things such as time failed to exist in his altruistic orbit. He never "looked down" on a student, but always made certain he was on the same human level. It was a friend/mentor relationship rather than the customary teacher-student. If a pupil failed to understand the lecture at hand, he would just resharpen his pencil, calmly take a seat beside you and try all over again. No one ever glanced at the clock. To be in Archie's class became something of an unspoken privilege that was known on campus. It wasn't just his idea of purchasing french fries for the entire class every "Fryday," that made him beloved. It was, above all, his creation of a unique and utterly personally-oriented learning environment - both innovative and inspirational.

He would, when asked, speak about the 1936 Summer Olympics. He was too humble to even mention his time in the military; I only knew about that many years later. I moved to Europe shortly after graduating. There, I worked as an author, earned a PhD from the University of Marburg and taught at the University of Maryland, Europe. Although I never had personal contact with Archie following that time, he remained within. He was always present guiding in spirit. I modeled my teaching on his. I also realized that, without his input at the time, I would never have been able to contemplate a career in academia.

Like all great people, Archie stood above categorization and small-mindedness. He was a person who emanated sincere empathy. His only wish was to help others. He enjoyed teaching because he enjoyed giving. It was completely selfless, unconditional and genuine. I, for one, shall remain forever grateful. Both he and the school set the foundation for a happy and successful life. It was a magical time indeed.