Anthropology professor Aubrey Williams dead at 83
Kristi Tousignant
Issue date: 2/26/08 Section: News
Aubrey W. Williams Jr., an anthropology professor who urged students to challenge authority and became known as an outspoken civil rights and anti-war activist, died Saturday of complications related to pneumonia at Washington Adventist Hospital in Takoma Park. He was 83.
The driving force behind the university's anthropology department, he was the department's first chair and taught the subject for 46 years.
"He was utterly committed to undergraduates and always willing to fight for justice," said anthropology professor Mark Leone, who knew Williams for more than 30 years. "He was a leader completely committed to a scientific view of how anthropology was taught to undergraduates."
Despite his expertise, Williams preferred teaching introductory courses most. Students remembered him as a consummate storyteller who taught lessons of world cultures through tales of Route 1 war protests and his own childhood.
"Being with Aubrey was kind of like taking a trip through the major historical events of the 20th century," said Lisa Pfeifer, a biology graduate student who befriended Williams even though she never took one of his classes.
"He fought in World War II. He actively protested every war after that right up to the Iraq War. He had breakfast with Eleanor Roosevelt as a little boy; he was active in the Civil Rights Movement. You never knew when he started a story where it would end up."
Anthropology professor William Stewart, who had known Williams for almost 35 years, described him as a "maverick" and the "spiritual faculty father of anti-war sentiments," and noted he was never one to stand down.
"He was an extremely principled person," Stewart said. "He addressed the issue whether it was right or wrong. If he thought you were wrong, he told you. He was a direct person."
Junior American studies and anthropology major Katie Brown took two classes with Williams on the culture of Native Americans in North and South America.
The driving force behind the university's anthropology department, he was the department's first chair and taught the subject for 46 years.
"He was utterly committed to undergraduates and always willing to fight for justice," said anthropology professor Mark Leone, who knew Williams for more than 30 years. "He was a leader completely committed to a scientific view of how anthropology was taught to undergraduates."
Despite his expertise, Williams preferred teaching introductory courses most. Students remembered him as a consummate storyteller who taught lessons of world cultures through tales of Route 1 war protests and his own childhood.
"Being with Aubrey was kind of like taking a trip through the major historical events of the 20th century," said Lisa Pfeifer, a biology graduate student who befriended Williams even though she never took one of his classes.
"He fought in World War II. He actively protested every war after that right up to the Iraq War. He had breakfast with Eleanor Roosevelt as a little boy; he was active in the Civil Rights Movement. You never knew when he started a story where it would end up."
Anthropology professor William Stewart, who had known Williams for almost 35 years, described him as a "maverick" and the "spiritual faculty father of anti-war sentiments," and noted he was never one to stand down.
"He was an extremely principled person," Stewart said. "He addressed the issue whether it was right or wrong. If he thought you were wrong, he told you. He was a direct person."
Junior American studies and anthropology major Katie Brown took two classes with Williams on the culture of Native Americans in North and South America.
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Aubrey Philip Rhys Williams
posted 2/26/08 @ 2:52 AM EST
The memorial will be held Sunday, April 13th, 2008; location to be determined. Visit aubreywwilliams.googlepages.com for details on the event, to share your stories about Aubrey, his StoryCorps recording, pictures, brief professional autobiography, and much more. (Continued…)
Martin Heisler
posted 4/04/08 @ 4:39 PM EST
My first meeting with Aubrey Williams was awkward: on the first day of classes, long ago, we discovered that our classes had been scheduled for the same room at the same time. (Continued…)
Justin Sanabria
posted 5/18/08 @ 11:44 AM EST
Aubrey,
You are a very special man and I am grateful you are a part of my life. If it weren't for you and your kind words, I would not have found a home in Woods Hall and graduated from the University of Maryland with a BA in Anthropology. (Continued…)
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