Edwin S. Williams in the 1965 Corks and Curls
Edwin S. Williams (December 26, 1943 – October 19, 2025),[1] of Smithfield, Virginia, was a member of the Virginia Glee Club during the Glee Club 1961-1962, 1962-1963, and 1964-1965 seasons. He is believed to be the Glee Club's first African-American member. While at the University of Virginia he was also a member of the Young Democrats and the University Chorale Society. He graduated in 1965 with a bachelors in Chemistry, only the second Black student to graduate from the College of Arts and Sciences.[2][1]
Conductor Donald Loach relates that, during the 1964-65 season, Williams was refused service at a truck stop on Route 29. Loach asked University president Edgar F. Shannon to investigate, and he delegated to his associate Paul Saunier. As a result of the investigation, the truck stops on Route 29 were integrated.
Williams and his experience in the Glee Club were mentioned in a 2017 profile of his son, Ben Williams, in UVA Today.[3]
Dr. Williams completed his MD at the Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine (the Medical College of Virginia in 1969, and began his career in the US Army, practicing medicine at Madigan Army Medical Center in Tacoma, Washington. He practiced medicine for five decades in Seattle and the Washington, DC area.[1]
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 "Edwin S. Williams, MD". Daily Press. 2025-10-27. https://www.dailypress.com/obituaries/edwin-s-williams-md/. Retrieved 2025-10-27.
- ↑ Corks and Curls. 1965. p. 440. http://search.lib.virginia.edu/catalog/uva-lib:2251007/view#openLayer/uva-lib:2307981/4680/3527/2/1/0.
- ↑ Kelly, Jane (2017-05-12). "A Life of Lessons". UVA Today. https://news.virginia.edu/illimitable/greater-good/life-lessons. Retrieved 2020-09-02.