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Beryl Elizabeth Williams (May 23, 1914 – May 7, 1999) played a leading role in the desegregation of the Baltimore public school system and is considered the mother of continuing education at Morgan State University, a historical black college located in
Baltimore, Maryland Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic, and the 30th most populous city in the United States with a population of 585,708 in 2020. Baltimore was ...
.


Early life and education

She was born Beryl Elizabeth Warner in
Bangor, Maine Bangor ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Maine and the county seat of Penobscot County. The city proper has a population of 31,753, making it the state's 3rd-largest settlement, behind Portland (68,408) and Lewiston (37,121). Modern Bangor ...
. Her father was a
Bangor and Aroostook Railroad The Bangor and Aroostook Railroad was a United States railroad company that brought rail service to Aroostook County in northern Maine. Brightly-painted BAR boxcars attracted national attention in the 1950s. First-generation diesel locomotives op ...
porter and her mother owned and operated a Bangor boarding house. In 1935, she became the first African-American to receive a bachelor's degree in
mathematics Mathematics is an area of knowledge that includes the topics of numbers, formulas and related structures, shapes and the spaces in which they are contained, and quantities and their changes. These topics are represented in modern mathematics ...
from the University of Maine; she earned her master's degree in mathematics in 1940, and in 1972 she received an honorary doctorate of pedagogy degree from the same university. From a very early age, Williams was involved in public service. At the age of seven, she played the piano at church services in jails and mental hospitals. As an adult, she continued her public service by serving on the board of the Park Heights Street Academy.


Career

Williams taught at several southern colleges before moving to Baltimore in 1948 where she began her career at the old Morgan College as a part-time English instructor before becoming a full-time English and Mathematics instructor. She was appointed the first female academic Dean at Morgan State University, for the Center of Continuing Education, in 1970. She remained in that position until her retirement. In 1974, Williams was nominated by Mayor Schaefer and unanimously confirmed to the Board of School Commissioners by the Baltimore City Council. She was Vice President of the Baltimore City School Board until 1984. In 1975, she received a plaque of recognition from the city of Baltimore's Delta Sigma Theta sorority, and the news was featured in ''Jet'' magazine. The Dr. Beryl W. Williams Scholarship was established to honor Williams, Dean of Continuing Studies at Morgan State University, upon her retirement in 1981. Williams believed that, “continuing education was of great and lasting value to Morgan State University and as the workforce changed there would be a need for people to retool their skills.” Williams participated in many organizations and committees, including the United Methodist Church;
Delta Sigma Theta Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc. () is a historically African American sorority. The organization was founded by college-educated women dedicated to public service with an emphasis on programs that assist the African American community. Delta ...
sorority;
the American Red Cross The American Red Cross (ARC), also known as the American National Red Cross, is a non-profit humanitarian organization that provides emergency assistance, disaster relief, and disaster preparedness education in the United States. It is the desi ...
; the Advisory Council on Human Relations for the Maryland State Department of Education; the Adult Education and Association of USA Legislation; the Adult Student Personnel Association; the American Association of University Women; Citizens for Black History; the National Negro Business and Professional Women's Club; the Baltimore Museum of Art; the Peale Museum; the Maryland Association for Adult Education; the National Council of Negro Women (Baltimore section) and the YWCA: Greater Baltimore Task Force on Racial Justice.


Personal life

Dr. Williams died on May 7, 1999, at the age of 85.


References


External links


Biography of Dr. Beryl Elizabeth Williams
{{DEFAULTSORT:Williams, Beryl Elizabeth Morgan State University faculty University of Maine alumni Politicians from Bangor, Maine African-American history of Maine Educators from Maryland School board members in Maryland 1914 births 1999 deaths African-American people in Maryland politics African-American women in politics African-American school board members 20th-century African-American women 20th-century African-American academics 20th-century American academics American women academics