IN MEMORY OF
DAVID WILLIAMS The Academy mourns the loss of long time teacher David Williams. Williams began his career at Governor Dummer in 1951 under Headmaster Ted Eames. With the exception of a two year sabbatical during which Williams taught in Japan, David Williams remained at the Academy until his retirement in 1992. Williams began his career at Governor Dummer as an English teacher, despite his undergraduate degree in history. It was only after Val Wilkie took over as headmaster that Williams became a member of the history department. As a young member of the faculty, Williams was a “jack of all trades,” coaching many different thirds teams as well as the cheerleading squad. In a 1992 Archon article, Williams joked that “I didn’t know any cheers and neither did they.” Later in his career, Williams moved on to become the head varsity boys’ basketball coach. Williams’ work as a teacher, dorm parent, and coach earned him accolades from peers and students. When looking back on some of their most influential teachers, many alumni mention David Williams. Some of their comments include “Mr. Williams made history come alive for me,” and “he was demanding but fair.” A citation for Outstanding Secondary School Teaching Award described Williams as “one of the main threads in the fabric of his school.” Often grouped with the Academy’s “Old Guard,” Williams followed the pattern of this group by building almost his entire working life around GDA. As a person who was deeply committed to the Academy, Williams will be deeply missed. See David’s full Obituary on page 42.
The Archon | Fall/Winter 2016
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