Emory Williams, Jr. (’32C), emeritus trustee and former chief financial officer of Sears, Roebuck & Co., died Feb. 11 in Hobe Sound, Fla. Williams was 102.

Williams graduated in 1932, was elected to serve as a trustee in 1964 and was elected to emeritus status in 1981, according to a Feb. 14 University press release.

In addition to serving as a trustee, Williams gave back to the Emory community in several ways, including establishing the Emory Williams Award to honor faculty at the University, the press release says.

The Emory Williams Awards were established in 1972 to honor faculty for fostering participation, inquiry and creative expression in the classroom. It also recognizes faculty who represent a model for teaching and scholarship and those who serve as mentors to students, according to the Office of the Provost website.

Andrew W. Mellon Professor of Politics and History Harvey Klehr, a 1983 recipient of the Williams award, said he witnessed Williams’ legacy and generosity as it grew through the years.

“I got to know Mr. Williams several years ago after he called me to discuss his interest in Emory developing a core curriculum for undergraduates,” Klehr said. “Without his interest, prodding, enthusiasm and financial support, what is now the Voluntary Core Program never would have gotten started.”

The Voluntary Core Program is a set of five classes in the College that offer a coherent grasp of the Western tradition and which address a series of major questions that have been at the center of a liberal arts education, according to the program website.

In addition to his work with the Voluntary Core Program, Williams established a lecture series to support the program, according to the press release. The series was later named the Emory Williams Lectures in the Liberal Arts in his honor.

Klehr said Williams remained interested in the program up until his death and attended one of the classes and a lecture in the series just a few months before he died.

“That a man of his age continued to be concerned about undergraduate education and the importance of the liberal arts, is testimony to his abiding concern for students at his alma mater,” Klehr said.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that contributions be made to Emory University in support of the Voluntary Core Curriculum Program.

– By Stephen Fowler

Stephen Fowler
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Stephen Fowler 16C is the political reporter at Georgia Public Broadcasting, the statewide NPR affiliate in Georgia. He graduated from Emory with a degree in Interdisciplinary Studies and covered the central administration and Greek Life for the Wheel before serving as assistant news editor, Emory Life editor and the Executive Digital Editor from 2015-16.