Wendell Sterling Williams, emeritus professor of physics, materials science and bioengineering, and director emeritus of the Program on Ancient Technologies and Archaeological Materials at the University of Illinois died at 12:46 p.m., Saturday, Nov. 20, 2010.

A Memorial Concert is scheduled on Sunday, May 29, 2011, at 3 p.m. at Unitarian-Universalist Church, 309 W. Green St., Urbana, Illinois. All who knew Wendell are welcome to attend.

Born in Lake Forest, Illinois Oct. 27, 1928, he was the son of Sterling Price Williams, head of philosophy and psychology at Lake Forest College, and Mary Eleanor Simpson Williams.

Williams graduated from Lake Forest High School as valedictorian of his class and sang lead roles in several Gilbert and Sullivan operettas. He attended Deep Springs College, CA, on full scholarship and graduated from Swarthmore College, PA.

At Swarthmore he co-founded the Swarthmore Savoyards with his wife-to-be, Dorothy Watt, and as music director and conductor produced several G and S operettas. In graduate school at Cornell University, he and his wife founded the Cornell Savoyards, which still continues. He was also elected to Telluride Association, an educational trust, and served as an officer.

After receiving his Ph.D, Williams was a research physicist for Union Carbide Corporation, Cleveland, working on transition-metal carbides, nitrides and borides and leading a lab chorus, the Carbon 14. He also founded and directed a community chorus, the Southwest Messiah Chorale, annually performing Handel’s “Messiah” and other major choral works with the Parma Philharmonic Orchestra.

While in Cleveland he was invited by Robert Shaw’s church choir to direct “The Mikado” while the Shaw Chorale was on tour in Russia.

In 1967 Williams joined the Illinois faculty as associate professor, later professor, of physics, ceramic engineering and bioengineering. In 1986 he received the Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Undergraduate Teaching and in 1987 won the Burlington Northern Award for Excellence in Teaching and Research. He also was honored as instructor of the year for three separate years by Alpha Epsilon Delta, undergraduate premedical society.

For several years Williams headed the university’s Program on Ancient Technologies and Archaeological Materials, which brought together faculty from across the campus to apply scientific techniques to the analysis of art and archaeological objects from Illinois and also from major museums.

From 1968-75 he was music director of the Unitarian Universalist Church.

On leaves from Illinois, he served as Energy Research Coordinator, 1974-75, and as Section Head, Division of Materials Research, 1977-78, for the National Science Foundation, and directed a study of science and engineering education for the National Academy of Sciences. He also was a senior research visitor at Cambridge University, Oxford University, and Imperial College, London.

Retiring from Illinois in 1987, he was appointed chair of materials science and engineering at Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland. In his first year as chair, he was chosen by students throughout the campus for the university’s Carl Wittke Award for Distinguished Teaching. He retired from CWRU in 1995 and returned to Urbana. After his second “retirement” he taught at MIT and at New College, honors college of the University of South Florida. He was also an adjunct professor at SUNY Albany.

During his long career, he supervised 56 graduate theses at Illinois and CWRU and published more than 100 research papers.

He was a consultant for the National Science Foundation, the National Research Council, the Department of Energy, Argonne National Laboratory, Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Sandia Laboratory, and the Nordson Corporation.

He was a fellow of the American Physical Society, the American Ceramic Society, councillor of the Materials Research Society, and past president of the Society for Physical Regulation in Biology and Medicine. For his scientific achievements, he was elected to the Cosmos Club, Washington, DC.

He leaves his wife, Dorothy; daughters Jennifer (Matthew Brown), musicology professor at Grinnell College, IA, and Laura (Chris Matheos), clinical psychologist at St. Mary’s College, Moraga, CA; and sister, Marilou Williams Chapman, of West Bend, WI, and Bradenton, FL.

Donations in his memory may be made to Deep Springs College, Dyer, NV, or to the Alzheimer’s Association.

Heath and Vaughn Funeral Home, 201 N. Elm, Champaign, is assisting the family with arrangements.

Condolences may be offered online at www.HeathandVaughn.com.

Condolences

To the Williams Family:

Please accept my condolences on behalf of the Materials Science and Engineering Alumni Advisory Board-University of Illinois. Professor Williams obviously touched the lives of many people in a positive way and people like him make this world a much better place to live in.

Sincerely,

James D. Burk

President
MatSci Alumni Board
University of Illinois

Dear Dorothy,

A friend from Champaign sent me the notice of Wendell’s death and I am so sorry to learn of that sad news. What fond memories we have of our Lake Forest HS days and reunions on the shores of Lake Michigan in Lake Forest. Joe and I send our sincere sympathy to you and the family and will keep you in our prayers.

With love, Doris (Beatty Lindner)

Dear Dorothy,

Steve and I extend our deepest condolences to you and your family on your sad loss. Wendell was a dear friend to me during our student days in various music activities and in various activities afterwards as alumni. He was a man of many talents and great kindness, and will be deeply missed.

Betsy Robertson Smith
Moorestown, NJ

Dear Dorothy,

I'm extremely sorry to hear of Wendell's death. I remember bonding with him almost right away when we both arrived for the class of '51 in the fall of '47.
Then of course there was the time the four of us were at Cornell and later at the opera in Santa Fe.

Sincerely,

Franz
Santa Fe, NM 87501