James R. Williams '51

James R. Williams '51

James R. Williams '51 of Ardmore, Pa. arrived at Muhlenberg having already served as navigator, bombardier and pilot in the ranks of the Tuskegee Airmen, the famed black aviator corps. He was training for the planned invasion of Japan when the atomic bomb drops on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in August 1945 rendered invasion unnecessary. His neighbor and friend, Julius Becton, Jr., recommended Muhlenberg College, and Williams joined the ranks of so many 'Berg men at the time, enrolling under the benefits of the G.I. Bill.

Along with his fellow black students, Williams played freshman football and became involved in student government, serving as vice-president of his class during sophomore year and being nominated to serve on the Student Council during his junior year. After graduating in 1951 along with Elmo Jackson  and William Pulley, Williams pursued his medical degree at Meharry Medical College in Nashville and spent 50 years as a clinical and anatomic pathologist in Bryn Mawr, PA.

In 2007, he, along with the other Tuskegee Airmen, was awarded the Congressional Gold Medal.

Williams' story and his personal accomplishments as a student, doctor and soldier were included as a feature article in the summer 2014 issue of Muhlenberg's alumni magazine.

The full article can be viewed at our online magazine archive.