A Model for Faculty Leadership: Ralph and Martha Williams Fund
Brian Williams
Brian Williams knows the UMN Morris campus story better than most; that’s because he grew up alongside it. Brian, son of the late Martha and Professor Ralph Williams, remembers the earliest days at UMN Morris because he was there. Today he hopes to see that history—and that of his family’s legacy here—continue into the future as “a partnership, a real living bond.”
With his mother, Brian created the Ralph and Martha Williams Fund in memory of his father. Ralph was the founder of Music at UMN Morris and one of the campus’s original faculty members; Martha managed the campus post office and played violin in the original orchestra. Brian, too, had a role in campus history; he played trumpet in the early days of Jazz Fest. It’s one of the reasons he supports the Music Discipline today and into the future.
Brian’s gift is about marrying the past with the present. It’s a forward-looking gift, one that provides for a vital community resource—of which he is part of the past, present and future.
“UMN Morris Music is a rich resource, not only for educational purposes, but also for entertainment and culture on campus,” he says. “Music will have a vital role no matter the shape of things to come. The future can never be certain to predict, but leave no doubt, the Ralph and Martha Williams Fund will be there to buttress music and the school in general.”
Support What You Love at UMN Morris
Like Brian, you can make a future gift to UMN Morris that supports your passions and helps students. Contact Susan Schmidgall, CDO, at 320-589-6160 or sschmidg@morris.umn.edu to learn more.
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