Allan Williams

Allan `Al` Silvio Williams, 84, Clarksville, died Tuesday, February 23, 2010, at Gateway Medical Center. The funeral will be held at 11 a.m. Friday at Immaculate Conception Catholic Church in the Main Worship Center with Rev. Ed Steiner, Rev. Eric Fowlkes & Deacon Dominick Azzara officiating. Visitation will be from 4 - 7 p.m. Thursday and from 9:30 - 10:30 a.m. Friday at McReynolds-Nave & Larson Chapel. The remains are to be cremated. A Prayer Vigil will be held 7 p.m. Thursday at McReynolds-Nave & Larson Chapel. A native of Massachusetts, he was raised by his Italian grandparents, Giuseppe and Dominica Gugliemetti, who emigrated from Italy in 1914. He attended the public schools in Haverhill, Massachusetts and because of World War II graduated from Haverhill High School without attending classes in his senior year. In the South Pacific Theater of Operations in World War II, he served as Radioman, First Class, United States Navy. Al earned three college degrees: Fitchburg State College, Fitchburg, Massachusetts, Teachers College at Columbia University, New York City and George Peabody College for Teachers of Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee. Al started his professional career in September 1952, as a high school mathematics teacher in Groton, Massachusetts. Before coming to Austin Peay State University in September 1968, he served as a Director of Guidance and Supervising Principal of a large high school. Retired from Austin Peay State University in August 2005. In July 2005, he was one of the fifty people in this country to be selected to lecture at Oxford University, England. Topic: The United States Constitution. He has written several articles of an educational nature which have appeared in the nation's leading professional education journals. Since his retirement, he has written ten booklets: Black History Month, Celebrating the Fourth of July, Christmas Joy, Christopher Columbus, Easter Joy, Halloween Joy, Let Us Celebrate Flag Day, Thanksgiving Joy, The United States Constitution, and Valentine Joy. Al served Rotary International as Past President of Clarksville Rotary Club, District Governor, and a Paul Harris Fellow. He was active in Boy Scouts of America, Special Olympics, Customs House Museum, Roxy Regional Theater, and many other civic affairs, as well as a member of Immaculate Conception Catholic Church. Survivors include his wife, Martha Susana Cabut Williams, Clarksville; sons, Thomas Williams, Albany, NY, and Seth Williams, Boston, MA. Pallbearers will be Adel Saleh, Carter Briggs, John Butler, Mike Carrigan, Jack Mitchell, Larry Lowrance and Joe Pitts. Honorary pallbearers will be members of Clarksville Rotary Club. Memorials may be made to Austin Peay State University "Al Williams Endowment Fund", P.O. Box 4417, Clarksville, TN 37044 or Special Olympics Tennessee, 1900 12th Avenue South, Nashville, TN 37203.