October 12, 2011

Rick Williams to deliver Emeritus Faculty Lecture

by Pete Rosenbery

CARBONDALE, Ill. -- Rick Williams, associate professor emeritus of classics at Southern Illinois University Carbondale, will deliver the Emeritus Faculty Lecture next month.

Williams’ lecture, “Have the Greeks Overstayed Their Welcome?” is set for 7 p.m., Tuesday, Nov. 1, in the Hiram H. Lesar Building auditorium at the SIU School of Law.  The lecture is free, and the public is welcome to attend. 

The lecture topic arises from Williams’ “lifelong study of the ancient Greeks, who some feel may have overstayed their welcome in the modern university,” according to the University’s Emeritus Faculty Organization.

Williams served for 30 years as a classics professor at SIU Carbondale, teaching Greek, Latin and classical mythology.  He is an expert in translating and staging classical tests, especially the plays of Sophocles.  Williams also directed the University Honors Program for 20 years prior to his retirement in 2006.  He is a previous recipient of the University’s Outstanding Teacher Award, and also acted in six theater productions at SIU Carbondale, including appearing as Colonel Pickering in “My Fair Lady,” and President Franklin D. Roosevelt in “Annie.”

Williams earned his doctorate from Cornell University, a master’s degree from the University of Colorado-Boulder, and his bachelor’s degree from the University of Texas at Austin.

For more information on the event, contact Bill Wright, president of the Emeritus Faculty Organization, at wright.cs.siu.edu.