Arthur Lyman Williams Papers, 1920-1981, undated | Oberlin College Archives

SERIES DESCRIPTIONS

Series 1. Biographical Files, 1920, 1940, 1947, 1949, 1955, 1965-66, 1973, 1976, 1981, undated (4 folders)

The biographical files contain documents concerning Williams (i.e., obituaries and memorials) and his family. Family items include his mother's obituary, news clippings about his daughter, and programs from his wife's memorial service, as well as remembrances of Mary Maltbie Williams written by their daughter. This series also contains material relating to Williams' involvement in the Oberlin town community and First Church.

Series 2. Departmental Files, 1924, 1927-69, undated (6 folders)

This series includes files relating to the Oberlin College Music Education department and Williams' involvement in that department and summer music programs. The Music Education folders contain information about departmental and overall Conservatory guidelines and curriculum, especially changes to the program. Many items have notes by Williams, showing his reaction to the information. The Oberlin College Bands folder primarily consists of clippings about the Concert and Women's bands. The series also includes programs from concerts in which Williams was involved, as well as a decade (1931-42) of Music Department programs, with notes by Williams, and information about the Oberlin-Salzburg exchange plan. This series is arranged alphabetically by folder title.

Series 3. Correspondence, 1933, 1935, 1942, 1952, 1957, 1963-67, undated (3 folders)

This series contains professional and personal correspondence (incoming and outgoing) of Williams. Professional correspondence includes letters with Norman Lloyd, newly-chosen Dean of the Conservatory of Music, regarding Williams' concern over Lloyd's opinions about music education, and a letter from Richard Goldman of The Goldman Band. The personal correspondence is a single letter from Walter H. Frederick.

Series 4. Writings by Arthur L. Williams, 1926, 1944, 1948, 1952, 1959, 1966-71 (2 folders)

Series 4 contains reprints of articles written by Williams as well as copies of his report, "A History of the Oberlin College Band." The titles of the articles are listed in the inventory. This series is arranged in chronological order.

Series 5. Photographs, 1928-58, undated (9 folders)

This series consists of photographs of acquaintances of Williams and of an assortment of Oberlin College Bands that were directed by Williams. A few of the personal photographs are in the form of Christmas cards. The photographs of the Oberlin College bands are organized into folders by the following titles: Marching Band, Miscellaneous (i.e. Brass Choir, Trumpet Sextet, Navy Band), Symphonic Band, and Women's Band.

Arthur Lyman Williams was born in Oberlin, Ohio, on April 21, 1902 to Lyman Beecher Williams, a carpenter and builder,  and Henrietta Wilhelmina (Rick) Williams. He had four brothers, Cranston, Joel (’32), Paul, and Vernon, and a half sister from his father's previous marriage, Fannie Edwards Eichenlaub (’08). Williams attended Oberlin public schools, and in 1925 he received an A.B. from Oberlin College and the S. Mus. B. from the Conservatory. While at student at Oberlin, Williams was a member of several organizations, including the Men's Glee Club, the College Band, and the Conservatory Orchestra, and he directed several of the groups. He studied at Columbia University in 1927, and in 1932-33 he attended the Royal College of Music in London. He received his A.M. from Western Reserve University in 1943.

Williams specialized in school music, and he remained a music teacher for his entire career. His first teaching positions were in the public schools in Howell and Grand Rapids, Michigan, from 1925 to 1928. In 1928, he became Assistant Professor of Wind Instruments at Oberlin College, and he remained with the college until his retirement in 1968. Williams also taught as a Professor of Music Education. As a professor, Williams was described as meticulous and demanding but always willing to help any student in need of assistance. He was concerned with the quality of education at Oberlin and he was active in its preservation. In a 1963 exchange with the newly-chosen Dean of the Conservatory of Music, Norman Lloyd, Williams expressed concern that Lloyd was not supportive of music education in public schools, which would be detrimental to the Music Education program at Oberlin.

From 1928 to 1957, he was Director of Bands at Oberlin, as well as conductor of others ensembles such as the Brass Choir and Symphonic Band. Williams founded the Ohio Intercollegiate Band Festival, billed as the first of its kind anywhere, in 1929. Nearly every summer was spent teaching at music camps or summer sessions, most notably at the National Music Camp in Interlochen, Michigan.

Williams was highly active in professional organizations throughout his career. He served in positions for the Ohio Music Education Association (OMEA), including President; the American Bandmasters Association; and for the College Band Directors Association, among others. Williams was a strong supporter of music education and the nation's bands, and he received numerous citations for his work, such as the Distinguished Service Award by the OMEA in 1955.

In addition to his organization work, Williams was an editor for publications such as the Music Journal magazine and Triad, which he also founded. He had a long list of published articles and books. From articles about woodwind fingering to reporting on activities of state and national organizations, Williams translated his teaching enthusiasm into the written word. Some of the books he edited were The Vested String Choir (1930) with Don Morrison and K.W. Gehrkens, and, also with Gehrkens, The Morrison String System (1934).

Williams was also involved in the Oberlin city community as a deacon at First Church, and as president of the Oberlin City Club, where he took part in parent-teacher work.

In 1932, Williams married Mary Eleanor Maltbie, a 1927 recipient of the S. Mus. B. from Oberlin Conservatory. The couple had one daughter, Carolyn Kelley (Osborn), in 1938, who attended Northwestern University. The Williams family resided in Oberlin almost continuously from 1920, except for the three-year teaching stint in Michigan. On February 22, 1973, Williams passed away in Oberlin; he had been treated in the previous year for Hodgkin's disease.

SOURCES CONSULTED:

Student and faculty files (RG 28) of Arthur L. Williams.