Elsie Arrington Williams

Dr. Elsie Jean Arrington (Griffin) Williams was born on August 16, 1941, in Battleboro, North Carolina to the late Frank Arrington, Sr., and Mary Effie King Arrington, the only girl of six children. Dr. Williams departed this troubled world for her heavenly glory in Christ Jesus early Sunday morning on September 11, 2022. Dr. Williams was preceded in death by her brothers, King Willis Arrington, Sr., Frank Arrington, Sr., Robert Earl Arrington, Sr., Laverne Arrington, and one adopted brother, Stanley King.

Growing up in the Drake Community in Battleboro/Rocky Mount, North Carolina, Dr. Williams, or “Jean” as she was affectionately called by her family, learned the lessons of hard work early on in life, through sharing farm duties with her five brothers, who worked with their parents as tenant farmers and sharecroppers on the Whitaker Plantation. A free and competitive spirit, Dr. Williams often enjoyed participating in contests with her brothers to see which one of them could pick the most cotton in a day’s time. Other times, she and her brothers also enjoyed playing softball together and pitching horseshoes. However, it was in 1954 at New Hope Baptist Church where her mother served as Church Clerk, and her father served as a Deacon, that Dr. Williams came to saving faith in the Lord Jesus Christ at the tender age of 13 and was subsequently baptized. The deep roots of her Christian faith were planted and grew deeper by her consistent attendance at Sunday School, Vacation Bible School, and various children’s programs.

Dr. Williams received her formal education in the Nash County Public School System, graduating from Swift Creek High School in 1959. The first person in her family to receive a college education, Dr. Williams attended North Carolina College (now North Carolina Central University) in Durham, North Carolina, a Historically Black College/University (HBCU) where she majored in English and minored in French. Dr. Williams was initiated into the Alpha Chi Chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated, in 1960. She received her bachelor’s degree in English, in 1963, graduating magna cum laude and would go on to receive her master’s degree in English, in 1964. From 1964-1971, Dr. Williams taught English and General Studies at Virginia State (Petersburg, VA) and John F. Kennedy High School (Richmond, VA).

In 1971, Dr. Williams relocated to Washington, DC, and on the auspicious occasion of August 16, her 30th birthday, she signed her contract to become an English teacher at Federal City College. Always having a sense of empathy for the plight of her people, Dr. Williams’s dedication for the upliftment of the African American community through education became cemented in her spirit from that moment forward. Her desire to improve the quality of life of others through her gift of teaching knew no bounds. She firmly believed in the profound truth that “consistency breeds credibility” and believed in teaching all of her students to strive for “excellence without excuse.”

In 1977, Federal City College moved from its original location at 2nd and D Streets (now the Mitch Snyder Community for Creative Non-Violence Center), to its current location at the Van Ness Campus, 4200 Connecticut Avenue NW, and was rebranded as the University of the District of Columbia. Dr. Williams served faithfully as a pedagogical pioneer at UDC, and truly was a pillar of the English Department in the College of Arts and Sciences. One of her greatest achievements was teaching Advanced Placement English and Literature to high school students at the Friendship Collegiate Academy Charter School in Washington, DC from 2005-2007. As a result of her mentorship, two of her Friendship Collegiate students would go on to be awarded two Gates Millennial Scholarships, in the amount of $150,000 from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

She was probably most well-known for her groundbreaking research about the life of the late Jackie "Moms" Mabley, the first solo African American stand-up comedienne. Dr. Williams earned her Ph.D. in American Studies in 1992 from the University of Maryland, College Park. Her doctoral dissertation, "Jackie "Moms" Mabley, And the Role of The African American Comedic Tradition in American Society," would go on to be published as a full-length book in 1995. After earning her Ph.D., Dr. Williams became a tenured full professor of English, and was a mover and a shaker within the College of Arts and Sciences.

On August 16, 2022, after an illustrious career of more than 51 years, on her 81st birthday, Dr. Elsie Williams retired as a full professor from the University of the District of Columbia.

For Dr. Williams, teaching was her labor of love and truly her ministry. She was a fierce champion for righteousness, known for being generous, outspoken, quick on her feet, (relying on both good old-fashioned “Mother Wit”) and for her great sense of humor. She was a devoted mother, grandmother, sister, and advocate; a mentor and friend to many.

Dr. Williams leaves to cherish her memory: her daughters Minister Ginger Griffin (Lanham, MD) and Dr. Adrienne Scott (Lutherville-Timonium) her only son, Mr. Victor F. Williams (Media, PA); her beloved son-in-law, Timothy Scott; two grandsons, Maxwell Timothy Scott and Mason Wyatt Scott, and three granddaughters, Sydney Elyse Scott, Ryann Alexandra Williams, and Finley Olivia Williams; one brother, Kenneth Arrington; an aunt, Ms. Annie Belle Libya; three sisters-in-law Shirley Arrington, Daisy Arrington, and Shirley F. Arrington; nephews King Arrington, Jr., Daryl Arrington, Kim Arrington, and Robert Arrington, Jr.; plus many dear cousins, colleagues, students, and friends.