Clara Belle Drisdale Williams was born in Plum, Texas. She attended Prairie View Normal and Industrial College and graduated as class valedictorian in 1908 with a certificate in Domestic Arts. After Williams’ graduation, she was hired to work as the head of the sewing department at Prairie View. She later married Jasper Williams in 1917 and they had three sons: Jasper, James and Charles.
In 1928, Williams enrolled at the New Mexico College of Agriculture and Mechanic Arts, now New Mexico State University (NMSU), after taking a few courses at the University of Chicago. While working as a teacher at the Booker T. Washington School in Las Cruces, Williams took courses every summer and eventually earned her bachelor’s degree in English from NMSU in 1937 at the age of 51. In so doing, Williams became the first black graduate of NMSU.
Williams made education a lifelong priority for herself and for her three sons. Each of her sons went on to earn a medical degree and together they founded the Williams Clinic in Chicago, Ill.
In 1961, NMSU named Williams Street on its main campus in Williams’ honor. She was awarded an Honorary Doctor of Laws degree from NMSU in 1980. Williams passed away in 1994 at 108 year old. In 2005, NMSU celebrated Clara Belle Williams Day. The festivities were highlighted by officially renaming the English Building, Clara Belle Williams Hall, in her honor.
References:
Clara Belle Williams Collection. 2005. lib.nmsu.edu/exhibits/cbwilliams (accessed January 14, 2016).
The Red Book of Houston. Houston, Texas: Sotex Publishing Company, 1915.
Bolton, Theodore. Portal To Afrotexan History. n.d. http://afrotexan.com/colleges/prairie/expenses.htm (accessed June 8, 2015).