Williams Hall Named For Noted Black Mathematician Grad

In the spring of 2021, the UMaine system’s board of trustees approved renaming Clarence C. Little Hall for mathematician Dr. Beryl Warner Williams, a Bangor native who held two degrees from the University of Maine.

In the spring of 2021, the UMaine system’s board of trustees approved renaming Clarence C. Little Hall for mathematician Dr. Beryl Warner Williams, a Bangor native who held two degrees from the University of Maine. Beryl was the first Black person to earn a bachelors degree in mathematics from the University of Maine. She also earned her masters at UMaine in 1940, and an honorary doctorate in pedagogy in 1972.

In addition to being a mathematician, Williams was affiliated with the NAACP, the National Council of Negro Women and the American Red Cross. She also served on the Baltimore School Board and was instrumental in desegregating Baltimore Public Schools. Check back soon for full bio on Dr. Williams' career.

The University of Maine was not the only institution to disassociate themselves from Dr. Little. The University of Michigan also removed his name from a building, and his own Jackson Laboratory also removed his name from a conference center.