Archie Williams

Archibald ("Archie") Franklin Williams (May 1, 1915 – June 24, 1993) was an African-American athlete and teacher, winner of 400 meter run at the 1936 Summer Olympics.

Born in Oakland, California, Archie Williams had one great year but he did more in that one year than many athletes achieve in a lifetime.

Williams attended San Mateo Junior College (now College of San Mateo). His coach, Dr. Oliver Byrd, was instrumental in preparing him for future achievements. Soon Williams transferred to the University of California, Berkeley to become a mechanical engineer and he continued to run track.

Until 1936, Williams had never broken 49 seconds for the 440 yd (402 m). During 1936, however, Williams kept lowering his times and reached his peak at the NCAA championships, setting a world record in 400 m of 46.1. His time was set in the preliminaries and he also prevailed in the final for a 47.0 victory. He followed that up with a first in the Olympic Trials, then went to Berlin and won the Olympic gold medal in the 400 m. When asked about the infamous incident in which Adolf Hitler reportedly refused to shake the hand of black fellow gold medalist Jesse Owens, Williams replied, “Hitler wouldn't shake my hand either.”

After graduation from UC Berkeley in with a degree in Mechanical Engineering, Archie Williams was in the first Civilian Pilot Training class in 1939 at Oakland, CA. After earning his private pilot's license, he earned his instructor rating and was later a civilian instructor at Tuskegee. Entering the service in late 1942, he was one of only 14 African-Americans who were commissioned during WW II in the aviation meteorological cadet program; Archie graduated from the UCLA program on 6 September 1943. By September 1944, he was in the first Service Pilot training class at Tuskegee and, after graduation, instructed flight cadets in instrument flying as well as teaching meteorology. After the war, he earned qualification as a line pilot and then attended the Air Force Institute of Technology in 1948-50; he and fellow Tuskegee meteorologist Milton Hopkins were the 3d and 4th black AF officers to attend this prestigious program. Archie Williams remained a weather officer and rated pilot his entire career, earning his command pilot rating and commanding several weather detachments before retirement from the Air Force in 1964.

A serious leg injury ended his running career a year later but he became a commercial pilot. During World War II, which Williams once whimsically referred to as his “return to the Olympics—in the Pacific,” Williams was a pilot in the Air Force and retired from the military 22 years later as a lieutenant colonel. A flight instructor while in the Air Force, Williams remained in education following his military retirement and taught mathematics and computers in California high schools. Archie Williams was a teacher for 21 years until his retirement at age 72 in Sir Francis Drake High School in San Anselmo. His love for teaching and helping students was legendary.

Archie Williams died in Fairfax, California aged 78.

References

* [http://texts.cdlib.org/dynaxml/servlet/dynaXML?docId=kt0v19n496&doc.view=entire_text The Joy of Flying: Olympic Gold, Air Force Colonel, and Teacher - Archie F. Williams]