Known affectionately as “Dr. Tom” and “Party Tom” by students, Dr. Thomas Williams’ decades of service combined a focus of academic excellence and community-centred leadership.
Williams, a member of the Queen’s community for 30 years, passed away in Kingston on Jan. 3 at the age of 85. He held various positions at the University during his tenure, wearing many hats—Professor, Dean, Vice-Principal, and ultimately ascended as the University’s 19th Principal and Vice Chancellor from 2008-09.
Williams began his journey at Queen’s in 1977, taking on the position of dean of the Faculty of Education until 1986. He was a professor in the Faculty of Education and in the School of Policy Studies and served as Vice-Principal (operations) and as Vice-Principal (institutional relations).
Following a principalship vacancy in 2008, Williams came out of retirement and served 16 months as Principal and Vice-Chancellor. During his time in office, he was credited with securing funding for a new medical school building and the funding for the Isabel Bader Centre for the Performing Arts.
In an interview with The Journal, Principal and Vice-Chancellor Patrick Deane outlined what he thought allowed Williams to be so proficient in his various roles at Queen’s.
“I would say it seems that he was very successful in all of those roles, perhaps because of a very powerful combination of personal characteristics. I think he was a deeply trusted man. I think he was a person of great integrity, and he was very clear about his priorities as a University leader. He was very clear about the importance of students and the academic vision as a whole,” Deane said in an interview with The Journal.
Deane added that in the role of Principal, tough decisions often end up on your desk, and he admired William’s ability to make decisions that were in the best interest of the University.
“I think when you hold the position of Principal, you’re always making decisions that, in your opinion, are the best for the institution. Sometimes those decisions aren’t easy to make, and they may even run counter to what you might feel personally, but you still have to make them, and I think in working with Tom I saw that in operation,” Deane said.
Aside from his passion for academia, Deane spoke to William’s passion for the University as a whole, and the students who inhabit it.
“He was very community centred and obviously very centred on the students as a body and their wellbeing. He was a great lover of sports and all activities of that sort, and I know he turned out to support University teams with great regularity and had a great passion for student success on the sports field as much as in the classroom,” Deane said.
This student-centric perception of Williams was echoed by Emma Waverman, ArtSci ’92 and current Radio Producer at CBC in an interview with The Journal. Waverman explained what her interactions with him were like during her time as the Senior News Editor at The Journal.
“Despite differences in position, age, and knowledge, he took me and my questions and my role as a student journalist seriously, he wasn’t dismissive,” Waverman said in an interview with The Journal.
She later explained how her experience was impactful in ensuring that she would continue to question those in power moving forward in her career.
“I think that because he treated me fairly, I wasn’t scared to approach people in power. If those interactions had been different, maybe that would have changed my approaches,” Waverman said.
In an interview with The Journal, another former Senior News Editor at The Journal and current Toronto Star reporter Kristin Rushowy spoke to Williams’ relationship with students, adding that the nicknames “Dr. Tom” and “Party Tom” were terms of endearment between students and Williams.
Rushowy also explained how her daughter and Williams’ granddaughter coincidentally ended up becoming close friends while attending Queen’s and this reconnected the two.
“When my daughter would be at his place and his daughter’s place for holiday meals, because they’re all in Kingston, he was always sending me e-mails with photos that he’d taken of the girls. It was very sweet, and I really appreciated that,” Rushowy said.
Williams was also responsible for establishing, and was a donor to, the Tom Williams Award in Policy Studies. This award provides financial assistance to those in the Master of Public Administration Program. Instead of sending flowers, the family asks that people donate to the fund.
The campus flags will be lowered in honour of Williams over the weekend of January 25. A memorial will take place on Jan. 25 at 11 a.m. at the Isabel Bader Centre for the Performing Arts to commemorate his life.
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Principal emeritus, Tom Williams
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