Frank Lunsford Williams

Educator-Businessman-Civic Leader

Principal 1908-1929

(1972 Maroon and White)

The things I remember about Father when he was principal at Sumner High are many.  Three are outstanding.  Each morning he stood in the center of a hall that covered a long double block.  His presence there, in the early days, quelled any disorder that might have occurred at either end from playing and prankster students and suggested that students move promptly to their classes.  In time, the need to indicate to the students what conduct was desirable was unnecessary, so father confined his activities to speaking to each child as he passed. I realized at the time that this was a very exhausting physical experience.  But later in life I read a series of interviews with disadvantaged Negro Children in the Washington public schools.  The children said “The teacher spoke to me today.”  “The Social Worker smiled at me.”

Second, I remember that children, who on the surface seemed to have made the same error were not treated alike.  The error was considered in totality of the various forces at work.  One morning two boys came to the office. The first boy, father sent home. He was not to return until he came with his parents.  The second boy was told to go and rest himself on the bench in the outer office.  I asked father why the different treatment.  He said, “The first boy has never learned how to cooperate with the ongoing forces of the school.  This, he and his parents must learn.  The second boy is a fine cooperator.  But he becomes confused when a teacher raises his voice.  I have told this teacher this and in this instance, I believe the teacher and not the child made the mistake.  So I will just let him stay quiet until there is a chance to send him to a room where the teacher does not raise his voice.

Third, there were students who came from the deep-south and failed the entrance examinations.  This was never allowed to stand.  When an exam was failed, a tutorial plan was set up and kept going until the student was ready to pass the exam.

Father led a disciplined life.  That is, he was able to do what should be done at the time it should be done, whether he wanted to do it or not. He this helped and inspired teachers and students to live and work at their highest abilities and potentialities and for his family, when necessary, he even insisted that they do this.  In later years, this ability of working to one’s maximum ability was greatly appreciated.

Frances Harriet Williams