Obituary of Anthony V. Williams

Anthony V. Williams of State College, PA died at home on August 24, 2010, following a courageous and determined fifteen-month struggle with an inoperable form of a rare cancer.

He was born April 3, 1938, in Blaenrhondda, Wales, son of the late Ernest and Ida May (Tucker) Williams. With his parents, he moved to the United States in 1950 and became a U.S. citizen in 1956.

After two years of training as an engineer, he became a geographer, receiving his bachelor’s degree from Wayne State University in Detroit MI, his masters from Ohio State University, and his doctorate from Michigan State University. He also did graduate work at the University of Washington and at Penn State University.

He came to Penn State as an assistant professor of geography and computer science. Prior to joining the faculty in 1966, he held a U.S. public health service fellowship for a year.

From 1980 to 1985 Dr. Williams was chairman of the university’s graduate program in operations research, and represented Penn State in the supercomputer consortia at Princeton and Pittsburgh.

From 1974 through 1976 he was a visiting Rockefeller professor and reader in the geography and planning studies group at the University of Ibadan, Nigeria. From 1986 to 1987 he was a Fulbright lecturer at the University of Yaounde and Ecole Normal Superieure in Cameroon. In 1989–90 and again in 1996–97, he was a visiting professor at the Universiteit van Amsterdam, Netherlands.

Dr. Williams’ teaching abilities were recognized early in his career when he was awarded the Matthew J. and Anne C. Wilson Outstanding Teacher award in the college of earth and mineral sciences at Penn State in 1973. He retired as professor emeritus of geography and operations research. He was highly regarded as an exceptional educator and mentor by his students and colleagues.

He is survived by a daughter, Kathleen Pierce, and her husband David, of San Diego, CA and a son, Bryn Williams of State College. Also surviving are his former wife, Donna Williams Hocking of State College, a sister, Kathleen Griffiths of Beckenham, England, along with their families and numerous cousins in Wales, England, Australia, and various parts of the United States.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to The Cholangiocarcinoma Foundation, 5526 West 13400 South, #510, Salt Lake City, Utah 84096, or to a charity of the donor’s choice. An online guestbook may be signed or condolences sent to his family at www.heintzelmanfuneralhome.com.

The family will receive friends from 2:00 to 5:00 p.m. on September 5, 2010 at the Mark D. Heintzelman Funeral Home. The address is 1034 Benner Pike, State College.