Clinton, Otho Williams, 1908-1997

Biographical History

Dr. Otho Clinton (O.C.) Williams, Professor Emeritus of English and Humanities, was born in Forth Worth, Texas in 1908. He graduated from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) in 1930 with a B.A. in English, and immediately attended the University of Southern California (USC) for his secondary credential and master's degree, both of which he received in 1935. Upon graduation, he attended the University of California, Berkeley (UCB) for his doctorate. Williams was hired by Reed College in Portland, Oregon after completing all but his doctoral dissertation, but was drafted and joined the Air Force's pre-meteorological training program. He later spent two and a half years in the Navy as an enlisted man and a classification specialist. Upon being discharged from the Navy, he returned to his job at Reed College.

In 1946, Williams was appointed professor at San Jose State College, where he taught English and finished his doctoral work at U.C. Berkeley in 1950. Williams was one of the founders and first coordinators of San Jose State College's Humanities Program. He also published two volumes of poetry, This Little Room and Other Poems, 1945-1975, and Recognition: Poems, 1975-1977 . Williams was named Chairman of the Humanities Department when the program gained departmental status in 1964, and he served as the chair for ten years. He retired from San Jose State College in 1974.