Clara Belle Williams

Clara Belle Williams
Born	Clara Belle Drisdale October 1885 Plum, Texas
Died	July 3, 1994 (aged 108)
Residence	United States
Nationality	United States
Ethnicity	African-American
Citizenship	United States
Education	BA in English (1937)
Alma mater	New Mexico College of Agriculture & Mechanic Arts (now New Mexico State University)
Occupation	Teacher
Employer	Booker T. Washington School, Las Cruces, New Mexico
Known for	Being the first African-American graduate of New Mexico State University
Spouse(s)	Jasper Williams (m. 1917)
Children	Charles, Jasper, James

Clara Belle Williams was the first African-American graduate of New Mexico State University.

Williams was born Clara Belle Drisdale in Plum, Texas in October 1885. She pursued her education at the Prairie View Normal and Independent College, graduating as valedictorian in 1908. She married Jasper Williams in 1917; their three sons became physicians.^[1]

While teaching at Booker T. Washington School in Las Cruces, Williams in 1928 began to enroll for summer classes at New Mexico College of Agriculture and Mechanic Arts, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts degree in English in 1937. She was the first African-American to graduate. Williams took graduate classes into the 1950s.^[1]

In 1961 New Mexico State University named a street on its campus after Williams; in 2005 the building of the English department was renamed Clara Belle Williams Hall.^[2] In 1980 Williams was awarded an honorary doctorate of laws degree by New Mexico State University, which also apologized for the treatment Williams was subjected to as a student.^[3]

References

1. Tallman, Charlotte (2014). Legendary Locals of Las Cruces. Arcadia Publishing. p. 25. ISBN 9781467101332.
2. "Biography of Clara Belle Williams". New Mexico State University. Retrieved December 12, 2015.
3. "New Mexico's African American Legacy: Visible, Vital, Valuable". New Mexico History Museum. 2011. Retrieved December 13, 2015.