Editing Grier Williams

Jump to navigation Jump to search

Warning: You are not logged in. Your IP address will be publicly visible if you make any edits. If you log in or create an account, your edits will be attributed to your username, along with other benefits.

The edit can be undone. Please check the comparison below to verify that this is what you want to do, and then save the changes below to finish undoing the edit.
Latest revision Your text
Line 4: Line 4:
 
| image_size    =
 
| image_size    =
 
| image_caption  =
 
| image_caption  =
−
| date_of_birth  =June 18, [[1931]]
+
| date_of_birth  =[[June 18]], [[1931]]
−
| place_of_birth = Tampa, Florida
+
| place_of_birth = Jacksonville,Duval,Florida,USA
−
| date_of_death  =April 19, [[2004]]
+
| date_of_death  =[[April 19]], [[2004]]
−
| place_of_death = HCA Florida West Hospital, Pensacola, Florida
+
| place_of_death =
 
| occupation    =Music director
 
| occupation    =Music director
 
| religion      =Presbyterian
 
| religion      =Presbyterian
 
| spouse        =[[Louise Harvin Williams]]
 
| spouse        =[[Louise Harvin Williams]]
−
| parents        =Jonathan Beatty Williams<br/> Mary Agnes Moffatt
+
| parents        =[[Jonathan Beatty Williams]] [[Mary Agnes Williams]]
 
| children      =Stephen Harvin Williams<br/>Grier Moffatt Williams, Jr.
 
| children      =Stephen Harvin Williams<br/>Grier Moffatt Williams, Jr.
 
}}
 
}}
−
'''Dr. Grier Moffatt Williams Sr.''' (June 19 1931 - April 19 2004) was a music director and educator best known for his 17-year tenure with the [[Pensacola Symphony Orchestra]]. He also served as choir director of [[First Presbyterian Church]] for 20 years.
+
'''Dr. Grier Moffatt Williams Sr.''' ([[1931]]-[[2004]]) was a music director and educator best known for his 17-year tenure with the [[Pensacola Symphony Orchestra]]. He also served as choir director of [[First Presbyterian Church]] for 20 years.
  
−
==Early Life, Family, Education, and Early Career==
+
Williams was born on [[June 18]], [[1931]] in Tampa, Florida to Jonathan Beatty Williams and Mary Agnes Moffatt Williams. His father was a Biology teacher at H.B. Plant High School in Tampa, before he opened a surgical supply store in Jacksonville. Williams attended Davidson College, where he met his wife, [[Louise Harvin Williams|Louise Harvin]]. A lifelong musician, his instrument of choice was the trumpet.
−
Williams was born on June 18, [[1931]] in Tampa, Florida to Jonathan Beatty Williams (1903-1978) and Mary Agnes Moffatt Williams (1904-1988). His father was a Biology teacher at H.B. Plant High School in Tampa, before he opened a surgical supply store in Jacksonville, where Grier partially grew up. Grier spent his formative years in Palma Ceia, before briefly living in Miami. Grier then moved to Jacksonville, where he learned trumpet and attended Robert E. Lee High School. Grier was a member of the band at Lee High, playing his instrument of choice. Williams came from a musical family. His father was a bassist and his mother was a singer.
 
  
−
Williams's maternal grandfather, James S. Moffatt (1860-1922), was the president of [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erskine_College Erskine College] in South Carolina from 1907 until 1921. Williams's great-grandfather, W.M. Grier (1843-1899), served as President, as well as his great-great grandfather, R.C. Grier (1817-1871), and grand-uncle, R.E. Grier (1881-1974). Two of Grier's maternal uncles, Dr. James S. Moffatt Jr. and Dr. L. Gaston Moffatt were College Professors, with the latter teaching internationally in Spain. A paternal great-great grandfather of Williams, Dr. Archibald Barron, was a signer of the 1860 South Carolina Ordinance of Seccession, an important document that was influential in the beginning of the Civil War.
+
Williams founded the [[UWF Music Department|Music Department]] of the nascent [[University of West Florida]] in [[1967]] and helped it earn national accreditation.
−
 
 
−
Williams attended Davidson College, where he met his wife, [[Louise Harvin Williams|Louise Harvin]], a second-generation teacher, who was earning a degree in education at that point at Queens University of Charlotte. Louise, like her future husband, was a musician, playing the piano. While attending Davidson, Grier played in the Charlotte Symphony Orchestra and Charlotte Opera Orchestra. During the summer, he taught at the Transylvania Music Camp (now the Brevard Music Center).
 
−
 
 
−
After earning his bachelor degree of arts in music, Williams joined the Army for two years, playing in the Army Band and marrying Louise in the latter year. Grier then attended the University of Michigan, earning his masters. Afterwards, Williams earned a doctorate from Florida State University.
 
−
 
 
−
==Later Career==
 
−
Williams began his teaching career in 1959 at Southeastern Louisiana University while earning his doctorate. Williams then transfered back to his Alma Mater in 1961, right after the birth of his second son.
 
−
 
 
−
Williams founded the [[UWF Music Department|Music Department]] of the nascent [[University of West Florida]] in [[1968]] and helped it earn national accreditation in 1971. Williams retired as the Chairman of the Music Department in [[1992]]. The school was later renamed after Williams in 2020.
 
  
 
In [[1979]], he was asked to serve as interim music director and conductor of the [[Pensacola Symphony Orchestra]]. Under his leadership, the PSO broadened its repertoire, increased ticket sales, and moved its performance venue from the [[Pensacola High School]] auditorium to the newly-renovated [[Saenger Theatre]] in [[1982]].
 
In [[1979]], he was asked to serve as interim music director and conductor of the [[Pensacola Symphony Orchestra]]. Under his leadership, the PSO broadened its repertoire, increased ticket sales, and moved its performance venue from the [[Pensacola High School]] auditorium to the newly-renovated [[Saenger Theatre]] in [[1982]].
Line 36: Line 26:
 
Williams retired from the PSO in [[1996]]. He was succeeded by [[Peter Rubardt]], who praised Williams for setting the orchestra "on a path to professionalism."
 
Williams retired from the PSO in [[1996]]. He was succeeded by [[Peter Rubardt]], who praised Williams for setting the orchestra "on a path to professionalism."
  
−
He passed away on April 19, [[2004]] while recovering from a heart attack.
+
He passed away on [[April 19]], [[2004]] while recovering from a heart attack.
 +
 
 +
{{bio-stub}}
  
 
==References==
 
==References==

Please note that all contributions to Pensapedia, the Pensacola encyclopedia are considered to be released under the GNU Free Documentation License 1.2 (see Pensapedia:Copyrights for details). If you do not want your writing to be edited mercilessly and redistributed at will, then do not submit it here.
You are also promising us that you wrote this yourself, or copied it from a public domain or similar free resource. Do not submit copyrighted work without permission!

To edit this page, please answer the question that appears below (more info):

Cancel Editing help (opens in new window)

Templates used on this page:

Retrieved from "https://www.pensapedia.com/wiki/Grier_Williams"