Williams, Colin Wilbur

Colin Wilbur Williams (1921-2000), a Methodist Church Minister, was born in Victoria, Australia. He received a Bachelor of Arts degree in history from Wesley College, Melbourne University before entering Drew University in 1947 in pursuit of a Bachelor of Divinity degree which he earned--summa cum laude--in 1950. He then returned to serve the Methodist Church in Melbourne from 1952 to 1954 before continuing his studies towards a Ph. D. degree at Drew Theological Seminary in 1954. It was during this period--1955 to 1958--that Williams taught historical theology at Garrett Theological Seminary and also lectured at Drew Theological Seminary. Upon completion of his Ph. D. in June, 1958, Williams once again returned to Australia where he was appointed Professor of Theology at Queens College, Melbourne University. He served in this capacity from 1959 to 1962, leaving to join the National council of Churches in Christ in 1963 as Executive Director of the Central Department of Evangelism. Among his most notable professional accomplishments was his position as tenured faculty in the Yale Divinity School where he also served as Dean from 1969 to 1979. After his ten year service as dean, Dr. Williams continued to teach at Yale until 1983 when he was appointed the first Exectutive Vice President at the Aspen Institute for Humanistic Studies. He has been recognized and honored by Yale for the "extraordinary contributions" to the Yale Divinity School and by Drew University because of his "extraordinary range of accomplishments." Among his numerous publications are John Wesley's Theology Today, 1960, Where in the World, 1963, and What in the World, 1965. Dr. Williams married Phyllis Miller in 1949. They have three daughters.