Gov. John P. deJongh Jr. today offered condolences to the family of one of the territory’s most beloved educators, Evelyn Maria Benjamin Williams, who died earlier this week at the age of 98.
Williams was a celebrated teacher and principal who worked in the Virgin Islands public school system for more than four decades and influenced a generation of students and colleagues.
“Mrs. Williams was born before the Virgin Islands was part of America, and her career was dedicated to uplifting the territory through education and passing on the highest values of our people. Her accomplishments were many, and her legacy can be measured by the thousands of men and women she educated over her long career. Some were her students; others were notable educators who learned their craft under her leadership in the Department of Education and went on to serve this territory so well themselves,” deJongh said.
“She was a woman of deep faith and tremendous compassion who left an indelible mark on the Virgin Islands and its people,” he said.
Williams began her career as a teenager when she took a temporary teaching position at Diamond Rural School in 1931. In the early 1960s, she earned her bachelor’s degree in elementary education, and a Master’s in Supervision and Administration in Elementary Schools, both from New York University.
While her career kept her busy, Williams always found time to serve in leadership roles in civic and religious organizations, such as the Board of Trustees of St. Dunstan’s Episcopal School, thee Women’s Organization for the Holy Cross Episcopal Church, the Board of Directors of the Virgin Islands Council of the Arts, and the Frederiksted Business and Professional Women’s Association.
Williams, the mother of two children, was also the first female senior warden of the Episcopal Diocese of the Virgin Islands. In 1976, she had the distinction of seeing a school on St. Croix named in her honor.
After retiring as principal of Charles H. Emanuel Elementary School in 1972, Williams went on to serve for a decade on the Virgin Islands Government Employees Services Commission.
“Cecile and I wish the best to the family of this remarkable educator on a sad day for the Virgin Islands,” deJongh said.