Michael graduated with Chemical Engineering degrees (B.Sc, M.S., and Ph.D. with a minor in Physical Chemistry) from the University of Wisconsin, Madison. He became a highly respected and world-renowned Professor and researcher at the University of California, Berkeley, and the University of Alberta, Edmonton, in rheology and polymers. In 1988, Michael received the Distinguished Teaching Award from Berkeley. He also received the Stanley Mason Award in 2000. He was a member of numerous professional societies and institutes and published more than 170 research papers in his study field. For several years, Michael lectured in many places worldwide, including Moscow, China, Korea, and Argentina. He was a visiting summer professor at Kasetsart University and Chulalongkorn University in Bangkok, Thailand. He will continue to have an ongoing impact through the legions of students he mentored, colleagues collaborated with, and the institutions he influenced. He was dedicated to his more than 60 Masters and Ph.D. students and his discipline of Chemical Engineering.
Michael was an avid international traveler and someone who loved life. He was also a big sports fan, having played baseball and softball for many years, with football being his favorite sport. His favorite teams included the Cal Bears (UC Berkeley), Green Bay Packers, and San Francisco 49ers.
Michael is survived by his dear friend Monica Molina, his four children, David Williams (Margaret), Elizabeth Hughes (Kelly), Marie Williams, and Stephen Williams (Terry), and his former wife, Judith Zimmerman Williams. Grandchildren include Payson Williams, Chase Williams, Sierra Williams, Ashley Littman (Michael Littman), and great-grandchildren Gavin and Makayla Littman.
Born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, on June 11, 1937, Michael was preceded in death by his parents, Orla and James Williams, and his younger brother, Brian Lawrence Williams.
Scheduled on Sunday, January 24, is a virtual celebration of his life at 12:30 pm PST (1:30 PM MST/3:30 PM EST). Please go to www.surveymonkey.com/r/MC-Williams to RSVP and be sent details on how to join us.
Donations in Michael's honor may be made to one of two funds that reflect Michael's passions:
* UC Berkeley Chemical Engineering Department – Ph.D. Student support (fund link will be posted around January 23)
* Winspear Centre (Edmonton Symphony Orchestra) – (fund link will be posted around January 20th)
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À propos de |
|---|---|
| Nom | Michael Charles Williams |
| Date de naissance | 11 juin, 1937 |
| Date de décès | 2 janvier, 2021 |
| Ville natale | Milwaukee, WI, US |
| Autre ville | Edmonton, AB, CA |
| Intérêts | Football (especially Cal Bears, Green Bear Packers, and San Francisco 49ers), Baseball, International Travel, Rheology & Polymers |
| Dicton préféré | Knowledge will give you power, but character gives you respect |
| Don commémoratif | Winspear Centre (Edmonton Symphony Orchestra) |
| Don commémoratif | UC Berkeley Chemical Engineering Department Ph.D. Student support. In process - to be published soon |
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Famille |
|---|---|
| Parents | James Arthur Williams, Orla Jane Hahn |
| Enfants | David Williams, Elizabeth Hughes, Marie Williams, Stephen Williams |
| Grands-parents | Beatrice Burroughs, Dean R. Williams, Edward Joseph Hahn, Mary (Mamie) L. McNeil |
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Faits marquants |
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| 1955 - 1959 | University of Wisconsin, Madison, B.Sc. | ||
| 1959 - 1960 | University of Wisconsin, Madison, M.S. | ||
| 1960 - 1964 | University of Wisconsin, Madison, Ph.D. | ||
| 1965 - 1989 | Professor of Chemical Engineering, University of California, Berkeley | ||
| 1988 | Distinguished Teaching Award, UC Berkeley | ||
| 1990 - 2002 | Professor of Chemical Engineering, University of Alberta, Edmonton | ||
| 2000 | Stanley Mason Award | ||
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a publié un hommage .
Christmas cards we received from Professor Williams throughout the years. Thank you Professor!
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a publié un hommage .
Professor Williams (as I always called him) was my PhD supervisor at University of Alberta. I learned a lot from him during our weekly group and individual meetings as well as taking his courses throughout the years. He was so intelligent, knowledgeable and also hard-working. I really admired him on teaching an 1.5hr class with just a short note. He was kind-hearted, always patient and encouraging when I discussed my challenges with him. My husband and I really enjoyed dining with him and Monica, we felt being pampered.
Every Christmas we received Christmas cards from Professor Williams, I kept all of them. Now as I gathered them together, I was so thankful to have such a wonderful and caring mentor in my life. Still feel really sorry that I did not get a chance to visit him before Covid. We will miss him!
a publié un commentaire .
Our Group photo in 1999 & photos taken at Professor Williams' retirement party
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a publié un hommage .
Yesterday I learned through the California Alumni Magazine of Dr. William's passing. I read through all the information with interest, especially how he was trained under one of my heroes, who wrote Bird, Stewart, and Lightfoot TRANSPORT PHENOMENA. I still have the book! And it was Professor Williams who taught it to me! So modest, so humble, and so brilliant he was that I never even knew.
I recall applying to the college of Chemistry in 1983, a freshman who was 'Undeclared'. I wrote from my heart that I didn't know what I wanted to do with my life, but I knew for certain I loved Chemistry and never wanted to stop studying it. This is how I ended up in the Chemical Engineering department. Dr. Williams, 'Mike' as he often insisted for me to call him, and I chose the honor and title instead to address him--was my assigned mentor.
There were many meetings, both for my progress and plans and future, as well as for academic help in subjects he taught. Always, always, always the door was open. As a freshman in a school of so many people, University-wide, that open door was my lifeline, my anchor, my cheerleader, my support. And I was grateful.
Eventually, I decided to enter Medicine, where I became an anesthesiologist. I still work with transport phenomena and chemistry every day, although it is applied.
I recall with fondness our conversations about the rheology of blood flow, and of plans to experiment with artificial blood. If I could only see what I work with every day, through Dr. William's eyes--all the mathematics and elegance of science to explain all of these wonderful things! What a beautiful world that would be!
Thank you Dr. Williams for always being there with your encouragement, support, excellence, and kindness. I couldn't have gotten where I am today without your help. I pray for you and your family, I offer condolences, and smile with gratitude over how lucky I was to have you assigned to mentor me. Your corner office, right next to Dr. Radke's office, he was my undergraduate research advisor, both of you are angels who helped me find my way. Blessings always! Go Bears! and On Wisconsin!
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a publié un hommage .
My name is Payson Williams. Michael Williams is my father’s father. Some memorable moments of him was when he’d come out to California in June for his birthday, and thanksgiving time every year. I also remember how awkward and funny his hugs were. I knew what they meant and I will never forget them. Grandpa was very smart and I asked him about his career. The things he said still amaze me to this day. I will miss him dearly.
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a publié un hommage .
I am the oldest of four children. These are my memories and observations and they may differ from my siblings.
My dad’s first love was his work. His science, students, colleagues, and the challenge involved with his research. His second love was sports. He loved professional and college baseball, basketball, and football. Obviously, his favorite college football team was the Cal Bears. He was even in the stadium for that crazy play when the band stormed the field during the last play of the game! His love of sports was so intense that I remember as a young boy my dad would listen to a game on the radio and have two small TVs set up all with different games. Three games at once! But that wasn’t all. During all of this he was grading his student’s papers in his red ink. He loved red ink! When the sports were over for the day, he would continue with is work late into the night. This was my dad’s life every day of the week. He loved it! I think it’s admirable to have passions so strong that it drives one to keep going every single day.
As a young boy I wanted to go into work with my dad. So, sometimes, we would go into his office at Berkeley and I would spend the day (really bored) drawing on his chalk board. He focused on his work which was usually with a red pen. Sometimes he needed to do a calculation and that’s when he took out his slide rule. It was truly impressive the way he used that tool. I don’t know what came of his slide rule but whenever I see one, I always think of him.
Dad also liked to play sports. I remember how much he enjoyed playing on the men’s softball team, the Polar Bears. He made time for them but sometimes work took the priority. Later in life when I became a young adult, I asked my dad if he’d like to play on my softball team. To my surprise he agreed! He often played 3rd base and I’d play 1st base. In fact, he remembered fondly one particular play where he scooped up the ball, tagged 3rd base for a force out, and threw out the runner going to first. The play was a good one but what stuck with him was the fact the he did this with his son. I remember that play too.
I recall two memorable vacations when dad would take a sabbatical and we’d travel by car across country as a family. One was going to Canada where one of my sisters choked on a bean and stopped breathing for a little bit and one across the southern US to Florida, up the coast to Maine where I think he attended a conference, through New York, and on to Wisconsin. We paused in Wisconsin because one of my sisters was very, very sick with walking pneumonia and almost died. When she was recovering in Wisconsin then most of us left for Kentucky and then back up to Wisconsin. From there we traveled to South Dakota (I think) and headed home to Walnut Creek, CA. Anyway, there were many sights we saw and ones I recall were of people and animals and the beaches. In fact, it was the first time that I encountered real racism as traveled through the southern states. We also would encounter major storms that we don’t usually see in the Bay Area and that was totally awesome.
Even though work was his first love my dad also made time for my theatrical products. In high school I was in almost every production. Sometime just as part of the chorus, perhaps a simple walk on role, a supporting role, or even a lead role. No matter what my involvement was with the play my parents were always there for one production. I’ll always remember that too. It was very special to me. This was even more impressive when one realizes that they had to endure all my practicing of memorizing lines or rehearsing songs while at home. So, seeing the play was the culmination of hearing the repetition at home over and over and over… Well, you get the picture.
My dad also loved puns and so do I. I learned that from him so well that it’s almost impossible to turn it off. Those closest to me have learned to ignore it or it’s simply too funny and we all have a good laugh. Oddly enough I always laugh at my own jokes. Thanks, dad.
When my dad divorced, he left Berkeley and Alberta became the benefactor. Since my dad always goes all in then it was natural for him to learn to love another sport, hockey. He became quit the fan as a citizen of Canada.
My dad and I didn’t really talk much as adults but when we did it would be about sports and sometimes a little bit about politics. He didn’t really share his work with me nor his many accomplishments and what they meant to him or to the University or to the world. But I knew he was very well regarded and was a leader in his field. He is missed by so many people and his work will live on.
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a publié un hommage .
Some of my best memories of my dad were all the times we would go to the Cal Berkeley football and basketballs games. We would always go through the hills to get to campus and he would let the car coast all the way down on the other side. As a kid is was fun and exciting. The football games were my favorite. We would go in the morning and spend a little time in his messy office and then head over to the field. The cannon going off whenever the Bears scored was very exciting. After the games, we would head to Dennys and stop for a banana hot fudge royale. Sports and desert!!!!! Good memories.
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I loved those football and basketball game outings too! The whole day was a blast. I had forgotten how messy his office was...I just remember it being huge and loving the gigantic chalkboard. We often took a picnic lunch for the football games and bundled up warmly so we could go even when it was chilly (by California standards). The football games were also my favorite (except for when l I developed a crush on one of the basketball players and then that was my favorite outing for a while). I definitely miss those Denny's banana hot fudge royales!!
a publié un commentaire .
I met Mike Williams in 1989 at th eUniversity of Alberta when we both started our life in Edmonton. We both came from Universities in the US. I had spent the first 9 years of my academic career at Carnegie-Mellon University. So we had a friendly rivalry about how the Pirates versus the Giants were doing in baseball. It was a fun banter that we continued even after he retired. I have fond memories of our fun conversations. I will miss him.
a publié un commentaire .
Mike was very special to me. He was a great supporter, advisor, and collaborator in the early stages of my career and a good colleague and fun story-teller as the years went by. He cared very greatly to do the highest-quality research. He was very, very smart and I enjoyed being around him. He was such an important member of our department in so many ways.
a publié un commentaire .
When I started at the University of Alberta in 2000, Mike was of course already someone we all looked up to. I remember I had trepidations about teaching a new course because I knew Mike was the world expert in that area, and he was just a few doors away! However, my worries completely disappeared the moment I spoke with Mike: he made me feel like we were equal partners -- he even called me ‘partner.’ Great guy!
a publié un commentaire .
I am the oldest of four children. These are my memories and observations and they may differ from my siblings.
My dad’s first love was his work. His science, students, colleagues, and the challenge involved with his research. His second love was sports. He loved professional and college baseball, basketball, and football. Obviously, his favorite college football team was the Cal Bears. He was even in the stadium for that crazy play when the band stormed the field during the last play of the game! His love of sports was so intense that I remember as a young boy my dad would listen to a game on the radio and have two small TVs set up all with different games. Three games at once! But that wasn’t all. During all of this he was grading his student’s papers in his red ink. He loved red ink! When the sports were over for the day, he would continue with is work late into the night. This was my dad’s life every day of the week. He loved it! I think it’s admirable to have passions so strong that it drives one to keep going every single day.
As a young boy I wanted to go into work with my dad. So, sometimes, we would go into his office at Berkeley and I would spend the day (really bored) drawing on his chalk board. He focused on his work which was usually with a red pen. Sometimes he needed to do a calculation and that’s when he took out his slide rule. It was truly impressive the way he used that tool. I don’t know what came of his slide rule but whenever I see one, I always think of him.
Dad also liked to play sports. I remember how much he enjoyed playing on the men’s softball team, the Polar Bears. He made time for them but sometimes work took the priority. Later in life when I became a young adult, I asked my dad if he’d like to play on my softball team. To my surprise he agreed! He often played 3rd base and I’d play 1st base. In fact, he remembered fondly one particular play where he scooped up the ball, tagged 3rd base for a force out, and threw out the runner going to first. The play was a good one but what stuck with him was the fact the he did this with his son. I remember that play too.
I recall two memorable vacations when dad would take a sabbatical and we’d travel by car across country as a family. One was going to Canada where one of my sisters choked on a bean and stopped breathing for a little bit and one across the southern US to Florida, up the coast to Maine where I think he attended a conference, through New York, and on to Wisconsin. We paused in Wisconsin because one of my sisters was very, very sick with walking pneumonia and almost died. When she was recovering in Wisconsin then most of us left for Kentucky and then back up to Wisconsin. From there we traveled to South Dakota (I think) and headed home to Walnut Creek, CA. Anyway, there were many sights we saw and ones I recall were of people and animals and the beaches. In fact, it was the first time that I encountered real racism as traveled through the southern states. We also would encounter major storms that we don’t usually see in the Bay Area and that was totally awesome.
Even though work was his first love my dad also made time for my theatrical products. In high school I was in almost every production. Sometime just as part of the chorus, perhaps a simple walk on role, a supporting role, or even a lead role. No matter what my involvement was with the play my parents were always there for one production. I’ll always remember that too. It was very special to me. This was even more impressive when one realizes that they had to endure all my practicing of memorizing lines or rehearsing songs while at home. So, seeing the play was the culmination of hearing the repetition at home over and over and over… Well, you get the picture.
My dad also loved puns and so do I. I learned that from him so well that it’s almost impossible to turn it off. Those closest to me have learned to ignore it or it’s simply too funny and we all have a good laugh. Oddly enough I always laugh at my own jokes. Thanks, dad.
When my dad divorced, he left Berkeley and Alberta became the benefactor. Since my dad always goes all in then it was natural for him to learn to love another sport, hockey. He became quit the fan as a citizen of Canada.
My dad and I didn’t really talk much as adults but when we did it would be about sports and sometimes a little bit about politics. He didn’t really share his work with me nor his many accomplishments and what they meant to him or to the University or to the world. But I knew he was very well regarded and was a leader in his field. He is missed by so many people and his work will live on.
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a publié un hommage .
1975 photo from UC Berkeley. Dad was a baseball player growing up and told us stories about almost being recruited for a professional team. He continued to play ball and joined a number of softball teams in Walnut Creek and Berkeley.
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Lol! He shared this love with my father! I remember Dad telling me about his own softball team league games, and comparing his level of play to your Dad's ability.
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Uncle Mike by the pool after a nice swim!
South Woodstock, VT, 1983
Uncle Mike came to visit me (CA to VT!) as a rebellious teen in foster care, and he even attended my high school graduation! He always made sure I knew my paternal family was still there for me & cared about what happening in my life, no matter what! And he let me know that he'd 'be there' for me if ever I needed his help. I did. And he was. That's who he was. The world needs more people like him.
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a publié un hommage .
When my father was unable to travel & was to miss my wedding, Uncle Mike surprised me by coming in his stead! I felt so blessed by his presence (in what can best be described as "a hippie neighborhood potluck gathering, with wedding ceremony thrown in) that I asked him to walk me to the alter, on the father's side, while my former foster parent walked on my other side. His joyful smile & acceptance of the task & role cemented the bond between us, in which he became more of a father to me, than an uncle, ever since. I'll miss our rambling conversations, the sincerity of his caring, and oh! His annual holiday letters & photos, which so often arrived weeks -even months- after the holiday itself.
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a publié un hommage .
Michael Williams loved researching and teaching chemistry for 37 years. As he was called, Mike was great at explaining complex subjects in a way that was accessible to all. He was dedicated to his more than 60 Masters and Ph.D. students and his discipline of Chemical Engineering. Some of his students shared being inspired by him, and they inspired him.
At UC Berkeley, he worked tirelessly to advance theories and ideas, and he even had a cot in his office (and one in Alberta) as a landing place for long nights of work. His love of chemistry involved him in many collaborations, papers, and studies with colleagues from around the world.
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a publié un hommage .
This is one of my favorite pictures of Dad and Monica on her balcony in Edmonton. Marie and I took a trip from California to Canada, starting in Edmonton. We toured that University, ate in the faculty dining room, and visited with Dad and Monica before driving to Banff to see Lake Louise.
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a publié un hommage .
Here is Mike with his Mom and Dad (Orla and James Williams). Gotta love that baseball outfit.
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a publié un hommage .
This photo is from 1972 just before our first trip from California to Canada for a big summer adventure.
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a publié un commentaire .
Monica and me we spent every day when the sun was out outside with Mike he enjoyed so much.
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a publié un hommage .
Mike was a faculty colleague here at Berkeley back in the last century...we have a nice tribute to him at
https://chemistry.berkeley.edu/news/memoriam-professor-michael-charles-williams
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a publié un hommage .
I still remember my first time meeting Mike on UofA campus some 20 years ago. He’s not only a highly respected scholar, but also a person with a great sense of humor. I always liked listening to his explanations on different topics, academic or social, and was impressed by his broad knowledge and deep insights into his research field. I was a relatively new staff at that time and took him as my model along the path of my career development. I’m deeply saddened by the loss of Mike, but feel that his spirit, his love and his sense of humor will be forever with us while we continue from where he left off.
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a publié un hommage .
I joined ChE at UCB in fall, 1977, and since our family was living in Walnut Creek, I was immediately recruited to join Mike, Ed Grens and Scott Lynn in their carpool from Walnut Creek to UCB. Of course there was an ulterior motive - the cost of the parking permit would now be split between 4 instead of 3 people - this was a particularly important aspect for Mike. I remember that one of us had to visit the parking office each year to attest to the fact that indeed there was a 4-person faculty carpool at Berkeley - they never believed us!
Mike, Ed and Scott were very flexible to allow us to have consistent Walnut Creek and UCB leaving times. I remember one instance where my wife (Patty) called me from home to ask me to get the carpool together early (3 PM instead of 5 PM), because she was going into labor with our second child. As expected, all were very agreeable, and we made it to the hospital in time (Sarah was born 15 min after we arrived at the hospital!!).
I fondly remember and greatly appreciate the mentoring, advice, and friendship Mike supplied as I began and continued in my academic career. It made my transition from Fairchild Semiconductor much easier and enjoyable than it would have otherwise been. His dedication to UCB, colleagues and students will not be forgotten.
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Published on behalf of C.J. Radke
Mike William’s Weissenberg Rheometer:
When I joined the Chemical Engineering Department in Fall 1975, I chose an office located a few steps from Mike’s office. He never switched office location, nor have I. At that time, Mike was building his research effort in understanding polymers and polymer solutions. An important characteristic of polymers is their flowability, what we in the trade call flow rheology. At that time, one of the most precise and general instruments to quantify flow behavior was a Weissenberg Rheometer. It was a robust, rather large, heavy, and indestructible-looking instrument manufactured in Great Britain. Mike had ordered one in 1973, two years earlier. In spite of his well-known meticulousness, delivery of the instrument had been delayed and delayed and delayed …. In one of our early discussions, he proudly proclaimed that the rheometer was finally to be delivered to the Port of Oakland the following week; he was going down to celebrate and to watch it being unloaded.
So later on the day of delivery, when Mike was back in his office, I checked in hoping to see this formidable apparatus. Mike was disheartened. He said that he watched the crane raise the instrument from the ship deck in netting, swing it out high over the dock, and slowly lower it to dock level. Alas, on the way down, the net tore, and the entire large wooden-container box crashed from a considerable height onto the pier asphalt below. There was no need to open the box as the rheometer lay in unrepairable pieces.
Mike was a meticulous and detailed researcher. He volunteered to be second reader on my first student PhD thesis. His corrections were so major and so extensive that after redrafting he was second author on my first three Berkeley manuscripts. Mike was infamous for long, painstaking, and hand-written messages to the faculty recommending detailed changes to department functioning and undergraduate and graduate curricula. So, when I entered Mike’s office after his return from Oakland that afternoon, he was already busy filling out the necessary forms for insurance coverage, import information, and contacting the rheometer manufacturer for a replacement instrument. Mike’s fastidiousness was rewarded with a new instrument within 6 months.
Mike heavily used the Weissenberg instrument for much of his career including his jet-fuel demisting-polymer additives with Ed Grens and his blood-flow studies. As it remains today, there was then already a tradition that once a semester a Berkeley faculty would deliver a department colloquium. One of Mike’s turns came up in the late 1960’s during the Viet-Nam-War student protests. His chosen title was “Blood Bath at Berkeley,” a tongue-in-cheek title but at an inauspicious time. That week, the local press and national news outlets descended on the department; we had to cancel the talk and reschedule (with a different title). Happily, Mike’s inventiveness lives on in the Department.
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Published on behalf of K.S. Gandhi (PhD, 1971):
Mike had a subtle sense of humor. This incident happened when he invited the group to his home. On one such occasion, his youngest daughter was months old. I am very fond of children and was trying to carry and cuddle the baby. He stopped me for a few minutes, put a diaper on the baby, and said, you will be safe now!
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Published on behalf of K.S. Gandhi (PhD, 1971):
I joined Mike in the Fall semester of 1966 as his first PhD student in UC Berkeley, and left in 1971 to join faculty of IIT Kanpur, India. Jim Hand, Larry Akers and Steve Shapiro joined soon after. Then came Robb Hetzler, Dave Leary and so on, and the group enlarged.
Mike developed a theory of viscosity of polymer solutions based on interactions between polymer molecules while he was a PDF with Fixman using ideas of Kirkwood. It predicted tantalizingly attractive
scaling relationships between viscosity and concentration as well as molecular weight in, using his phraseology, moderately concentrated solutions. My research topic was to elaborate and quantify his
theory. Unfortunately, the numbers did not match up, and he suggested that I should research the effect of solvent character on rheology in the same concentration regime. I found interesting
relationships between rheology and thermodynamic properties of polymer solutions. I could write papers on these findings and graduated with a PhD. As it turns out, that concentration range did not attract much attention then, but now, it is rechristened semidilute solution range and is attracting a lot of attention. My papers with him are now being cited frequently!
He gave me and other students utmost freedom to pursue our path. He was gentle and never pressured us though I am sure he was straining to find funds to support us and facing pressures as he was an assistant professor waiting to be tenured when I joined. I had this urge to take a lot of courses since I wanted to learn a whole lot in the class room. I took courses almost into my fourth year, and he never
objected. He gave me full freedom. It was not just about academics. Those years were dominated by student unrest and protests. Three of us would buy three different newspapers, and of course we read
them thoroughly: otherwise it’s a waste of money. Our lab was also like a public reading room! Mike never objected to any of this. He understood that it is that time in our lives to educate ourselves in a
broad way.
Lab had group meetings, and I remember one vividly. It was when we learned that he got tenure. Robb Hetzler’s wife made a cake. Robb came, and read a short poem about stresses and strains in the life of a rheologist, congratulated Mike, and presented the cake. We claimed the cake was made for presentation irrespective of the outcome of tenuring decision. The cake had a few coins… just in case!
Mike was magnanimous, and threw the coins back to us. So, there was good fun too.
I remember Mike with fondness and gratitude for being a marvellous guide.
K.S. Gandhi (PhD, 1971)
Taught at IIT Kanpur, and IISc Bangalore, India.
05-02-2021
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a publié un hommage .
Here we are, sharing another table with Mike and Monica in Portugal, September 2013.
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a publié un hommage .
We shared with Mike and his friend Monica some wonderful experiences while touring Portugal in 2013 and Italy in 2015. Friends are great travel companions, and their participation enriches the travel experience, in conversation, dining together, and seeing the sights.
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a publié un hommage .
I have many great memories of family dinners with Mike at my mom's home. He was a great story teller and shared many fond memories of his travels, his work, and his beloved children back home. I could always count on Mike to add some humour to what ever topic was being discussed at the table. The thing I'll be most grateful for is the friendship he offered my mom and the happiness that he brought her . Your Canadian family will miss you.
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We created this memorial to celebrate the life of Michael Charles Williams. Collecting your stories, memories, and photos here will offer us great comfort. If you are able to join our virtual celebration of his life via Zoom on Sunday, January 24th (12:30 pm PST/ 1:30 pm MST/ 3:30 pm EST, please go to www.surveymonkey.com/r/MC-Williams to RSVP and be sent details on how to join us. We'll also be providing details soon on two charitable funds that can be donated to in Mike's honor. Thank you for contributing to this lasting memorial.
a publié un commentaire .
I meet Mike when I started my PhD studies in Chemical Engineering at UC Berkley in August 1985 . During my three years at Berkley I had the distinct honor and challenge to have Mike in the three PhD oral examinations. For me these were challenging and stressful as the only choice really was to pass them. It all went well for me and I will always remember the depth and quality of his questions and the depth and knowledge I had to demonstrate to pass the exams. These lessons and challenges where a compass for my academic career. I will always be most grateful for Mike's contributions to my academic career in Chemical Engineering.
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a publié un hommage .
I met Mike in 1992 while I was being recruited to University of Alberta. He spent a lot of time with me--his enthusiasm and kindness helped me to make the choice to join their faculty. Both of us being polymer researchers, we had joint group meetings and I was always amazed at how much Mike loved to help young people succeed in their career (including me at that time).
He was well respected for his research and much loved by all, particularly graduate students and the administrative staff who were won over by his charm. I shared a photo of Mike at a BBQ with graduate students--they were always tickled pink to interact with him socially. He retired in 2002, but he continued performing research and teaching advanced polymer courses--coming in to work every day even a decade or more after retirement. He was a bright light at the office and always had a cheerful smile every day for whoever he met. I will miss him greatly.
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a publié un hommage .
When I first joined the department in 1967, my office was very close to his in Gilman Hall. As a result, we had many opportunities to chat either in his office or in the room just outside our offices. This is how I learned about his research on polymer flows and, later on, about the flow of blow in the body and how that could lead to medical problems. Mike, as we called him, was great at explaining complex subjects in a way that was accessible to all, a skill that I believe he acquired from his mentor Bob Bird.
My most vivid memories of Mike were from my work with him on a program for high school children to visit the department. This effort started, as I recall, in the early 1970's and was motivated by a declining enrollment in chemical engineering. Mike on his own initiative started contacting science teachers throughout the Bay Area to seek their interest in bringing students to the department on a Saturday morning for a tour of our labs. This program quickly caught on and soon we had 10-15 students coming to visit us every other Saturday. This was a lot of work, but Mike did most of it, enjoyed doing it, and was excellent at giving students a brief introduction to the profession and tour our undergraduate program. With time we also started to see some of our former visitors appear as freshmen.
I was department Chair, when Mike resigned his position and then later moved to Canada. I was sorry to see him leave because he had been an active contributor to the department through his teaching, research, and service, as well as his thoughtful advice at faculty meetings. In subsequent years and until last year, I enjoyed getting his Chrstmas letters and learning about his new life in Canada, as well as his travels abroad. I will miss these photos and messages, but I will long remember Mike as a good spirited person and a much appreciated colleague.
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a publié un hommage .
Throughout his 25-year Berkeley faculty career, Mike was a stalwart citizen of the chemical engineering department. The tasks that he took on were done with great energy and thoroughness. The challenge to a department chair was to find, and then to interest Mike in, tasksd that was both important for the department and would utilize his verve and brio best, since Mike’s attentions would focus singly and intensively on whatever projects he took on. One did not want to waste that resource! The same zeal and intense care were manifest in Mike’s teaching, which was always highly admired by students. That resulted in one of Berkeley’s coveted Distinguished Teacher Awards
For much of his last decade at Berkeley, Mike was Editor of a house organ known as the Gilman Hall Newsletter. For it, he rooted out all sorts of interesting information about departmental goings on as well as various statistics. The Newsletter went to alumni, faculty, and friends of the department, and was avidly received and even saved. When I went forward with a history of chemical engineering at Berkeley a couple of years ago, the Gilman Hall Newsletter turned out to be a veritable treasure trove. Mike clearly could have had a fine career as a journalist!
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a publié un hommage .
Dr. Williams ("Mike", when I got older!) mentored me (among many others) through his Berkeley lab -- we focused on finding materials which could safely be used in heart valves. For him, it was about doing state of the art research, helping young grad students learn about science, and of course publishing good things that could help people. And as much as his office looked "messy", it was organized to him, and a comfort to the rest of us -- it was like comfort food for the nerds. As many of you know, he also liked to write things down, usually in red, and usually on yellow pads of paper. All of our publications started this way. Because of that, over the many decades since our time together in the Bay Area, I have sent Mike a handwritten multi-page letter at Christmas. And it hurts my hand now to write cursive! But I told myself, "it's for Mike", so I carried on (with many breaks). So just a suggestion: maybe in his honor you write a letter (an actual letter!) to someone over the next week. Perhaps it's someone you have not been in touch with in awhile and/or someone who has been cooped up so long (like all of us) that a personal touch would just make their day. It's been over 40 years since Dr. Williams was guiding my lab work, and I still remember our interactions vividly. I plan on keeping it that way, even if I will not be writing any more letters to him. At least, not on this earth.
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