On Monday, May 9, Estrella Mountain Community College (EMCC), a Maricopa Community College, bid a fond farewell to Pearl Boothe Williams, founding faculty and former division chair for Developmental Education. Williams retired after dedicating 46 years to learning. She earned her Bachelor of Science degree at Alcorn State University and a Master of Arts in Education from Arizona State University, then taught English and reading classes at different levels nationwide. Williams has made significant contributions at EMCC, where she chaired the MCCCD Reading Instructional Council, served as Faculty Senate president and wrote grants that funded and implemented the NASA Center and the Adjunct Faculty Institute. She was the commencement speaker at the 15th-annual EMCC commencement celebration on Friday, May 13.
Recognized throughout her EMCC tenure for her unwavering dedication, Williams has been awarded the Maricopa Foundation Employee Award; the Maricopa Community College District WLG Woman of Distinction Award; the NISOD Award; and the Martin Luther King “Living the Dream” Award. In 2003, her short story, “The Night the Klansmen Came,” was published in the literary journal Obsidian. She continues to enjoy writing in her spare time.