The Department of Languages has established a fund to honor Leslie Williams, associate professor of Japanese, who passed away on July 10, 2014. The Dr. Leslie Williams Memorial Fund will be used for department events, especially Japanese cultural programs and Language and International Trade activities. The fund will be announced at the Language and International Trade Conference on March 9, 2016.
Williams joined the department in 1999. His academic research focused on Japanese pedagogy, Shintô rituals, pre-Meiji Japanese history, and Taoist cosmology and health maximization practices. He served as Director of the Language and International Trade (L&IT) Program from 2012 to 2014 and was the Assistant Chair of the Department of Languages from 2013 to 2014.
Williams had a passion for both teaching and his students. Twice he was named an Outstanding Clemson Professor by the university’s student government, and he also led a student trip to Kyoto, Japan, every other year for ten years. Outside of class, Leslie played an active role in student life, leading the L&IT Society during the 2013-2014 academic year.
Donations to the fund may be made by check, payable to the Dr. Leslie Williams Memorial Fund, and mailed to Department of Languages, Clemson University, 717 Strode Tower, Clemson, SC 29634.