The first lecture in the 2023 Marie Northrop Lecture Series will be a discussion with Stephen Gee based on the book Paul R. Williams which he coauthored with Marc Appleton and Bret Parsons.
Paul Revere Williams’s inspirational story has fascinated historians for the simple fact that his journey was so improbable. The orphan son of an African American fruit-and-vegetable merchant, he was repeatedly told he had no chance of ever realizing his childhood dream of becoming an architect. And yet, he ignored the naysayers to reach the pinnacle of his chosen profession, while overcoming widespread discrimination throughout early- to mid-twentieth century America. The odds against him succeeding were enormous.
