75th Anniversary Celebration

Faculty Remembrance

Roy Williams

                 Mr. Roy L. Williams (1960s)                                                                   Dr. Roy Williams

A Q&A with Dr. Roy Williams

Roy L. Williams, professor emeritus of chemistry, is a wine connoisseur who found a way to pursue his avocation simultaneously with his vocation. Much of his research has involved wine. He founded the university’s Enological Research Facility, which sponsors scientific research into the health benefits of wine and offers continuing education programs in wine appreciation. Although he is an emeritus professor, he continues to teach and direct the ERF.

Question: The university is celebrating its 75th anniversary, and you are one faculty member who has been here for most of the school’s history. What memories do you have from your first few years?

Answer: I came to this institution in June 1965 as an assistant professor in chemistry when it was Old Dominion College. It was a very small department with no research space or interest in research. I taught freshman chemistry for years and eventually began to teach my specialty, organic chemistry. We carried 19 to 21 contact hours in those days. Today it’s 6-9 hours, if that much. Space was at a premium and the building was actually shared with physics, biology and geophysical sciences. Many of the people who taught me physics and math were still here and it was a strange feeling to be a professor in this environment. Professor (C. S.) Sherwood was a jewel of a chairman and a real friend.

Q: When did you receive your B.S. degree from ODU?

A: That was 1960. So I have been associated with the institution for 45 years.

Q:What was the best piece of advice you received in your early years as a professor?

A: Perhaps it wasn’t the best piece of advice, but it is the one I remember most vividly. A colleague told me that I would never be able to do research in the department. We fooled him, didn’t we!

Q: How did your wine-related research come about?

A: In the 1960s and 1970s the students seemed very interested in chemistry and I personally enjoyed developing undergraduate research with them. With the introduction of graduate programs, everything changed and the university became more research oriented. Research monies became the topic of interest. The idea of seeking grant funds to support research that would help establish positive health effects of wine was enough to make many earlier researchers turn and run. But that is exactly what the Enological Research Facility did. Over the years my own research moved from polymer chemistry to drug synthesis and finally to the chemistry of natural products. It was in 1991 that the ERF was established, and that is when research really became fun for me.

Q: On this topic of health benefits of wine, you have spoken and presented research all over the world. Can you tell us about that?

A: Although other research in the past has been more profitable with regard to obtaining grant funding, the results of our research on wine and health have been well received nationally and internationally. Presentations have been made in other countries such as France, Portugal and Germany. We have been able to establish some very real connections between the organic chemicals found in wine and certain positive health benefits. It is truly a unique feeling of satisfaction to enjoy one’s vocation along with his avocation.