Ann Claire Williams
     >>Honorary Degree Citation

You have risen to a lofty place in a noble profession, but you never have forgotten your humble beginnings or lost your abiding commitment to public service. Your parents, who themselves knew discrimination, would not let you retreat from the promise that comes with a sharp mind, hard work, and determination. You began your career as a third-grade teacher in the inner city of Detroit. After receiving your law degree at Notre Dame, you clerked in the United States Court of Appeals for the Seventh Circuit, where you now sit. You later worked as an Assistant U.S. Attorney in Chicago, and at the age of 35 you became one of the youngest ever appointed to a federal judgeship and the first African-American woman to sit in the Seventh Circuit. Your breaking of barriers continued in 1999 when you were the first African American appointed to the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals and only the third ever to serve on any federal appeals court bench. Despite the extraordinary demands of your office, you continue to volunteer as a leader and as a teacher in your profession. You have served as president of the Federal Judges Association and as a mentor for new federal judges. You are a founder of Minority Legal Education Resources, which helps countless young students pass the bar, and of Just the Beginning Foundation, which celebrates the contributions and accomplishments of African-American federal judges. Whether in service to others or on the bench of justice, your brilliance and your rich humanity shine forth. Colby is proud to honor you as the second recipient of The Morton A. Brody Distinguished Judicial Service Award and to welcome you as an honorary alumna.

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