Clyde V. Williams of Mississippi State's English department is receiving the university's 2002 Outstanding Humanist Award.
As part of the recognition, the associate professor and veteran faculty member will present a public lecture at 3:30 p.m. Wednesday [Oct. 16] in the John Grisham Room of Mitchell Memorial Library. "The Viper in the Ointment" is his topic.
The humanist award program is co-sponsored annually by the MSU College of Arts and Sciences and its Institute for the Humanities, in cooperation with the Mississippi Humanities Council. Formal recognition of Williams and other statewide honorees takes place in Jackson during a spring semester banquet.
Williams teaches courses in literature, writing and film.
A Jackson native who was raised in Carthage, he is a former reporter for the Baton Rouge (La.) State-Times and Jackson (Miss.) Daily News. An MSU faculty member since 1968, he took leave in 1974-76 to serve on the administrative staff of the National Endowment for the Humanities in Washington, D.C.
Williams holds a bachelor's degree from Millsaps College, a master's from Mississippi State and a doctorate from Louisiana State University. He has completed post-doctoral work at the University of Virginia, City University of New York and the Directors Guild of America.
