YSU Exhibits

McCullough Williams was born in Youngstown, Ohio on November 27th, 1927.  His parents had migrated north before he was born, and his father was the first African American parking lot owner in Youngstown.  In his youth he worked in his father’s parking lots, parking cars as a full-time job at the age of 13.  Williams possessed an athletic prowess in his youth, leading Youngstown South to two city championships as quarterback and was also freshman quarterback when he attended Ohio State. He graduated from Cleveland College of Mortuary Science in 1950 and opened the McCullough Williams Funeral Home on January 27th, 1952.

Williams was inspired to become active in the Civil Rights movement after meeting Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. in Cleveland on August 8th, 1956.  Williams, speaking at the first Conference for African and African American Dialogue on September 20th, 2003 at YSU, remarked ”I was so impressed that I was determined to come back to Youngstown and make a difference.”  In 1957, Williams became the first black Democrat to be elected 3rd Ward Councilman; his proudest accomplishment as Councilman was in getting Jesse Carter hired as Youngstown’s first black firefighter.  He continued to break racial barriers, becoming the first black president of the Youngstown Board of Education, the first black boardmember of the North Side Kiwanis Club, and the first black director of the Youngstown Automobile Club.  Williams was also involved with the Park and Recreation Commission, Junior Chamber of Commerce, and the board of the Neighborhood Centers group.

Williams received many accolades for her service to the community, including the Chase Lynch Award for Outstanding Efforts in Human Relations, an Honorary Doctor of Humanities from Youngstown State University, and being named 12th among 20 of the most influential citizens of the Mahoning Valley in the 20th century, among numerous other awards and honors.  Williams passed away on October 29th, 2004.

Reverend Mother Elizabeth Powell with McCullough and Juanita Williams

To learn more about McCullough Williams, Jr., read a transcript of his oral history interview conducted by Michael J. Beverly on April 27, 1999:  Permalink PDF

Sterling-McCullough Williams Funeral Home website also features a history of McCullough Williams, Jr.