01/30/2023
The Brothers of Groove Phi Groove Social Fellowship Incorporated mourn the loss of our beloved Honorable Founder Woodrow Williams. Hon. Founder Woodrow Williams was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on June 20, 1942. Raised by his grandparents, Edward and Estelle Williams, in Glassboro, New Jersey, he graduated from Glassboro Senior High School in 1960. He attended Morgan State College later that year, majoring in physical education.
A multi-sport athlete who also excelled academically, he was a four-year starter and captain on the Golden Bears championship swim teams. He was later inducted into the Golden Bears Hall of Fame in 1974.
Fdr. Williams graduated from Morgan in 1964 with a Bachelor of Arts degree in physical education. He immediately began teaching full-time in the Baltimore public school system while coaching football, swimming, track and field, and basketball, with some of his teams winning junior varsity and varsity titles at the league, city, and state levels.
Later returning to school, he earned his Master’s degree in physical education in 1974, also from Morgan. Williams continued to serve with distinction as a physical education teacher, physical education department head, and director of athletics, while continuing multi-sport coaching that resulted in more championships at various levels, including national recognition for his efforts.
In 1989, Williams’ excellence at the high school level was rewarded with a position on the University of Maryland’s men’s basketball coaching staff, which he held for two years. Mr. Williams married his college sweetheart Beverly in 1966 and has one daughter, Lanaya L. Smith, MD, and one granddaughter, Madison Beverly Smith. Williams retired from the Baltimore public school system in 2004.