Jac L. Williams

"Dark eyes sparkling with humour, bicycle-clipped trousers and great humanity are what characterised Jac L. Williams. His first - and last - publications were collections of short stories, but it was as an educationalist that he made his name. From his appointment as Professor in 1960 until his death he developed in Aberystwyth one of the leading UK Departments of Education, specialising in the study and practice of bilingualism. Because illness affects his spine in his youth, in maturity his crooked stance gave the impression that he was always ready for a fight. And fight he could. A champion of Welsh-medium education, he was at once a visionary and an enabler who vastly enjoyed the politics and pugilism of the multitude of committees he attended. In 1976 he was appointed Vice-Principal of Aberystwyth. He died in office." Derec Llwyd Morgan, plaque accompanying the head in Pantycelyn.