Photo Credit: News of Orange[/caption]By: Max Norwood
On February 16, Rosa Williams of the Orange County Schools Board of Education (BOE) passed away after a courageous battle with illness, according to a statement released by Orange County Schools. Williams was honored and remembered at a BOE meeting Monday, February 23 where members reflected on their experiences with her.
She joined the school board only last year, but that short time was still enough to leave a positive impression. Members of the board spoke highly of her and her dedication to the schools. “Even at that moment, she was still concerned about the schools more so than her own self,” Lawrence Sanders said about visiting her when she was ill.
Superintendent Del Burns said, “We all were so sad with her passing. We’ll keep her and her family in our thoughts and our prayers.”
Vice Chair Tony McKnight and the others on the BOE had many kind words for Williams. McKnight led the meeting as board chair Stephen Halkiotis was out due to surgery.
Before joining the Board of Education last July, Williams worked for over 30 years in the business sector, where she said she obtained her leadership experience. She was also an active participant in the Psi Gamma Omega chapter of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc.
The BOE wants Williams to be remembered as a devoted mother, a voice for the community, and someone who was a voice for students.
“You have to look at the whole child,” Williams said at a candidate forum run by the News of Orange. ‘“That’s what I think is important, the whole student—the home life, the community.”
Williams is survived by her two daughters and grandsons.
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