Articles By

Jennifer Fuentes

City of dreams

The prospect of change lured Dr. Claude Williams to Dallas. After 44 years, his quest to foster inclusion still spurs opportunity. We crowd into the elevator, and the questions start. Dr. Claude Williams knows this process well. We’re giving a campus tour to dental assisting students from Kaplan College. One young man recognizes Williams, asks him about his service in the Navy. There are more questions from others who want to know about this pioneer: the first African-American orthodontist in the Southwest and the first African-American faculty member at Texas A&M University Baylor College of Dentistry. Williams answers as many students as he can, but time during the campus visit is limited.