MARIETTA, GA - Dr. Sid Williams announced June 13 that he would resign as president of Life University Chiropractic College (LUCC) in March 2003 when he turns 75. Insiders say that Dr. Sid's decision to retire was made before the Council on Chiropractic Education (CCE) announced it would not renew Life's accreditation.
Dr. Williams asserts that the academic program at Life University gives chiropractic students a superior education, but the Commission on Accreditation (COA) of the CCE clearly disagrees. Some of the students at Life are calling for a congressional investigation of the CCE, and feel the accrediting body has been unjust in removing Life's accreditation. Whatever the opinion of the students may be, their future studies are in limbo.
Dr. Williams acknowledges that the university has begun a search for a candidate to replace him, but that he will become chancellor after he retires as president. Some critics of Dr. Williams believe that he should retire from all involvement with the school he founded; others are disappointed that the only president the school has ever known will be stepping down.
"If he moves up as chancellor, he probably will still be in control of the school," Dr. Arch Culbreth, president of the Georgia Chiropractic Association, told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.
Dr. Williams has met with students to assure them that the university is in no immediate danger of closing, as Life University will be appealing the COA's ruling, a period in which students will continue to study and receive credit toward their degrees.
The Life and Times of Sid Williams
- 1928 - Sid Williams is born in Rome, Georgia on March 18. The Depression era, he has said, contributed to his appreciation for hard work.
- 1938 - The Williams family moves to Oakland City Park, Georgia.
- 1945 - As a teenager, Sid earns the Boy Scouts of America's Eagle Scout rank. In high school, he joins ROTC, and becomes a cadet colonel and captain of the drill and rifle team. He receives all-state interscholastic recognition as a quarterback and end on his high-school football team.
- 1947 - Joins 179th Field Artillery unit, 22nd Infantry Division, in the Georgia Army National Guard, advancing to second lieutenant.
- 1948 - Earns football scholarship to Georgia Tech to play football for the Yellowjackets.
- 1952 - Member of the Georgia Tech team that won the Orange Bowl. Sustains an injury and seeks chiropractic care after traditional medicine fails to provide adequate relief. The care Dr. Williams receives influences him to become a doctor of chiropractic.
- 1956 - Dr. Williams obtains his DC from the Palmer School of Chiropractic in Davenport, Iowa after graduating with a bachelor's of science degree in industrial management from the Georgia Institute of Technology. He marries fellow Palmer alumnus Nell Kimbrough and they establish a thriving practice in Georgia. They raise two children, Kim and John Sidney, and Dr. Williams establishes the Life Foundation, forerunner of what will be one of the largest chiropractic colleges in the world.
- 1964 - Still practicing, Dr. Willliams writes and publishes what will become Today's Chiropractic and formulates a program of motivational and educational seminars, "Dynamic Essentials International."
- 1974 - Drs. Sid and Nell Williams found Life Chiropractic College in Marietta, Georgia.
- 1975 - First Life class begins on January 20.
- 1982 - Dr. Williams becomes president of the International Chiropractors Association, and facilitates the opening of Life Chiropractic College West (Life West) in San Lorenzo, California. It is led by 29-year-old Gerard Clum,DC.
- 1987-89 - Leader of the opposition to the proposed ACA/ICA merger.1
- 1989 - LCC is renamed Life College.
- 1995 - Dr. Williams is named "Chiropractor of the Century" by the Georgia Council of Chiropractic. Williams' involvement in chiropractic organizations and civic groups comprises a lengthy list, including membership on the board of the Council on Chiropractic Education; the Georgia Chiropractic Association; the Governor's Club of Georgia; and the Peach Bowl (football) committee. Dr. Sid makes the front page of the Dec. 17 Atlanta Journal in a two-part series that chronicles his life.
- 1997 - Life College granted university status. In a one-month span, four Life teams earn national championships in basketball, indoor track and field, outdoor track and hockey.
- 1998 - Elected to the sports hall of fame at the Georgia Institute of Technology.
- 2000 - As organizers of the Costa Rican Chiropractic Association, DCs Sid and Nell Williams march in the opening ceremonies as part of the Costa Rican delegation the Summer Olympic Games in Sydney, Australia.
- 2002 - Dr. Williams, announces he will retire on his 75th birthday in March 2003.
Reference
- Wardwell W. Chiropractic: History and Evolution of a Profession. Mosby Year Book, Inc., 1992, p 185.
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