The Williamses
Family finds connection, calling at Whitworth
During Jan Term of his senior year, Tim Williams '85, a physics and math double major, signed on as the teaching assistant for a physics class. Renee (Whitney) '86, a religion major, simply needed a lab credit. "Turns out we had a really cute TA," she says.
Choosing Whitworth was an easy decision for both Tim and Renee. Tim's father, Wilfred Williams '55, and his older sister, Jennifer Upchurch '83, graduated from and recommended Whitworth. Renee says Whitworth was "the only place I ever wanted to attend."
Tim works as a technical fellow in research and development at Boeing in the Seattle area, where he has been able to strike a balance between faith and science because of his Whitworth education. "Having professors who cared enough to pray for us before class made them tremendous role models," he says.
Renee is an affiliate professor of biblical languages at Fuller Seminary Northwest, a calling she came to mainly through the guidance and encouragement of her Whitworth professors. "We were supported by faculty who had wrestled with similar questions and issues and cared deeply about our own faith journey," she says.
The Williams family's Whitworth legacy continues as the couple's children both attend Whitworth. Nathaniel '20 will graduate as a triple major in math, physics and computer science, while Naomi '22 is a sociology major and serves as a student ambassador.
Renee recalls the first time she and Tim helped each child move to campus. "We were confident our kids would thrive here," she says, "so when we drove away the tears were mostly joyful."
Read the spring 2020 issue of Whitworth Today.
