Louisiana School for Math, Science, and the Arts (LSMSA) Executive Director Emeritus and Faculty Emeritus Dr. Arthur Williams recently returned to campus as a guest lecturer for Prem Gongaju’s Abrahamic Faiths Class.

Williams, who taught English for 34 years at LSMSA, is a member of the Reform Jewish faith and delivered a lecture on the history and origins of Judaism, including its revolutions and holidays.

“I appreciated the first-hand knowledge and views that Dr. Art was able to provide to the class,” said Jacqueline Schlamp (’21). “It enlightened my interpretation of the religion and gave a real-life perspective to supplement the textbook.”

Gongaju’s class covers the origin and religious aspects of the Jewish and Islamic faiths.

“If Judaism is a dark brown kosher chocolate cake, Dr. Art’s lecture is the icing, whose ingredients come from the Abrahamic faiths consisting of moral and ethical recipes that few of us are familiar with but every one of us knows its superb taste,” said Gongaju.

Williams was named executive director in 1990, serving four years in the role. He was a member of LSMSA’s original English faculty and continued to teach until his retirement in 2015.

To view more of LSMSA’s unique class offerings, visit http://www.LSMSA.edu.