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Pat Williams: A Champion Who Gave Wings to TRIO’s Defiance 

July 9, 2025 — by Arnold L. Mitchem

Pat Williams, a former Montana schoolteacher who became a voice in the House for nine terms, championing wilderness protections and defending the National Endowment for the Arts from attacks in the late 1980s and ’90s, died June 25 at a hospital in Missoula. He was 87.

When the Higher Education Act faced its deepest cuts in February 1986, it would have been easy for us to descend into mourning. Instead, with the vision of celebrating our students’ resilience, we assembled before the Lincoln Memorial on what became our very first National TRIO Day. I’m forever grateful that U.S. Representative Pat Williams (D-MT), then–Chairman of the Postsecondary Subcommittee on Higher Education, agreed to stand beside us that day. 

We had learned that the House was moving to eliminate our Student Support Services program at the very moment we were gaining momentum nationwide. I suggested turning the narrative from loss to celebration—an act of public witness that said, “We’re here, and we’re not going anywhere.” Pat Williams didn’t hesitate. He embraced it when we asked him to join us in celebrating the first National TRIO Day in 1986 and that gave us a “splash” because we had a Member of Congress–we had a face, a presence. 

On that drizzly Saturday, fewer than 150 of us gathered. Pat stood at the front of the Lincoln Memorial steps, umbrella in hand, as we readied ourselves against the gray sky. He made remarks following mine, and his very presence transformed our small assembly of advocates into a moment of history. The rain was incidental—it kind of added a little drama to it — but what really mattered was that a Member of Congress had chosen to champion first-generation, low-income students, and students with disabilities at a time when TRIO’s very existence was in question. 

Pat understood that TRIO wasn’t just another line item in an appropriations bill—it was an integral strategy for equal educational opportunity. By stepping into the rain with us, he signaled to every campus, every community, and every student that TRIO mattered. His defiance wasn’t just symbolic; it was a political statement that TRIO had earned its place in the federal agenda and could not be swept away by budget cuts. 

What can TRIO professionals today learn from Pat Williams’s example? Build authentic relationships with your Members of Congress—invite them into your world, let them hear your students’ stories, and co-opt their political identity around TRIO’s mission. As I once told advocates, “If you have to co-opt a Member… you have to make TRIO a part of their political identity so that they can never run away from TRIO.” Make them appreciate the talent that TRIO unlocks for American society. 

Today, as we mourn Pat Williams’s passing, we also celebrate his unwavering commitment to educational opportunity. His decision to stand with us before the Lincoln Memorial gave wings to our collective resolve and set the tone for every TRIO triumph that followed. May his legacy remind us that, even in the face of fiscal storms, our programs—and most importantly, our students—deserve to be seen, heard, and honored. 

— Dr. Arnold Mitchem, President Emeritus, Council for Opportunity in Education 

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