Milton Augustine Williams jr is the father of Vanessa Williams. Milton Augustine Williams jr’s daughter is an American singer, actress, and fashion designer. She initially gained recognition as the first African-American woman to receive the Miss America title when she was crowned Miss America 1984 in 1983.

Milton Augustine Williams jr: Bio Summary

Who is Vanessa Williams’s dad?

Milton Augustine Williams jr was born on October 10, 1935, in Oyster Bay, New York, United States to his father  Milton Augustine Williams, Sr. Sadly Vanessa Williams’ father passed away on January 17, 2006, in  Valhalla, New York, United States.

He died after suffering an acute pancreatic infection while on vacation in the Bahamas with his wife, Helen, and died two days later. He was a music teacher who taught for 43 years to more than 10,000 students at Alice E. Grady Elementary School in Elmsford. He taught his daughter, Vanessa, to play the French horn and piano. He also gave her voice lessons.

“Our philosophy in raising children is teaching them to be independent,” he was quoted to tell his children. “Music is the most valuable way of doing that. When you learn an instrument, you have to compliment yourself when you’re doing well and correct yourself when you’re not.”

Besides being a music teacher, Vanessa Williams’s father was also an assistant principal from 1960 until 2003, when he retired.

Vanessa Williams’s father loved music from a very young age. At a very young age, Milton Augustine Williams jr played the tenor saxophone at Oyster Bay High School and later in an Army band while stationed in South Korea. In relation to his educational level, Williams Jr earned a bachelor’s degree in music education from Fredonia College in 1957 and a master’s degree from Columbia University in 1959.