Shelley Williams had plans to graduate from the University of North Georgia, then she fell in love with a soldier. She left school early to get married and move away, but never lost her desire to claim UNG as her alma mater. This spring, her husband of 25 years made her dream come true.
Shelley was born and raised in Stone Mountain and graduated from Providence Christian Academy in 1996. She spent her entire life wanting to attend the University of Georgia, until a friend invited her to visit UNG.
“I told her I’d go, but I wouldn’t like it,” said Shelley, 45. “But I fell in love with it immediately. Coming from a small private school, I think UGA would have been overwhelming for me. The size of UNG was appealing, and it was just a beautiful place. I got there and knew it was where I was meant to be.”
During the fall of her freshman year, Shelley, who was on the dance team at UNG, was walking with a friend around the drill field when a friend introduced her to a boy named Jason Williams. The two sparked a friendship that became romantic after a couple months.
“I think we knew early on that we were it for each other,” said Shelley. “Once we started dating, we got serious pretty quick. He’s a serious guy anyway, so I never had to wonder if he was the type to settle down. We’re both people who make up our minds quickly.”
Shelley was just 19 years old when Jason proposed at Black Mountain Lodge and turned 20 before they married on March 13, 1999.
Credit: Courtesy of Shelley Williams
Credit: Courtesy of Shelley Williams
Scheduling the wedding was an arduous task. Shelley’s father wanted to be sure she would still get her degree since they’d be getting married during her junior year. Jason was stationed in Fort Carson, Colorado, so Shelley promised her father she’d transfer schools once she moved and she would still graduate.
They were told Jason would have his first deployment soon after the wedding, but, as Shelley quickly learned, change is constant in the Army. Jason set out for Bosnia, his first deployment, a week after their one-year wedding anniversary.
Shelley kept her promise to her dad. She graduated from the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs with a psychology degree in 2001.
“I’m glad I did it, but it wasn’t really special to me,” said Shelley. “It would’ve meant more if my degree had been from UNG.”
After a miscarriage and fertility issues, Shelley became pregnant with triplets in 2003. Their daughters, Abbey Grace, who lived just one day, Anna Lee, and Emma Kate were born at 24 weeks gestation. Their youngest daughter, Caroline, was born in 2006, while Jason was deployed in Iraq. He watched her be born over Skype and met her we he returned home on her 6-month birthday.
Credit: Courtesy of Shelley WIlliams
Credit: Courtesy of Shelley WIlliams
Over the past 25 years, the Williamses have moved 11 times, and they currently live in Fort Liberty (formerly Fort Bragg), North Carolina. Jason’s shortest deployment was four months and his longest was a year.
“The Army has been a really good life for us,” said Shelley. “I grew up in the same house my entire life, had never moved before, and didn’t know anything about the military. UNG was good about preparing me. When a civilian dates someone in the Corps of Cadets, we sit in on ceremonies and learn about Army traditions. And, like anything, you learn as you go and deal with things as they come. Jason has been good about teaching about the Army and sharing experiences with me. I’m completely bought in. It’s an all-encompassing lifestyle, a family business. This is our life, and this is what we do. We just love it.”
Jason enlisted out of high school 30 years ago and commissioned as a lieutenant 26 years ago. His specialty is field artillery and he’s also a paratrooper. He was promoted to Brigadier General for the 82nd Airborne Division in May.
Throughout his career, Jason has not lost sight of the sacrifices Shelley has made for him, and he took notice that, despite their shared years and affinity for UNG, Shelley won’t refer to herself as a UNG alumna. Jason was determined to change that.
“For all she did at school and all she has given me and my career in the years since, Shelley is an alumna of UNG and I wanted her to be recognized,” said Jason.
He reached out to UNG President Mike Shannon and asked if it would be possible to grant Shelley alumna status. Shannon said absolutely.
During an alumni weekend in April, the Williamses were invited to a conference where a revamped drill field would be revealed. While standing around in a large group, Shannon said he needed to recognize some people who attended the school but didn’t graduate because they followed their soldier to go on active duty.
“I was shocked, but I knew he was talking about me,” said Shelley. “Turns out, there were a few of us there with similar stories. Dr. Shannon talked about our commitment to serving with our husbands and because we’d left for that reason, he granted us all alumna status. It was so special, so sweet of Jason. Getting my degree there, back where we met, felt like a full circle moment.”
Credit: Courtesy of Shelley Williams
Credit: Courtesy of Shelley Williams
Shelley has a certificate she can’t wait to frame and now proudly declares herself an alumna of UNG.
“Shelley could have chosen any path, and she chose me,” said Jason. “From the very beginning she has given me and our marriage everything. It has never been lost on me that she didn’t have to do any of that, and everything I have achieved is in large measure because of her.”
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