Editor’s note: Kurt Tauber passed away peacefully on January 25, 2024. He was 101. Kurt Tauber, who taught political science during our years at Williams, continues to live in Williamstown in retirement. Kurt was born in 1922 in Vienna, Austria, came to Williams in 1960 as a member of the Political Science Department and was […]
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Presidential Forum Perspective
I found the three day Presidential Forum an excellent venue for understanding “The State of Williams” today. The array of topics, formats, and presenters was well balanced. The two forums with students provided valuable perspectives. President Falk was very generous with his time and openness to addressing any issue raised. I left with the feeling […]
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Williams and Mary?
I don’t know how many times I answered this. “No, no. That’s a small college in Williamsburg, Virginia. Williams is in Williamstown, Mass” Maybe it depended on geographic context. In Oklahoma OU meant one, clear thing. In Oregon or Ohio, it would have been different. From Pittsfield, Williams was perfectly clear. No need for a […]
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Class of 1968 Presidential Forum April 7-10 2016
Ned Perry prepares to offer our 25th Reunion Classbook to President Adam Falk Every year, Williams hosts the Presidential Forum, a four-day event exclusively for the class whose 50th reunion is two years away. President Adam Falk spoke with—and listened to—the Class of 1968’s participants at breakfast Friday morning, at dinner Friday night, and during […]
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“Snuggled in the Warm Cleavage of the Peaceful Purple Valley…”
So began the iconic opening line of the introduction to the Ephman series broadcast on the Williams College radio station, WMS/WCFM. For those in our class in need of entertainment, or background companionship while studying, the campus radio station was a high-tech source of collegiate humor and sophistication in the heavily forested, mountainous wilderness that […]
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Richard Newhall
Richard Ager Newhall Our freshman class, arriving in the fall of 1964, contained an exceptionally large number of history students. This seriously overtaxed the resources of the College’s history department, and reinforcements were brought in to meet the demand. One was a legendary, retired professor, Richard Ager Newhall. He had last taught at Williams eight […]
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It’s 1815. Let’s move the Williams campus to Amherst or Northampton.
This almost happened. On May 8 of 1815, the Rev. Dr. Teophilus Packard, of Shelburne introduced a motion to the Board of Trustees of Williams College that “the institution and its prospects abandon the unfortunate location of Williamstown and relocate to some site like Amherst or Northampton, near the middle of the State.” The debate […]
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