Message from Reunion Weekend Chairman Dick McCauley:
Dear 1962 Classmates and Spouses/Partners:
As we start down the home stretch to our 50th Reunion in June, I want to provide you with a
preview of plans for our reunion celebration in Williamstown, and to give you some preliminary
information which will assist you in planning for this major event.
As you know, our Reunion festivities begin on Wednesday evening, June 6 with a casual
Welcome Reception and Dinner at our Reunion Headquarters (The Center for Development Economics/
formerly St. Anthony’s Hall) and will continue over the next 4 days, concluding at Noon on Sunday, June
10. While there will be an overall per capita fee (not yet set) which will include all meals, wine and
beverages, seminars and activities for the 4 day celebration as well as certain parade wear items, you will
need to make separate arrangements for your lodging and make your room reservations (see attached list
of accommodations). As outlined in December, our Class made room block reservations in several
venues—but these rooms are going fast, and, if you have not secured your reservations yet, you should do
so right away.
In making reservations at venues having reservation blocs of rooms, you will need to specifically
indicate that you are a member of the Williams Class of 1962. In addition, the College makes available
student dorm accommodations for a very modest total weekend fee of $80, which includes some 23
rooms in our Headquarters. Formal registration for our 50th (with all of your individual event, meal and
other selections), and for dorm accommodations, will take place in March.
The process for planning for the Reunion and contacting classmates has been continuing for many
months, and we have recruited over 90 classmates, spouses/partners to serve on a number of different
committees to help with this effort. We have also created a committee of spouses and partners (our ’62
Women of Williams Committee) whose Co-chairs have served on our Executive Planning Committee.
They have been very helpful in providing us with their ideas and perspectives as well as planning and
hosting a luncheon and presenting a seminar.
During the 5 year run-up to our Reunion, we have had a number of special class events. These
have included a Presidential Colloquium, a trip to Oxford and Scotland and, each year, Mini-reunions in
Williamstown which have brought participating classmates and spouses/partners closer together, as well
as providing convenient opportunities to have planning meetings. Still, there are many of you who could
not participate in these events, and we are eagerly waiting to see you again.
We are of course hoping that everyone in the Class, including widows, spouses/partners/friends,
will return for our Reunion. In past years, a reunion contingent of 50% of class members has been
regarded as an excellent turnout. But, consistent with our Class’s record breaking turnouts at the several
reunion events leading up to our 50th, our ambitious target is 60% of class members. We have completed
an informal survey of those who are serving on our committees and others with whom we previously have
had direct contact, and we have identified nearly 100 classmates who have already made plans to attend.
With their spouses/partners, we believe that we can count on having a terrific turnout well above 200
people, and, if we are successful, up to 300 (including spouses/partners).
For those who have not returned to Williamstown for some time, reunion weekend in June is still
a colorful and event -packed experience. The major 25th and 50th Reunion classes will have an enhanced
and larger set of events than other returning classes, and the 50 th Reunion class traditionally begins its reunion
celebration a day earlier than any others, on Wednesday. The College is responsible for planning and, beginning
Thursday afternoon, offering a wide array of programs and events for all returning classes. These include Faculty
and Alumni seminars, museum events, an array of recreational offerings, class dinners and parties, and meetings of
various kinds. On Saturday, a major parade of returning Alumni and the traditional meeting of the Society of
Alumni on Saturday morning are held, followed by a boxed lunch picnic on Chapin lawn. The weekend typically
concludes with an ecumenical service for deceased alumni in Thompson Chapel on Sunday.
So, in addition to the wide array of College-sponsored programs and activities described above (which will
include 5-6 additional College-sponsored Faculty/Alumni seminars), here is an early look at what we, the Reunion
Class of 1962, will be presenting especially for classmates and their spouses and partners/friends:
’62 Class Seminars: Beginning on Thursday morning and continuing with one on Friday morning and one on
Saturday afternoon, we will present a total of 5 seminars featuring principally ’62 classmate panelists and
moderators. With the exception of one which will be designated as the College's 50th Reunion Alumni Seminar,
these seminars will be presented for our Class and not for the entire College; hence, the subject matter and format of
most of our seminars are designed to be more personal in context and of particular interest to our Class. Most will
have varied presentation formats and will feature broader opportunities for questions, discussion and involvement by
those attending. This year, one of the seminars has been planned and will be presented in a faculty-led discussion
format by our ’62 of Women of Williams Committee. In addition, for those so inclined, we will suggest some
limited background reading in advance of several of our Class seminars.
The design of most of our Class seminars will contrast somewhat with the more typical college seminars
which will focus on the college, areas of intellectual focus by Williams faculty and current events of interest to all
returning reunion classes which have a wide demographic constituency. So, for those of you who love the usual kind
of seminars presented by the College, you will have 5-6 to choose from, and for those of you who a special interest
in members of our Class and what they have been doing, and in issues particularly relevant to our age and stage in
life, you will have 5 more seminars to choose from--and you may choose all of these if you wish as they will be
presented at times which do not conflict.
Q & A with the President: We will have two opportunities to dialogue with Williams’ dynamic new
President, Adam Falk. The first will be a college-wide presentation by him on Friday afternoon. This will be
followed in the evening by the President’s Reception and Dinner to be held in a tent set up on the lovely and newly
renovated grounds of the Clark Art Museum.
Travels with Buddha: No 50th Reunion of our Class would be complete without a presentation by Buddha
Ryan, who as our Class Secretary and latter-day deTouqueville, has travelled from coast to coast visiting and
reporting on the members of our Class. Triumphant in having already received individual biographies of more than
80% of our Class for our 50th Reunion Book, Buddha assures me that his resulting enthusiasm will not overwhelm
his ability objectively to summarize the results of the Class Questionnaire or, with his usual discretion and
magnanimity of spirit, provide interesting reflection and insight into what he has learned in his travels.
’62 Authors Exposition: On the second floor of our Headquarters, we will display published books and
written works by classmates and their spouses/partners. Attached is a letter and registration form from our
Exposition Chair, Jack Kroh, which outlines the process and guidelines for this show. Registration and short
biographical information will be due by April 1 and published works must be submitted by May 1.
Tours: Arrangements are being made for a tour of the newly renovated Williams College Museum which
will have a new Director beginning in May. In addition, preceding cocktails and the tented dinner at the Clark
Museum on Friday, we will have an opportunity for a short tour of one or more of its galleries. Separately, the
College will sponsor a longer guided tour. For those who have not seen MASS MoCA in North Adams, we are
exploring whether we could fit in a guided visit, but this can be done individually by you in any event. Tours of the
campus will be provided by the College and by us as there have been major changes to the campus and the addition
of a large number of buildings and public art since many of you were last in Williamstown. And we are working on
several additional ideas.
Recreational Opportunities: A wide array of recreational opportunities will be made available, with a Class
hike, biking, jogging, and tennis and individual golf times reserved for members of the Class. In addition, there will
be early morning walks and one or more yoga sessions. These activities will be supplemented by College offerings
which will include an early bird walk, a guided nature trail hike and a visit to and guided tour of nearby Hopkins
Forest.
Meals and Dinners: A continental breakfast will be provided on all mornings except Saturday (on which a
full breakfast will be provided at the Paresky Center). Also provided will be casual buffet or boxed lunches
including a lunch hosted by the Co-Chairs of the ’62 Women of Williams Committee for all widows,
spouses/partners and friends in hope that all those who return will have an opportunity to get to know one other
better.
The Class will host dinner each evening beginning with a Welcome Reception and Cook-out Dinner on
Wednesday (casual), followed by Cocktails and Dinner on "Wear the Colors Night" in our Headquarters Tent on
Thursday (casual); our President’s Dinner on Friday night at the Clark Art Museum (coat & tie and comparable
dress for the ladies); a special dinner at the ’62 Center for Theatre and Dance (see below) on Saturday night (coat &
tie and comparable dress for the ladies); and a Farewell Brunch at the Faculty Club on Sunday (casual). More details
will follow in March when formal registration occurs.
A Special Dinner and Performance in the ’62 Center: Herb Allen will be our host Saturday night for a
special dinner and exciting evening arranged by him. Performing on the MainStage after dinner will be
world-renowned jazz guitarist and singer, John Pizzarelli, and his wife, singer/actress Jessica Molaskey.
Hailed for his smash success with the Boston Pops, Pizzarelli was credited by The Boston Globe with
“reinvigorating the Great American Songbook and re-popularizing jazz.” And raved The New York
Times, “The Pizzarelli-Molaskey duo are as good as it gets in any entertainment medium.”
Alumni Parade and Meeting: Saturday morning will feature the colorful Alumni parade from Chapin Hall
to the Chandler Gym, followed by the traditional Society of Alumni Meeting at which elections and awards will be
given. After the Parade but before the Class has its "Grand Entrance" into the Alumni Meeting, the official Class
photo will be taken.
Class Parade Wear: As is traditional, each class will have its own special class parade wear. As the featured
Alumni Class in the Society of Alumni meeting, considerable attention and planning has been given to related
decisions by our ’62 Women of Williams and others. While certain limited items of clothing will be assumed to be
owned and brought by you, we will give you all other items of clothing (for which you will specify sizes, as needed,
when registering in March) as well as accessories specified as part of our Class parade wear.
College and Class Memorial Services: On Sunday morning, an ecumenical memorial service, accompanied
by music and a volunteer choir, will be held in the College's Thompson Memorial Chapel. This college-wide service
will be led by the Williams College Chaplain and conducted with alumni participants. For all of you, including
spouses/partners, who would like to sing in this choir (more details concerning limited rehearsal later), you can
volunteer to sing with other alumni and spouses/partners. Immediately following this service, we will hold a
separate, short memorial service led by ’62 classmates in adjoining Griffin Hall to remember those members of our
Class who have passed away.
And there will be more. Yes, our Class will have more offerings as well, and the College will soon
announce a full agenda of its own seminars, events and activities, any of which you may elect to attend. If there is a
downside to having all these choices, it is that anyone easily can be overwhelmed by having so many and become
frustrated by the necessity sometimes of having to choose between more than one event that you would like to
attend. More importantly, it is easy to become over-programmed and to miss accomplishing a very important
objective which is to reserve time to hang out and socialize with old friends and new ones. So, be assured that no
one is taking attendance although we don’t want you to be bored either.
Planning for what to wear: The weather in Williamstown in early June is predictably unpredictable. It can
be very warm or very cold, or both, in a single day. And, as well, it may be sunny or rainy, or both, during that same
day. After a long string of good days for the Parade on Saturday, last year it poured rain. We will be ready with
alternate rain instructions if the parade is canceled, and we will be providing a large golf umbrella for the men which
can double as a colorful parade walking stick in good weather. But bring rain gear as well as layered clothing. Most
every event during the weekend is casual with the exception of our President’s Dinner and Saturday night dinner and
performance at the ’62 Center for Theatre & Dance.
Reunion Photo Book: We would like to create a Class of 1962 Reunion Photo Book containing
photographs taken during the Reunion celebration, to be made available later on a cost to us basis when completed.
In November, Spike Kellogg put out the call to classmates who might be interested in volunteering to edit and
produce such a book, but we are still looking. While it would be great if a talented photographer volunteered to take
all or most of the photos and then edit and produced the book (as was done last year by the Class of 1961), this could
be done in several different ways. One approach would be for a volunteer photographer/editor to organize a process
whereby he would solicit and collect digital photos taken by various other classmates and their spouses/partners
during the Reunion. Using these photos together with photos made available by the College, he could then edit and
produce what would be a composite ’62 community photo album. The photo album created by the Class of 1961
was a huge hit with its classmates. Would anyone like to volunteer to lead this project? Please get in touch with me.
In March, we will provide you with a more detailed reunion schedule as well as more information about
seminars, their titles, panelists and moderators (both ours and those presented by the College). You will be asked to
formally register for our 50th and provide us with a check (last year the per person amount was $490--we hope that
ours will be somewhat lower), make selections for a number of meals and activities, and provide us with size
instructions for certain parade wear items. In the next few weeks, we will begin a major updating of our Class web
site (www.tinyurl.com/williams1962), and Reunion details will be posted on our web site as soon as they are
announced.
I want to thank all of the many classmates and their spouses/partners who have given so generously of their
time in serving on our reunion committees and those who have agreed to serve as panelists or moderators. They
have worked very hard to make our 50th an extraordinary and truly memorable event. Our most important goal,
however, is for you to be there to celebrate this milestone event with us. So, please make your reservations now.
Very best wishes,
Richard G. McCauley
Reunion Weekend Chair
410-819-8880
(o)
410-310-7334
(c)
Note on Accommodations: There are still a few rooms left at the Williams Inn (ask to speak to Jane or Alicia in
Reservations; bloc reservations will be released on March 1st); and a few at the Orchards (ask to speak to Rebecca
Lennon).