A Williams Life

This episode features Pulitzer Prize-winning author Stacy Schiff. Her most recent book, The Revolutionary: Samuel Adams, drew wide acclaim on release and landed on most 2022 best-of lists — including the Wall Street Journal's Top Ten Books of the Year and President Obama's Favorite Books of 2022.

Schiff has also written about another founding father, Benjamin Franklin — fitting timing, as we mark the 250th anniversary of...

This episode features a conversation between Gordon Earle '75 and his classmate and close friend, Kurt Van Steemburg, when Kurt was in hospice with only a few weeks to live.

Gordon recorded the episode because he was struck, in the weeks and months leading up to their conversation, by how willing Kurt was to talk openly and honestly about his life and what lay ahead.  It was a conversation that was serious but also filled with ...

Shoshana Clark Stewart ’02, President of Turquoise Mountain, reflects on her journey from Williams—where she majored in astrophysics and led her rowing team to three national championships—to Afghanistan, and the lessons she's learned from leading an international NGO in some of the world’s most turbulent places.

Shoshana began as an intern at Turquoise Mountain, which supports artisans and communities to pro...

Dr. Toby Cosgrove ’62 reflects on a remarkable life that took him from upstate New York to Williams, through medical school at UVA, into the U.S. Air Force during the Vietnam War, and ultimately to the helm of the Cleveland Clinic. A renowned cardiovascular surgeon who performed more than 22,000 operations and later served as CEO of one of the world’s leading medical centers, Cosgrove shares stories from his military se...

In this final episode of A Williams Life before the Class of 1975's 50th reunion, host Gordon Earle is interviewed by Jon Earle, his producer, nephew and fellow Williams alum ('09). Gordon reflects on his positive experience talking with fellow classmates, most of whom he didn't know, or knew only slightly during his undergraduate years. He discusses their lives and legacies, and how they were shaped by their time at Williams&mdash...

This episode of A Williams Life features a conversation with Jackie Laughlin, who was known during her undergraduate years at the College as Jackie Meadows.  And that's one of the aspects of Jackie's life that makes her time at Williams so unique.  Because she was not only a student, like most of her classmates, but also—during her senior year—a wife and mother. Although strongly encouraged by her father to at...

This episode of A Williams Life will take us on a journey from the banks of the Mississippi, to Williamstown, to the bond trading world of Wall Street, and finally to the dazzling universe of artificial intelligence. Our guide will be Jon Myers, a self-taught inventor and entrepreneur, who has spent many years founding and investing in technology companies designed to, in his words, “make the world a better place.” In r...

This episode of A Williams Life features a conversation with Reggie Garrett, a Seattle-based singer/songwriter, who plays a wide range of music, including folk, blues, Celtic and more, with individual musicians as well as his band The SnakeOil Peddlers. One reviewer noted his “mellifluous voice reminiscent of Bill Withers or Terry Callier that draws you into the song rather than putting you off.” On A Williams Life, Reg...

Polly Wood-Holland is a scenic artist and designer for film, TV, and theater. She's worked on many iconic Broadway productions, including The Lion King, Phantom of the Opera, Spamalot, and Mary Poppins. On this episode, we discuss the projects, mentors, and serendipitous moments that have shaped her career, as well as her experiences with legendary figures such as Paul Newman and Mike Nichols.
00:00 Introduction
01:08 Experie...

On this episode of "A Williams Life," we delve into the enduring friendship of classmates Will Parish and Perk Perkins, whose bond spans 50 years. Starting in the fall of 1975, they embarked on a 20-month journey, crossing five oceans and seas, and exploring 35 countries—an experience they chronicled in their book, "Around the World in a Jeep.” We also explore their lives today, with Will engaged in educational and envi...

Pamela Hawkes is a national leader in historic preservation. On this episode, she discusses her time at Williams, early inspirations, and takes us on a tour of three projects—the renovation of the Crandall Public Library in Glens Falls, NY, the restoration of Georgia O'Keeffe's home and studio in New Mexico, and the design of a girls' boarding school in Tanzania. She also talks about her experience as a woman in a male-domina...

Dr. Frank "Rick" Richards is a world-leading expert on parasitic and tropical infections. He's traveled to some of the poorest and most remote locations of our planet to fight diseases that have harmed millions. During his long tenure at the Carter Center in Atlanta, where he has worked closely with former President Jimmy Carter, Rick played a leading role in the eradication of river blindness from Guatemala. In addition to his car...

Denise Littlefield Sobel takes us on a highly personal journey through her varied and interesting life. It starts with her experience as a member of the first class of women to enroll at Williams for a full four-year term. Denise talks candidly about her mental health struggles as a student, including serious bouts of depression. Continuing in this personal vein, she discusses her conversion to Judaism against the strong wishes of ...

Frank Doelger is a multiple Emmy Award-winning TV producer whose credits include HBO’s Game of Thrones, Rome, and John Adams. Frank begins by talking about Williams and the professors who had an early influence on his career path. He then discusses his time as a graduate student at Oxford, where a chance encounter led to his becoming a theater producer. Afterwards, the conversation turns to how Frank broke into the TV busines...

Williams was the only college where Harry wanted to coach basketball. Fortuitously, in 1983, an opening occurred. After a lengthy interview process, Williams offered the position to a different coach—who, fortunately for Harry, turned it down for the head coaching job at Dartmouth, where Harry would later serve as athletic director. This short segment explores Harry’s intense disappointment at initially being rejected f...

In September 2021, four months after recording A Williams Life, Harry suffered a life-threatening heart attack. During bypass surgery, he had a stroke that resulted in his becoming almost completely blind.  While Harry has been recovering nicely from the heart attack, his vision has not returned, except in an extremely limited way. During this interview, recorded in November 2021, Harry reflects on his health and touches again...

Harry Sheehy is the former head men's basketball coach and athletic director at Williams College. In this interview, he talks about his time in Williamstown as a child and young adult, often accompanied by his father (Williams '51). He discusses his time as a star college basketball player at Williams as well as a professional athlete, and his phenomenal success as Williams basketball coach (1983-2000) and athletic director (2000-1...