Reunion 2015 was quite the celEPHbration, with over 1,724 alumni, 517 kids, and 2,914 total people descending on the Purple Valley. The campus was peppered with 12 tents, 54 orange-shirt clad Reunion Rangers, 743 purple, yellow and cow print balloons, and 2,550 bagged lunches in purple reusable totes (that proved to be a highlight of the weekend). Despite a tornado-watch on Friday evening that prompted evacuation of all tents, the sun shone brightly on Saturday as over 32% of the Ephs in classes in the 0s and 5s celebrated Reunion 2015.
View, download and share Reunion 2015 photos.
Watch alumni presentations from the Reunion 2015 seminars.
Review the weekend line-up in the full Reunion 2015 program.
The following awards and announcements were presented at the annual meeting of The Society of Alumni on Saturday, June 13:
Oldest alumni in attendance were 1941 classmates Wayne Wilkins and Frank Bush.
Major Awards
E. David Coolidge III ’65 received the Rogerson Cup, the college’s highest award for alumni service. Arthur Wheelock, Jr. ’65 won the Kellogg Award for lifetime career achievement. The Thurston Bowl, for exceptional service as class secretary, was presented to Anamaria Villamarin-Lupin ’95 and Nancy O’Brien Wagner ’95 , and the Copeland Award, for effectively representing Williams to prospective students, went to Constance Sheehy ’75 . The Joseph’s Coat, in recognition of a highly esteemed member of a post-50th Reunion class, went to Robert Behr ’55.
New Members of the Executive Committee of the Society of Alumni
Nadine Block ’93, Falls Church, VA; Thomas Fitzgibbon ’87, Newbury Park, CA; Lisa Tenerowicz ’88, Cambridge, MA; Catalina Vielma ’10, Washington, DC; Anthony Volpe ’59, Chicago, IL; Mijon Zulu ’09, New York, NY; and Randolph Rogers ’85 and Susan Akin ’84, both ex officio as Alumni Fund Co-Chairs.
Class Attendance Awards
The Reunion Trophy, awarded to the class with the highest percentage of registered and present classmates, went to the Class of 1965 with 53.9% in attendance. The Reunion Bowl, for the class with the greatest number of members registered and present, went to the Class of 2010, with 249 members attending.
Philanthropy
The Class of 1965‘s 50th Reunion gift came to $16.8M with gifts for the two gift purposes – “The Class of 1965 Student Opportunity Fund” and “The Class of 1965 President’s Venture Fund”.
Opportunity Fund
Underlying the financial aid program at Williams is the principle that all admitted students should have equal access to the education Williams has to offer. Activities and experiences beyond the traditional classroom are a vital part of a Williams education. Whether it’s a summer program on campus, an off-campus summer internship, or traveling out of the country for the first time as part of a winter study course, these opportunities enrich the traditional academic program. The Class of 1965 Student Opportunity Fund will allow Williams students with limited personal or family resources – particularly those who are first generation collegians – to gain access to a wide range of learning opportunities above and beyond the curriculum.
Venture Fund
The Class of 1965 President’s Venture Fund will invest in the leadership of Williams College by creating a dedicated, flexible, source of discretionary funds allowing the President, in consultation with senior staff, to invest in critical needs, to respond rapidly to challenges, and to take advantage of strategic opportunities with a preference for projects in the academic arena. Examples of areas that could be supported include developing emerging aspects of the curriculum or bringing visiting faculty with timely expertise and perspectives to campus.
The Class of 1990’s 25th Reunion gift reached just over $5M with $1.7M focusing on the Class of 1990 Memorial Scholarship. For the Alumni Fund, 1990 raised $664,279 with 71.17% participation, setting new class records for both.
Alumni Fund Co-Chairs David Pesikoff ’90 and Randolph Rogers ’85 announced that, overall, 1,600 volunteers had raised over $11 million from more than 15,000 alumni in 2014-2015. Alumni Fund donors also reached the gold standard again with an overall participation rate of nearly 60%.
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