by Leigh Winter Martin '99
From the Archives: You Know You Went To Williams If...
In the “You know you went to Williams if…” Facebook group, alumni share all sorts of purple encounters. But before social media, many of those same items were sent to the Alumni Review.
Let’s let the archives take over the feed for the day...
You know you went to Williams if...
... you commission a Williams-themed mural for your home.
I couldn’t open with any other post. Just an incredible and delightful example of the singular love that Williams alumni have for Williams.
“Williams mural was created by Ron Sentowski, shown here, in the home of Robert M. Snibbe, Jr. ‘66 in Clearwater, Fla., after Bob purchased the house and found he couldn’t stand the ‘garbage wallpaper’ it contained. The mural was created from several color slides of the campus and decorates one whole wall of the foyer in the home.”
I reached out to Bob to see if he had any other pictures and to learn more about it. He told me that unfortunately the mural got painted over when he moved homes, but that it found new life as a kitchen backsplash.
You know you went to Williams if...
...you know C is for Cookie, and W is for Williams.
Though Jon Stone ‘52 was with Sesame Street from the start, as chief writer and senior producer in the show’s first season in 1969-70 and as executive producer at the time of this photo, he was not behind the appearance of this Williams banner.
“The show’s art director, unaware of Stone’s Williams connection, had plucked the banner from a bin of college triviabilia. It is now on the record that Herry Monster is aiming for Williams, says Jon. ‘I know the kid personally, and should the hockey coach be interested, Herry would be a hell of a defenseman.’”
You know you went to Williams if...
...you have practiced and perfected your cow call.
“On our way to Nantucket in August we detoured to enjoy a short stay with Kay and Bob Crane at their summer place in Grafton, Vt. For months Bob has practiced assiduously a cow call and now it is impossible to tell Bob’s from the heifer’s in the nearby pasture. Bob’s deep-throated “moo” instantly summons his devoted friend to a periodic meeting at the lover’s gate in the fence for apple munching.”
You know you went to Williams if...
...you have a Williams-themed license plate.
The first photo is from Winter 1983, 1941 class notes. Not to be outdone, the class of 1935 counters with three of their own in the Summer 1985 issue (though I cannot sign off on the parking job of the car on the right).
You know you went to Williams if...
...you name your three dogs after Williams classmates.
Meet Barky Brown, Class of 1939: “Barky and Debbie Brown now have two children, Hammy (H.B.B., Jr.), age 5, and Ellen, age 2 ½, and three dogs -- a dalmatian, a springer, and a dachshund -- named respectively Bernie, Jiggs, and Max (the resemblance to Auer, Gillett, and your correspondent being of course wholly fictitious).”
You know you went to Williams if...
...seeing this plane overseas reminds you of home.
“Lieut. William B. Park '34, attached to G.H.Q., SWPA, stationed at Manila, sends us this picture of the plane assigned to his unit. It is possible that the plane may have been named and decorated by some Williams alumnus in the Air Corps, but definite information is not available.”
You know you went to Williams if…
...you see a purple and gold flag and just know it is meant for you.
“Helen and John Tomb have been having a wonderful time in Austria. He wrote in November of crisscrossing the Wiernerwald and stuffing themselves with the venison that is available during ‘Wildbretwochen.’ He looked out the window and saw a purple and gold flag, but Helen didn’t believe that it was flown in his honor.”
I believe it was, John. I believe it was.
You know you went to Williams if…
...you sport Ephelia on your sail for a round-the-world voyage.
We opened with one incredible photo, and will close with another. Bob Beres ‘54 had this custom Ephelia sail made as he set off on an epic trip in 1997.