September 20 – September 21, 2019

One weekend each fall, The Greylocks (the post-50th classes of the Society of Alumni) gather in Williamstown for a series of mini reunions. Classes from 1945 through the current 50th reunion classes descend on the Purple Valley for a weekend of faculty lectures, class dinners, sporting events, entertainment by the Williams College Jazz Band, and a tailgate lunch on Weston Field before Saturday’s football game.

If you’d like to attend, please walk in and register in the Mainstage Lobby of the ’62 Center for Theatre and Dance. 

• FRIDAY, September 20, 2019

  NOON - 5:00PM Check In for the weekend to pick up name tags, schedules, and buttons
  MAIN LOBBY, '62 CENTER 
  

  2:00PM Encountering the Old Williams and moving along into the New with Williams College President Emeritus Francis “Frank” Oakley
  From the Cast-Iron Shore, part personal memoir and part participant-observer's educational history, details the progression of Williams from a fraternity-dominated institution in the 1950s to the leading liberal arts college it is today. Oakley relays his experiences growing up in England, Ireland, and Canada, his time as a soldier in the British Army, and his years as a student at Yale University. He combines this account with reflections on social class, the relationship between teaching and research, the shape of American higher education, and the challenge of educational leadership in the late twentieth and early twenty-first century.
  MAINSTAGE, '62 CENTER 
  

  3:30PM Answering Burning Questions by Burning Tiny Fossils: Reconstructing ancient ecosystems via single-microfossil carbon isotopes with Phoebe Cohen, Associate Director of Geosciences
  Much about the early evolution of life on earth still remains a mystery, and major questions remain, especially about the relationships between biology and the rise of oxygen in the earth’s atmosphere. In this talk, I will discuss new research from my lab based on measurements of the organic carbon isotopes of microscopic fossils that represent our best window into the evolution of life before the rise of animals. These measurements are helping us figure out where in the oceans early organisms were living and if, contrary to conventional thought, early life could have thrived in oxygen-free waters.
  MAINSTAGE, '62 CENTER 
  

  CLASS DINNERS ORGANIZED BY CLASS LEADERSHIP OR CLASSMATES FREE TO MAKE THEIR OWN ARRANGEMENTS

  7:00PM Volleyball vs. Trinity
  CHANDLER GYMNASIUM

  9:00PM Concert by the Williams College Reunion Jazz Band with a cash bar
  THE ORCHARDS HOTEL

• SATURDAY, September 21, 2019

  8:30 AM – 9:30 AM Traveling Ephs Breakfast
  Join Williams Alumni Travel Study for a hosted breakfast, as we preview upcoming alumni tours and explore the lifelong learning opportunities available through this faculty-led program. All alumni and friends interested in learning more about alumni travel with the College are encouraged to attend. Presented by Leila Derstine, Director of Intellectual Engagement.
  FACULTY CLUB

  9:30AM – NOON Check In for weekend to pick up name tags, schedules & buttons.
  MAIN LOBBY, '62 CENTER 
  

  10:00AM Conversation with President Maud S. Mandel 
  MAINSTAGE, '62 CENTER 

  11:15AM Watergate: Lessons for Current Times with Henry Hecht '68
  Professor Hecht of UC Berkeley, School of Law, served as an Assistant Watergate Special Prosecutor from the inception of the office in the spring of 1973–through the Saturday Night Massacre and the firing of Special Prosecutor Archibald Cox–until the spring of 1976. He will offer observations on similarities and differences between the Watergate Prosecutions and recent investigations and prosecutions by Special Counsel Robert Mueller.
  MAINSTAGE, '62 CENTER

  12:30PM Tailgate Lunch
  WESTON ATHLETIC COMPLEX

  1:30PM Football Kick Off, Williams vs. Tufts
  FARLEY-LAMB FIELD

  2:00PM WCMA Reception & Gallery Talks
  Join Class of 1956 Director Pamela Franks for an afternoon reception in WCMA’s newly renovated multipurpose space. In addition to remarks from the Director, Williams students will be giving brief talks and tours of the galleries.
  WILLIAMS COLLEGE MUSEUM OF ART

  3:00PM Student Tours of Campus
  Interested in learning more about the new buildings and happenings at the college? Join current students on a tour of the latest campus structures.
  PARESKY FRONT PORCH

  4:30PM Public Post-Game Reception
  THE LOG

  CLASS DINNERS ORGANIZED BY CLASS LEADERSHIP OR CLASSMATES FREE TO MAKE THEIR OWN PLANS

• TAILGATING RULES

  Parking:

  • • Lansing Chapman Rink parking lot – located across the street from the Weston Field Athletic Complex off of Latham Street. Handicap spots available.
    • Lot off Water Street – ample parking is available just around the corner. A 5 minute walk to the Weston Field Athletic Complex.
    • Lot inside Weston complex -- tailgating spots will be available inside the gates of the Weston Field Athletic Complex adjacent to Farley-Lamb Field on grass. First come, first serve basis. Handicap spots available.

  Tailgating:

  Tailgating is available on the grass adjacent to Farley-Lamb Field.

  For football games, the gates to Weston open at 10:00 AM. For Homecoming, Weston gates open at 8:00 AM.

  • First come, first serve basis. No reservations.
  • No charcoal grills allowed.
  • Attendees prohibited from bringing alcohol into Weston Field Athletic Complex.
  • Unsealed plastic or paper containers checked with a passive alcohol detector.
  • No cans, no glass.
  • No RV’s or similar large vehicles.

  Visiting Teams:

  Visiting teams will be housed on the east side of the Team Support Building, closest to the Taconic Golf Club parking lot. For convenience, supporters of visiting teams are encouraged to utilize the space in that surrounding area. Public restrooms are available under the main grandstand.

  Directions:

  If using GPS, the following address will bring you to the Weston Field Athletic Complex:

  • Tailgating – use main grandstand address: 71 Latham Street, Williamstown MA 01267
  • Bus drop off – use Team Support Building address: 75 Meacham Street, Williamstown MA 01267

  Weston Athletic Complex Layout & Parking