reflections by the decade

"Fall of '69 I met a guy quite casually at a party. A while later he called and asked if I would type a paper for him. I asked how he got the idea that I typed papers for people, and he said, 'You're a girl, aren't you?'"
—Nancy Tisdall '71

I attended Williams during the first year of 'the exchange', fall of 1969 through the spring of 1970.  There were 40 of us.  I grew up in Rensselaer County and had for years enjoyed the theater, Clark, and many other cultural institutions. My family farm dating from 1769 was nearby and I spent weekends planting trees on a steep hillside which is hopefully going to be a nature preserve.  My late father and I donated Bentley Cavern in Berlin, NY,  to the Northeastern Caving Society in 2009. For decades Willlaims RPI students have visited the cave and I have given presentations in Williamstown. My geology and biology majors are prominent in my paintings.  I love the area! "
—Randi Bentley '72 

"I felt welcomed by the community of Black students while many on campus rejected me: the marching band refused my participation and one professor called me Mr. Martinez. Although we lost every game and sometimes the coach had to play to field a full team, I was thrilled to participate in the first Eph women's basketball team."
—Carol Martinez Weber '72

I was an Exchange Student in 1970-1971 as a sophomore from Smith College. I had no idea it might be an option to stay at Williams, so paying no heed to my grades, I took the hardest, most interesting courses I could find and was challenged and encouraged by amazing professors including Whit Stoddard and Charles Samuels to become a real thinker, to be my very best and to show it by speaking up in class as well in my essays. Education became an action verb. I loved every minute of my days at Williams and sadly left after a year having not only woken up my intellect, but also having made lifelong friends and having discovered a love of and respect for nature from many long excursions up into the Purple Mountains."
—Cissie Douglas '73

"Best part was all the music. Symphony with Professor Shainman. First choral group ever to sing at the Kennedy Center. Resurrecting defunct Ephlats as co-ed. Squash with Coach Sloane since the guys wouldn’t play with the only girl in gym class (required for the ten sophomores). Leading campus tours as first woman admitted to Purple Key Society. Most embarrassing memory: Professor Gottschalk telling Econ 101 class of 65, “Well, there were six A’s on the mid-term, five of which were earned by the five women in the class.”
—Jane Forrell Casey '73

"Transferred to Williams as a Junior. Wonderful and varied experiences. Mr. Shainman was a musical mentor encouraging me to use my vocal skills in many diverse areas of music. Teachers were so supportive and open. Psychology major; Tyler and The Fort; meals at Greylock; Honeybuns; 8 am classes on snowy mornings; Adam’s Theater; winter study. The beauty of Williamstown. So lucky to be a part of women at Williams."
—Linda Vipond Heath '73

"Beautiful, male, difficult. It was the best of times and the worst too. The 'men' were full of cruel pranks ('would you provide directions to Bronfman?' and sent to the opposite end of campus) and the professors were sometimes less than welcoming ('there are too many of you in this seminar.... 19 plus her'.) The dress-up dinners at Greylock were painful (sitting at a table of eight with nobody joining me or sitting at a table with empty chairs on either side.) But friendships last to this day, the education was superlative, the physical beauty of the mountains is breathtaking. And being a part of a very special group—Williams Women of the Early Years."
—Dede Gotthelf '73

"Lived in Doughty House – 11 women -- sophomores, juniors and seniors – transfer and exchange. Most Williams students had never heard of Doughty House. Perry House was our ” social house” – good Sunday brunches but nothing social happening there. Doughty was like living off campus and made meeting other students very difficult."
—Dodie Jones '73

"I had heard that Williams had just gone co-ed and 'needed girls.' I thought Williamstown looked like college, so I applied early decision. I lived in the first co-ed freshman entry - Morgan Mid-West in fall 1973. It seemed normal to me. What was hard to adjust to were all the kids from prep schools. And it wasn’t easy to be Jewish at Williams in those days, either.!"
—Alissa Ballot '77

"In ‘73, women’s sports were club or IM. We fielded a lacrosse team, with our old curved wooden sticks: no helmets, no cages, no padding. Had a winning season. My class of ‘77 included former prep school opponents, now a team. The Powers That Be gave us varsity certificates!"
—Monica Bennett '77

"I entered Williams College in 1974 when women had just begun attending. My daughter is a confident young woman who benefited from my Williams class of ‘78 experiences by learning early in life that women are fierce and fearless in every way, including as college classmates ( her father Williams class of ‘79 and her uncle Williams class of ‘77).
—Deborah Otis Foy '78

"It was very fun to be part of the first ever women’s squash team. Most of the team were experienced tennis players. I was not. Ned Reade ‘74 was our coach the first year and was an encouraging mentor. Someone must have decided that we needed an 'official' coach instead of a male senior. Who was it? Renzi Lamb! A beloved male lacrosse coach with no experience with squash, much less women! He was great: instilling us with a fine sense of scrappiness as we played against more established Ivy League teams. One of my favorite memories was showing up at Yale dressed in our sweats facing other teams dressed in whites. The other women coaches needed to figure out how to deal with Renzi, cigar present, also wearing his sweats. We gained a reputation quickly!
—Jane Garvey '78

"In September of 1974, I arrived at my freshman dorm, Fayerweather. It was an all-female building. When I walked into the bathroom at the end of the hall, I was shocked. There was a line of urinals mounted on the wall. I'd never seen a urinal before. Each had what looked like a little plastic cage over the drain. I thought they were disgusting. Then I saw that the shower was just one huge stall, with multiple shower heads. I grabbed my groovy 'Flower Power' bathroom caddy and ran back to my room."
—Kate Stone Lombardi '78 

"I was instrumental in starting the women's track and field team at Williams. I recall going to the spring '77 track meeting in Bronfman and being the only female present. Coach Farley was in charge. No one said anything (I had naively assumed there was female track because cross country had a team). Nonetheless, I showed up every practice, designed my own sprinter workouts, and weight training, and the guys just got used to seeing me. I volunteered as manager and went to the men's meets (something I had done at Clayton High School to get a women's track team started there.) The next year I got Sue Hudson (volleyball coach) and some of the cross country women to come out for spring track. By the time I graduated in 1980, we attained club status and could field relay teams and some track events. I am not sure coach Farley ever knew what to make of me but he let me be me and remembered me to my sister Paulette when she went out for track in spring 1983."
—Vanessa A. Blowe '80

I wish I'd been a bit older when I came to Williams in 1977 at age seventeen. Although I came from a very academic school in Chicago, I wasn't prepared for the wealthy post-boarding school atmosphere that seemed to dominate Williams at the time. I was lost and confused, and the powerful drinking culture didn't help. I was in the midst of wonderful people, but couldn't really figure all of that out at the time.

I took a year off following my sophomore year and spent the first non-school year of my life (since age five) in Southeast Alaska performing grunt work with other wonderful people. I came back to Williams ready to learn in the way I wish I'd come in 1977. My last two years were much happier for me.

For some reason, I remain loyal to Williams--attending reunions. This women's reunion was a real treat, and it was particularly delightful to connect with members of the class on '81. Thank you!"
—Rachel Aliber Duffy '81

"Being a woman at Williams from '78-'82 was quite an honor. I was surrounded by peers and friends who challenged me in ways that led to so much personal and intellectual growth. The women I knew at Williams were all strong, accomplished, talented and loving. They inspired me to undertake challenges and set an example for my children so that they would not see limits in the impact women could make on their world. I wish I could replace the 'copopulation' t-shirts I grabbed in 1979 since they have long since fallen to shreds. My Williams years were formative and precious."
—Eileen B. Glassmire '82

"I cherish my ties to Williams. Williams is where I met my husband, and my dearest friends. Williams is where I learned to think, to learn and to write. Williams anchored me in my new country, and gave me a sense of belonging. I fell in love with the Purple Valley at first sight, and that infatuation has only grown deeper over time!"
—Navjeet Bal '84

"Chris Larsen Mason was on the 1980 Olympic Field hockey team and became our coach that fall. Her competitive spirit spurred ours (bronze in 1984!). Better to win than lose - but most of all we loved to play! Team first. Cole field was our heaven and there were several Little 3 wins! "
—Dorothy Briggs Brill '84

"Aside from one best girlfriend in high school, most of my closest friends before college were male. I just didn’t get the high school girl politics. I didn’t like the expectation that I was supposed to be less smart than the boys, or that I was supposed to give over authority to the boys or let them drive the car. Williams gave me the gift of meaningful relationships with other women. From the moment I arrived at my all-women Williams entry through to today, I prize all I have learned from strong, smart Williams women, people who know themselves and who helped me come to know myself. I think our society’s relationship to gender roles has evolved much in parallel to Williams’ evolution from all-male to co-educational, and I remain grateful for being part of a community where intellectual curiosity and hard work were valued above older markers of performative female identity."
—Suzy Akin '84

"While all first-year entries are coed now, about half of them were still single-sex in the '80s. As someone who grew up with brothers and lived in a coed entry my first year at Williams, I was initially distraught when the lottery gods assigned me to serve as a JA in an all-female entry. 'Most of my friends are guys,' I remember thinking. 'How am I going to survive a year of that much estrogen?' Well, it turned out to be a wonderful, empowering experience. Indeed, many of my most enduring Williams friendships are with my Sage F girls. Maybe the lottery gods were goddesses, after all."
—Wendy Webster Coakley '85

"My Williams experience was both completely transformative and also inflected by sexism. I took up rowing to fulfill the PE requirement and unexpectedly loved it.  I wasn't naturally athletic, but I found a connection to my body and found my voice as a leader. And the women on the team--fierce, funny, fabulous--became and remain my closest friends.

At the time the rowing team was set up with a full-time men's head coach and a half-time women's coach who reported to him.  He was uninterested at best and hostile at worst to the women, which meant we were clearly told that we didn't matter. It frustrated all of us, including our coach.

Eventually, a small group of us got organized and successfully petitioned the college for more resources, including a promotion to varsity status and equal treatment with the men's team.  I am proud of that and also wish I could have had the equitable experience that subsequent women had.

I remain incredibly grateful for my Williams experience. It helped me find myself and also led me to a career of advocation for women. I also became a Title IX expert!"
—Donna Lisker '88

"My very first semester at Williams, I took 'Literature by Women' with Karen Swann. That class completely blew my mind--it was the first time I had studied literature through the lens of feminism, and I suddenly understood the world in an entirely new way. Over the next four years, I was privileged to learn from Professor Swan along with so many other amazing female professors: Anita Sokolsky, Linda Bundtzen, Carol Ockman, Eva Grudin, Emily Apter, Darra Goldstein, and more. These women taught me what it meant to be strong, intellectual, ambitious, outspoken, and fierce. To them and to my fellow Women of Williams, I am eternally grateful! ."
—Leslie Jeffs Senke '89

"A big benefit of attending Williams as a woman was the lack of emphasis on glamour or fashion. For four years, I got to towel dry my hair, put on a sweater and jeans, and go. For four years, I matured in a place that valued intelligence over trends. Invaluable!"
—Susan Gray Gose '90

'When I tell people that I chose Williams because they offered me a larger financial aid package than Yale, they usually shake their heads in disbelief; but I still feel I made the right choice. A veterinarian mentor had advised me when I was a child to go to a liberal arts college and to major in whatever I wanted because veterinary schools were looking for people who knew how to think. Williams helped me to achieve my dream of becoming a veterinarian, and I also fulfilled my dream of learning to speak Mandarin so that I could study abroad in China. I will always be grateful to Williams, but I’ve yet to attend a class reunion. I had never been surrounded by so much wealth and privilege, and it wasn’t a smooth experience for me."
—Jane Lewis '90

I've spent my career in higher education, which has only made me more appreciative of the value of a small liberal arts college like Williams. I remember arriving and thinking, 'here I can reinvent myself.' I had amazing professors, real intellectual engagement, and community in a beautiful setting. Being part of women's crew was empowering; choosing to leave the team the second half of senior year was hard but also empowering. I was figuring things out, learning to forge my own path."
—Soo La Kim '91

 

"While at Williams, I knew my friends were a very special bunch of people. They saw possibilities instead of problems. After Williams, we went on to excel in education, business, law, medicine like I knew we would. Whether near or far, they are a constant source of inspiration and support."
—Terri Powell '03 

"My grandmother visited Williams as a young woman and declared her hope that, if she ever had a son, he would attend there. I love that I, her granddaughter, was able to fulfill that wish! I deeply appreciate the education I received at Williams, both in and out of the classroom. What made the place special was that it was full of brilliant people, but in my experience, we didn't compete against each other. No one ever asked me how I did on a test. I love hearing about the good work my classmates are doing now."
—Emily Bright '04

"To me, being a Woman of Williams means brilliance, strength, resilience, power, genius, love, support, and compassion. The relationships that I forged with the women of Sage B, VISTA, WCURF, and Williams Women’s Crew shaped who I was then and continue to influence the person that I want to be today."
—Monserrat "Monsie" Munoz '09

"Sisterhood Is the word that comes to mind when I think of Women at Williams. As cross country runners it was all about teamwork, the purple pack working together against one of the most beautiful backdrops in the world. It’s been 14 years since graduation. The friendship however was sealed for life."
—Natalia Rey de Castro '09

"Life was hard as a student-mother at Williams. My son and I grew up together. To the women of color faculty who saw me and my potential, who nurtured me into the strong woman of color, feminist, scholar-activist I am today – thank you. You were my lighthouses through the storm."
—Tatiana M.F. Cruz '11

”My experience at Williams was shaped by so many other women. As a member of Williams Women’s Crew, I was surrounded by strong, giving, intelligent, fun, confident women on a daily basis. I learned so much from the women I was surrounded by at Williams and am forever grateful for the impact they had who I am and what I think it means to be a Woman of Williams."
—Annie Haley '13

"Being a Woman of Williams is about empowerment. It's about speaking out, advocating for issues I care about, and persisting in the face of adversity. My Williams education and the strong Williams alumni network helped inform, inspire, and support the advocacy work that I'm doing now to combat harassment in the judiciary and secure workplace protections for judiciary employees."
—Aliza Shatzman '13

"No better way to wrap up a night of partying than strutting around snack bar in my bodycon dress and high heels with my friends and shoving '72 grill pizza in my face. I felt safe and seen. A nightcap of pure indulgence after a night, itself, of pure indulgence."
—Anna S. '19

"My undergraduate experience at Williams was empowered by three women: Lisa Gilbert (former professor of oceanography), Sandra Burton (director of dance), and Rev. Valerie Bailey Fischer (college chaplain). Last fall, I had the opportunity to visit each of these special women—two years after graduating. Now we converse more like old friends. While we reminisced and caught up on our present lives, these women inspire me once again to transpire the same magical, creative, and compassionate energy I’ve felt under their mentorship, in my current communities and beyond. I continue to work hard every day towards this goal!"
—Caroline Hung '19

"I am a woman of color, and I am a Woman of Williams, together this makes me Williams. Thus, by being Williams, it is to take part of the legacies set before us and ensuring those legacies were not made in vain by moving forward with our paths."
—Tiffani Castro '20