Williams College Class of 1997 Blog

Links from Spring and Summer

2011-08-20T11:32:00.000-07:00

Reunion is, incredibly, less than ten months away! Check out some of the lengthy batch of 97ers in the news since our last update:

Jesse Brackenbury makes his first appearance on the blog courtesy of his work as Director of Business Operations at Boston's Greenway. Watch Jesse's update on the Greenway food vending operation here.

Be sure to watch this great video produced by Shayla Harris and featured on the NYTimes website.

David Turner's latest Broadway role sounds like a choice one: in A Clear Day You Can See Forever, he plays a gay florist who seeks out a psychiatrist to quit smoking — and who becomes, under hypnosis, a possible former self, a 1940s jazz singer named Melinda Wells.

Despite a turbulent market, Chase Coleman's hedge fund has been performing extraordinarily well.

Mike Norton and Sam Sommers discuss perceptions of bias in the New York Times.

Finally, enjoy this old-school football video featuring interviews with Brian Higgins, Mark Kossick and Eric Kelly, big plays by various 97ers, and the "catch of a lifetime" by Kossick during the legendary 1996 upset of an undefeated Amherst juggernaut.

Update: just missed this great Forbes article highlighting Dahna Goldstein's philanthropic start-up:

http://blogs.forbes.com/elmirabayrasli/?p=283

Lots o' Links

2011-05-10T20:10:00.000-07:00

Matt McGough had a lengthy article about a cold case murder published in this month's Atlantic

Check out Sam Sommers' Author Facebook page, connected to his forthcoming book, Situations Matter

David Turner received rave reviews for his role in Arcadia. You can see Dave at the 1:41 point of this clip, during which the reviewer discussed his performance.

Byron Wetzel is noted as the manager for Michael Shannon, who will play Zod (!) in the Superman reboot

Adrienne Lu is featured on the Williams alumni office's new How'd You Get There? page.

Finally, this is from a few months back, but Eiko Maruko Siniawer was chosen to welcome President Falk, on behalf of the faculty, to Williams last fall. You can see Eiko's speech at 9:30 of this video.

Shalit, Watson, Turner, Slattery, and Coleman in the News

2011-01-11T13:10:00.000-08:00

Lots of classmates in the news over the past two months:

Wendy Shalit wrote a satirical column for the NY Daily News.

Bryan Slattery's New Haven Review was featured in the New Haven Advocate.

Chase Coleman is apparently doing pretty well for himself, according to New York Magazine.

Congrats to Eric Watson on being named SUNYAC soccer coach of the year.

David Turner will be returning to Broadway, appearing in Tom Stoppard's Arcadia, which opens in March.

The Bra Guy, and Other News

2010-11-27T06:20:00.000-08:00

Derek Ohly has a new nickname: the bra guy. Congrats to Derek on his company's success.

Robbie Behr and Matt Swanson were featured in this tremendous four part series on Slate describing the working process of creative pairs. They were also interviewed by the NYTimes.

Mike Norton was on NPR discussing income inequality. Norton's research also receives a shout-out in Sam Sommers' latest Psychology Today blog post.

McGough on The Boss, and Other Class News

2010-07-14T05:23:00.000-07:00

Matt McGough has a great article in Slate today reminiscing about his time working for George Steinbrenner.

Here are a few other belated links of note:

Congrats to Jeff Walsh for his appointment to the Denver Citizen Oversight Board.

Derek Ohly's custom bra company, Zyrra, has received some flattering press.

Sam Sommers on Lebron James.

Who will be first from our class to have a video featured on EPHS (every Eph had a story)?

Miscellaneous News

2009-12-21T03:28:00.000-08:00

This blog has been in a bit of hibernation mode; hopefully it will pick up once reunion begins to loom closer, and a few more folks will join as authors. In the meantime, just in case anyone is checking in, here are a few links of interest:

Williams Sports Info on Rob Hyland.

Mike Norton's research has been featured in the New York Times Magazine.

Steve O'Grady on privacy.

Sam Sommers on Tiger.

New website for Robbie Behr and Matt Swanson.

Analysis of Chase Coleman's hedge fund.

Class Bloggers

2009-07-26T05:03:00.000-07:00

The following classmates maintain active blogs. If you know of others, please comment accordingly:

Dewitt Clinton
Steve O'Grady
Matt Swanson / Robbi Behr
Sam Sommers
Wendy Shalit

Spring Tidbits

2009-06-06T05:11:00.001-07:00

Dahna Goldstein was featured in Business Week as one of America's most promising social entrepreneurs. Check out her company Philantech.

Wendy Shalit participated in a debate on paying for sex.

Sam Sommers discusses several recent hot topics in his Science of Small Talk blog.

David Turner received a glowing review for his performance in the Dog in the Manger.

In sum, our class continues to kick ass!

Idiots' Books Tour

2009-02-03T04:04:00.000-08:00

If you are in the area, be sure to check out these very cool events in NJ and Williamstown featuring Brian Wecht, Brian Slattery, Drew Bunting, Robbie Behr, Rich Flynn, and Matthew Swanson.

Four Quick Tidbits

2009-01-25T09:33:00.000-08:00

(1) Another article on Eric Watson's coaching accomplishments.

(2) Congrats to Eiko Maruko for earning tenure at Williams. I can't even begin to say how jealous I am.

(3) Congrats to Byron Wetzel, who manages Michael Shannon, on Shannon's Oscar Nomination.

(4) Watch tonight's episode of Law and Order ("Lucky Stiff") written by Matt McGough.

Mike Vazquez and Sports Medicine

2008-09-15T11:20:00.000-07:00

Check out this great article on Mike Vazquez in the Milford Daily News. Speaking of football, the Ephs open their season Saturday against Colby.

Eric Watson helps U.S. Women's Soccer U 23 National Team win Nordic Cup

2008-08-06T08:33:00.000-07:00

Eric Watson's coaching prowess is the subject of a feature on the Williams Sports Information page.

Sam Sommers on the Science of Small Talk

2008-07-31T14:10:00.000-07:00

Check out this great new blog by Sam Sommers in Psychology Today online.

Fiona Maazel's Last Last Chance

2008-04-07T08:09:00.000-07:00

Great review of Fiona Maazel's novel, Last Last Chance, in Sunday's NYTimes.

While you're on Amazon, be sure to check out Ben Mezrich's Rigged: The True Story of an Ivy League Kid Who Changed the World of Oil, from Wall Street to Dubai. The "Ivy League Kid" in the title is none other than our very own John D'Agostino.

Eiko Maruku in the news

2008-02-28T10:35:00.000-08:00

Great article featuring Eiko Maruko Siniawer in today's Epoch Times.

Tragic News

2008-01-08T14:19:00.000-08:00

Hank Payne, President of Williams during all but a few months of our time there and father of Jon Payne '97, passed away yesterday:

January 8, 2008
To the Williams Community,

It is with profound sadness that I report the tragic news that President Emeritus Hank Payne died unexpectedly yesterday in Atlanta, where he'd served since 2000 as President of Woodward Academy.

We benefit here at Williams every day from initiatives carried out or begun during the presidency of this wonderfully decent and caring man who dedicated his professional career to expanding the intellectual lives of students. His influence lingers even in the construction of our North and South Academic Buildings, designed to achieve for the humanities and social sciences what, under his stewardship, the Science Center was able to do for the natural sciences.

Our thoughts and prayers go to Debroah and to their sons, Jonathan, Class of 1997, and Samuel.

M. Schapiro
President

Special Homecoming Edition

2007-11-05T19:40:00.000-08:00

A quick football update: just in case you were on the fence about heading up to Williamstown for homecoming football, ESPN gameday will be broadcasting live from Williamstown 10:00 on Saturday.

Speaking of Eph football, you can read about our very own "Eph legend" Mark Kossick on the Williams Sports Information page.

This year's Ephs are led by the leading quarterback, running back, wide receiver, and returner in the NESCAC, but the Williams defense is uncharacteristically shaky, so weather permitting it should be a fun, offensive shoot-out.

If you do make it to Williamstown, try to stop in on undefeated, untied, NESCAC champion women's soccer team, who absolutely dominated the competition this year en route to a first round bye and home playoff game on Saturday.

In big non-sports news, Williams became just the fourth college or university in the country to eliminate loans. Reason 4,578 why we all wish we had attended Williams 12 years later ...

Class of 1997 in New York Times

2007-09-11T11:21:00.000-07:00

There has been a veritable avalanche of class of 1997 mentions (well, OK, three) in the NYTimes of late:

Jason Wilder was quoted at length in this column by John Tierney.

Also, congrats to Sonja Olsen and May Tsui, both of whom recently had wedding announcements in the Times.

Finally, in other media, Wendy Shalit was the subject of a feature in World Magazine.

Congratulations to all!

It's go time!

2007-06-02T03:40:00.000-07:00

Well, reunion is finally here!!! Who will be the new class officers? What does the new Paresky Center look like, live and in person? Which short film will take home the Grand Jury prize at the Class of 97 film festival? Which classmate has changed most (and least)? There's only one way to find out: by showing up Thursday or Friday in Williamstown! We expect a huge turnout, so it should be an absolute blast.

I'll leave you with one final blog post chock full 'o information.

First, in great news, the purple pub may soon be reopening on Spring Street, although alas, not in time for the reunion.

Uber-successful classmate Chase Coleman was featured in the Trader Monthly 100. Warning: do not read unless you want to be incredibly jealous. In bad news for Chase, as soon as the IPO for my start up takes off, he will be relegated to the second most successful 97'er. On a related note, if anyone has an awesome, risk-free, revolutionary product idea they'd like to pass along, I'm listening.

Our neighbor to the immediate east stays in the news, as MassMoca is engaged in a well-publicized clash with a prominent artist. Ridiculous ego-driven tiff, or a manufactured dispute that is just part of the art? Who knows ...

Congrats to the women's crew team, which won its second straight national championship last week.

Finally, for those who can't see it in person this week, construction of the Stetson-Sawyer complex is well underway.

See you all on Thursday!

One month to go ...

2007-05-05T04:06:00.000-07:00

Reunion is only one month away!!! Hard to believe. If you haven't already, don't forget to register. And now, a few random pieces of Williams news.

First, on a disturbing note, it's been a particularly controversial spring at Williams due to a Hitler postering controversy. Read all about it, if you are so inclined, in exhaustive detail here.

On a much lighter note, check out this youtube video featuring future Eph Aaron Flack. Funny stuff.

Williams has prominently featured in recent gossip news: Brooks Perlin '96, who overlapped with us at Williams, has been dating 2007 Commencement Speaker Katie Couric. Apparently this is mildly scandalous, owing to a 17 year age difference. Not everyday Williams gets mentioned in "People."

Site to keep an eye on in the future: Ephtown, which will be on online community for Williams alums.

Finally, great feature on Williamstown real estate in the NYTimes this week. Who among us will have a house in Williamstown by the next reunion?

OK folks, that's all I've got, look forward to seeing most of you on June 7th!

Reunion Films

2007-04-12T11:26:00.000-07:00

Friends, Romans, Ephs!
Lend us your films (and TV shows and other video media projects)!
We are trying to put together a collection of our classmates and the other reunions' work for an evening (or more) of screenings. Feature films, short films, TV Shows, Documentaries, Music Videos - all are welcome and more. If you have acted, directed, produced, written, gaffed, catered, best boy'ed any of the above, share your work with your fellow Ephs. All lengths and formats are welcome.

Please contact either Norm Anderson or Noah Harlan right away. Time is running out to schedule this so please send them a quick note today!

Thanks,
Noah and Norm

Spring Update

2007-04-03T11:33:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone, only two months (!) until reunion. You all should have received the reunion information package, including registration information, in the mail. If not, contact Seth Morgan, and if you did, don't forget to register soon.

Thanks to everyone who donated to this year's alumni fund. We absolutely shattered all sorts of class records, with donations totalling over $84,000 from over 52 percent of the class. We more than doubled last year's total, and gave at least $12,000 more than any other class from 1994 through 2006. Incredible! Thanks to Jenny and Mac for their hard work in sheparding this effort.

And now, a few bits of Williams news. First, some bad news. Several class members wrote to tell me about a fire on Spring Street. Subway, the Purple Pub, and a new coffee shop all suffered extensive damage. No word yet on if and when they will reopen. Let's keep our fingers crossed that the Pub (which seems to have sustained relatively minor damage) will reopen in time for reunion.

It is college admissions season, and I for one am thankful I applied to Williams 15 years ago rather than today. Williams received a record number of applications, around 6400, and admitted only 17 percent of those applicants. The NYTimes recently published an outstanding essay from an early decision applicant who was rejected. Hard to imagine how the admitted student essays must have read.

In Williams sports news, congratulations to the women's indoor track and field team, who captured their first national championship.

Finally, don't forget that the nomination deadline for class officers is April 20th. Please email me with any nominations.

Williams beats Amherst / More on Paresky / Featured Alumni on Williams Homepage

2007-02-27T04:08:00.000-08:00

Congrats to Williams men's basketball, who in Cinderella fashion upset Trinity and Amherst to win the NESCAC tournament and make the NCAA's. Eph alum Tim Layden wrote a great Sports Illustrated on-line article on the victory.

Both the men's and women's basketball teams play in the NCAA tourney on Friday night.

Also, here are some more fantastic pictures of the new Paresky Center.

Two classmates (the most of any class) are featured alumni on the Office of Career Counseling's homepage: Noah Harlan and Sarah Humphreys.

Finally, our class continues to break all sorts of alumni fund records in honor of our tenth reunion. This week represents your last chance to give!

Idiotsbooks, Vanilla Ice, Paresky Opening

2007-02-23T06:22:00.000-08:00

Nice feature in the Williams Record on Matt Swanson and Robbi Behr:

http://www.williamsrecord.com/wr/?view=article§ion=features&id=8608

Check out Robbi and Matt's website at:

http://www.idiotsbooks.com/

In case anyone thought I was joking when I mentioned that Vanilla Ice was coming to campus, check out some photos of the performance:

http://www.benrudick.com/gallery/2480506/1/130142406#130142406

Finally, the long-awaited Paresky Center finally opened this weekend. You can learn more about Paresky, including some photos of the spectacular interior space, at:

http://www.williams.edu/go/paresky/

Four More Months ...

2007-02-12T11:41:00.000-08:00

Until reunion! Get ready for a deluge of reunion-related electronic and snail mail correspondence over the next few months. The reunion committee has been planning numerous awesome events, and no detail has been overlooked. There will be lots of opportunities for input, so please, when prompted (or even when not), let the committee know what you want out of YOUR reunion weekend. As I see it, you have two choices: (a) be at Williams on June 7-10, or (b) spend the next five years mired in interminable depression after hearing wondrous tales of our weekend in paradise.

Speaking of nostalgia, current Williams students apparently wish they grew up with the Class of 1997, considering that Robert Van Winkle, known to all in our generation as Vanilla Ice, will be performing on campus this Friday:
http://www.williamsrecord.com/wr/?section=news&view=article&id=8499
And no, I'm not making this up. For those of you (and yes, I know who you are) dropping all weekend plans to see Vanilla in person, you should stick around for Saturday, when the Williams men's and women's basketball teams host a first-round NESCAC playoff doubleheader, playing Tufts and Wesleyan, respectively.

As if all that excitement wasn't enough, the new Paresky Center -- giant fireplace, movie theater, pub and all -- opens this weekend (which also happens to be Winter Carnival, or as I knew it, last chance to volunteer on the ski slopes to satisfy the gym requirement) as well:
http://www.ephblog.com/archives/003576.html.
Of course, if you can't make it this weekend, you'll have your chance to hang out in this spectacular new facility -- everybody now -- between June 7 and 10.

As momentous as this weekend's events in Billsville are, I promise that what we have in store for June will top even the presence of Vanilla Ice in Williamstown. Stay tuned for more info coming soon at:
http://www.williams97.com/

Oh, and as if you haven't received enough reminders, don't forget to contribute to our 10th year gift ($60,000 and counting!) -- only 25 giving days left!!!
https://alumni.ephnet.org/awc/MakeAGift.aspx

Additional note. More detailed renderings of the future of campus post-Sawyer demolition are now available at the link I provided a few months back:
http://www.williams.edu/go/stetsonsawyer/

Six Months Until Reunion

2006-12-05T13:59:00.000-08:00

Hey folks. First, a reminder that reunion is only six months away ... hope most of you are planning to come. Second, just thought I'd quickly share a few news stories that may be of interest:

An impressive Williams senior just won a Marshall scholarship:

http://www.williams.edu/admin/news/releases.php?id=1351

MassMoca recently announced a massive expansion to accomodate a permanent Sol Lewitt wall drawing exhibit. For those of you yet to see MassMoca, the 10 year reunion is an awesome opportunity to finally check it out.

Speaking of construction, a few updates on the spate of current projects at Williams. First, from the looks of this webcam, the new student center is just about ready to open:

http://www.williams.edu/go/studentcenter/webcam.php

Second, the mammoth Stetson-Sawyer project breaks ground this Spring. For periodic updates, check out:

http://www.williams.edu/go/stetsonsawyer/

Finally, last but not least, the Williams football team trounced Amherst a few weeks ago to cap off an undefeated season with its 14th straight win overall.

Have a great holidays and New Year. Please check this blog more frequently in 2007, as there will be numerous updates concerning reunion details and class leadership opportunities posted both here and on the class web page. And if anyone would be interested in providing we with an update on your life over the past five years, I'd love to post it to the blog so that folks are caught up prior to June. Please email me if you have any interest!

Fall Update

2006-11-08T07:44:00.000-08:00

Hey folks. Hope everyone received (and returned!) their save-the-dates for the reunion. If you did not receive the post card, please let the alumni office know.

Congrats to the Eph federal and state election winners from last night, in particular Chris Murphy '96, who unseated incumbent Nancy Johnson for a spot in Congress. Who from our class will follow???

Remember that the Williams-Amherst football game is this Saturday, played at Amherst so no class tailgate. But, the game is being telecast at bars in almost every major metropolitan area, check with your regional alumni association for details. The Ephs are 7-0, have won 13 games in a row, pretty much obliterating everyone in their path this year ... hopefully the streak will continue against 5-2 Amherst.

Also, keep an eye out on CSI: Las Vegas next week. Supposedly Williams gets a shout-out in the November 16th episode.

Maria Plantilla / D.C. event

2006-10-10T07:11:00.000-07:00

Two updates today.

First, check out this article featuring class of 97's own Maria Plantilla:

http://msnbc.msn.com/id/14602227/

Second, the D.C. class gathering went great! Although several people were out of town and couldn't make it, we had a great turn out with Alex Steinberg, Chetan Rao, Bob Feit, Soyong Cho, Fritz McCall, Sylvia Park, Alex St. Clair and yours truly (plus significant others) in attendance. A good time was had by all. Thanks to Alex for her organizational efforts, and hopefully Ephs in other cities will follow suit as reunion approaches.

Washington D.C. Class Event

2006-09-26T15:40:00.000-07:00

The first of what will (hopefully) be several regional class events leading up to the reunion is scheduled for Friday night, October 6 in Washington D.C. If you live in the area or just happen to be in town, contact Alex Steinberg or myself for details. Keep an eye out for future events in, tentatively, New York, Boston and perhaps Chicago and San Francisco. If interested in helping to organize an event in one of those cities, or any other populated by a sizable group of 97'ers, please let me know.

A few other tidbits. First, one of our classmates recently formed one half of a "celebrity wedding." Can you guess who? For the answer:

http://www.lovetripper.com/newswire06/61282-prince-hussein.html

Second, this Saturday the Williams football team tries to make history by snapping Trinity's New England record 31 game winning streak. Trinity snapped a massive unbeaten streak, owned by, you guessed it, Williams back when we were in college, so payback would be sweet. Good luck to the Ephs.

Morgan as Reunion Chair

2006-09-18T04:34:00.000-07:00

Thanks to Seth Morgan for volunteering to be Reunion Chair. Seth is still looking for additional volunteers to fill out the reunion committee. June 7 is less than 10 months away!

Williams Tailgating in Sports Illustrated

2006-09-14T14:00:00.000-07:00

Check out this great feature in Sports Illustrated on-line featuring numerous photos of last fall's homecoming tailgate:

http://sitailgate.secondthought.com/loc_williams.html

Alas, the Class of 1997 tailgate did not warrant inclusion ... perhaps next time the class officers will dress up in purple cow costumes.

Rankings

2006-08-23T05:02:00.000-07:00

Williams continues to do well in rankings. It ranked first overall in US News and World Report for the fourth year in a row:

U.S. News Overall Rankings

Take that Amherst. It also ranked first in US News' best value rankings:

U.S. News Best Value Rankings

Finally, it ranked highly in several Princeton Review college guide rankings, (www.princetonreview.com, but requires login), ranking 2nd (among all colleges and universities) for professors get high marks, 9th for best overall academic experience for undergrads, and 12th (and first among liberal arts colleges) for toughest to get into. It was also ranked in dorms like palaces, students happy with financial aid, and school runs like butter.

Oei '97 continued ...

2006-08-11T04:09:00.000-07:00

Following up on my recent email, here is TV coverage of Sabrina's bear incident:

http://cbs4denver.com/local/local_story_205183705.html

New Class of 1997 Page

2006-08-09T14:19:00.000-07:00

Hi and welcome! I expect the contents of both this page and the class of 1997 web page will expand tremendously once we get closer to the ten year reunion. Thanks to Hilary (formerly Browne) Hutchinson, with help from Paul Ham, for creating the class webpage. To get you in the spirit for reunion planning, here is a great link that Hilary found with lots of pictures and other mementos from our graduation weekend:

graduation photos

For anyone who is interested in posting updated about themselves or Williams on this blog, please let me know and I will add your email to the authors list.

Welcome

2006-06-15T11:36:00.000-07:00

Welcome to the class of 1997 blog! If you would like to become a blog poster, please email the moderator for permission. Otherwise, feel free to post comments. Hopefully this will serve as a venue for us all to reconnect leading up to the ten year reunion next June.