Dates | Hotels | Dorm Rooms | Reunion Headquarters | Meals | Reunion Costs |
Attend/Sign Up for Reunion | 50th Reunion Testimonials – New Attendees, ’68, ’69|
June 11 Lunch / Freshman Dorm Tours | Panel Discussions | Destination Williamstown.org: Things to Do Around Town | Other Events |
Spouse & Partner Outreach | Class Book (Your Bio Needed By Nov. 11!) |
Class Web Site (Your Picture Needed)
| Why Attend? | Reunion Questions | Reunion Committees
Panel Discussions Scheduled
Description: The 50th Reunion is a multi-day celebration for classmates, spouses and partners. The reunion includes faculty lectures, classmate-led seminars, festive meals, special entertainment, and the traditional alumni parade led by the 50th class. In addition to formal events, half the fun at the Reunion involves informal visits, good conversation, and exploration of Williams and its surroundings.
There will also be bike riding, hikes, and excursions to local cultural venues of interest. We intend to make our reunion meaningful, enjoyable, and inclusive in addition to providing a variety of events that address the interests of all participants.
Kick-off Lunch, June 11, with Freshman Dorm Tours: We will begin the reunion with a lunch in the Frosh Quad, where it all began. We hope to be able to tour dorm rooms in the Quad either before or after the lunch.
Meals
Most of our meals will be taken in the nearby ’62 Center for Theater and Dance, which is adjacent to the former Adams Memorial Theater
Panel Discussions
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- 12-College Exchange Program: One will be a panel discussion on the 12-college exchange program, which began our junior year, and will feature a few members of our class who participated in the inaugural program plus Nancy McIntyre, the first dean of women.
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- Academic Programs Since 1970: Another will be a discussion of selected academic programs at Williams which were not present when we attended (or, like Winter Study, were in their early days).
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- Art Market: ‘.Tour of Williams Museum of Art: We also will have a special lecture on the art market and what to pay for paintings combined with a tour of the Williams College Museum of Art. Lastly, we will have a guided tour of the Clark Art Museum.
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- 50th Reunion Speaker. Our classmate, Charley Ebinger, will be 50th Reunion speaker at an all-college event. Charley is the former Director of Energy and the Environment at the Brookings Institute.
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- Remembrance Service: Finally, we will hold a short Remembrance service on Sunday morning before brunch to honor classmates who have passed away. Rev. Chris Bryan will lead that service.
Other Events
Hotel Room Blocks
- Williams Inn (https://www.williamsinn.com/) – We have reserved 49 of the 64 available rooms in the brand new Williams Inn at the base of Spring Street for the 50th Reunion Class of 1970. To reserve a room, you must call the Inn at 413-458-9371 and mention the code “class1970” when prompted. Rooms in the block are available from Wednesday, June 10 – Sunday, June 14 at the rate of $369/night. The release date for unreserved rooms in the block is April 1, 2020. (Please note: while this rate is higher than it’s been in recent years for the old Williams Inn — for Reunion 2019 the rate was roughly $300/night for the weekend — the new facility is a major upgrade and the college has very limited ability to influence rates for major weekends like this with the hotel management company given the peak demand for lodging. If you have questions/concerns, please let me know.)
- The Orchards (http://www.orchardshotel.com/) – We have reserved 10 rooms at the Orchards, just a few minutes drive from campus, under the group name “50th Reunion Program, 2020 (Class of 1970).” The rates are as follows: Thursday, June 11 – $179; Friday, Saturday – June 12 & 13 – $399 for a standard room and $459 for a fireplace or courtyard room. To reserve a room, please call 413-458-9611 and mention the room block. Rooms that are not booked will be released on May 7, 2020.
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- Fairfield Inn – This new hotel has not yet opened but appears to be accepting reservations for Reunion online. We will not be pursuing a room block here, but it’s a large facility located a few minutes from campus (across the street from the Orchards). To check rates and book online, visit https://www.marriott.com/hotels/fact-sheet/travel/albfw-fairfield-inn-and-suites-williamstown/. College staff have received word that the Fairfield Inn will be opening this October; when they do, their phone number is 413-458-7333.
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- Destination Williamstown lists numerous local hotels, motels, and bed and breakfasts, including Tourists (new boutique motel 5 minutes from campus) and Porches (across from Mass MoCA in North Adams). Visit the listings online at:
https://destinationwilliamstown.org/event_category/where-to-stay/ - Back to Top
- Fairfield Inn – This new hotel has not yet opened but appears to be accepting reservations for Reunion online. We will not be pursuing a room block here, but it’s a large facility located a few minutes from campus (across the street from the Orchards). To check rates and book online, visit https://www.marriott.com/hotels/fact-sheet/travel/albfw-fairfield-inn-and-suites-williamstown/. College staff have received word that the Fairfield Inn will be opening this October; when they do, their phone number is 413-458-7333.
College dorm rooms – There will be 30 bedrooms in the adjacent dorm to the CDE available to class members and spouses for the weekend (Thursday, June 11 through Sunday morning, June 14). Each room has a full bed and is air-conditioned. We expect the fee to be $80/person for the the three-night stay. If you or a classmate is interested in staying in the CDE dorm, please contact Kate Hyde at Williams at [email protected] or 413-597-4992.
Class Book
We are well underway in collecting personal biographies and pictures for our class book, which will be issued in late winter. Thanks to our book editors Jeff Krull, Pat Bassett, and Mark Messing. You have until November 11 to submit your biography, which is to be completed on-line via a link you should have received by email. If you have trouble finding the link in your email or submitting via the online link, please contact Darlene Alderman at Williams ([email protected] or 413-597-4284) or Jeff Krull ([email protected]) for help.
Class Web Site
Our class website is at https://williams1970.com/ and has been wonderfully designed and maintained by Ray Kimball. Up-to-date information concerning the reunion will be periodically posted on this site. If you have not visited the site, you also will find other interesting information and photographs. We encourage you to add your own photos and stories!
I hope that you will attend our 50th Reunion. It will be an opportunity to re-connect with classmates and to celebrate a milestone.
Halley Moriyama, Reunion Chair
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Cost and Other Information: The College substantially subsidizes the total cost of the event. Additional information on costs and other items will be available and added to this web site as we get closer to the event, so please check back to this page periodically. We will also send email blasts with details, and simultaneously update this page.
- Reunion Costs: You Won’t Pay for My Drinks!
Reunion costs will include:
- Registration fees covering dorm accommodations if you reserve a Williams dorm room, meals, special 50th Class parade attire and special events (e.g., DJ who will spin tunes from our era. );
- Separate hotel costs if you plan to make separate accommodations. (See “Accommodations” below);
- Transportation costs to and from Williamstown. (You’ll make your own arrangements re transportation)
Based on your feedback and concerns, and thanks to the generosity of several classmates, all alcoholic beverages at our 50th reunion will be privately funded.
In other words, none of the reunion fees paid by you to cover our reunion costs will go towards alcohol.
- Spouse and Partner Outreach Committee
We also have established a Spouse and Partner Outreach Committee involving Kathy McCurdy ([email protected]) and Helen Moriyama ([email protected]).
The purpose of this committee is to welcome and include spouses and partners in our reunion. To that end, we will be surveying spouses and partners in early December about activities and events that would be of particular interest to this important group. As always, we want our reunion to be inclusive and family friendly.
50th Reunion Organization: Here is a contact list of all those involved in the Reunion organization. Frequent contacts are:
50th Reunion Chair: Halley Moriyama – [email protected]
Attending Reunion – Planning and Commitment List – Don Berens – [email protected]. If you plan to attend the 50th reunion, please let Don Berens know as he is keeping a tally for planning purposes.
Reunion Web Site WebMaster – Ray Kimball – [email protected]
Please contact anyone on the contact list if you have any questions concerning the reunion or any reunion-related event. Also, if you would like to help in planning and organizing the reunion, please contact the appropriate committee chair, or
Reunion planning began right after our 45th Reunion. There will be many events taking place as a run up to our 50th Reunion, including the Presidential Forum in 2018 and the Williams in Oxford trip in 2019. As details unfold, they will be announced on the Upcoming Events page and also in the Reunion Details page. If you have any questions about the reunion or wish to help in the reunion planning, please contact Halley Moriyama, 50th Reunion Chair at [email protected].
Learn below about the details of our 50th reunion, and see our News and Events page for planned events running up to the reunion.
Let Us Know You’ll Be Attending 50th Reunion. If you’ve already decided to attend the 50th reunion, please let Don Berens know ([email protected]) as he is keeping a tally for planning purposes. Of course, formal registration will occur closer to the event when the College and Lou Buck send out the Reunion registration form(s), details TBA probably in 2019.
Reunion Suggestions? Requests? Contact [email protected] or see this website’s Forum Section where you can make suggestions and communicate with the various planning committees.
Why Attend? Well, We Did a Survey
Here are 50th Reunion testimonials from members of ’68 and ’69 who attended a reunion for the first time at their 50th. They thought the experience was really worthwhile, and heartily recommend you attend. Please read their testimonials.
Also, the Class of ’67 took post-reunion survey of attendees immediately following their reunion of 130 classmates plus about 170 spouses, “significant others,” and friends.
There seem to be two primary reasons to attend the 50th reunion:
- Reconnect with classmates you know;
- Reconnect with classmates you don’t know well but might like to see again.
There are other reasons, too –
- reconnecting with the College,
- visiting Williamstown, Mass., Vermont, New Hampshire, and/or Boston with your spouse or significant other on a nice June weekend in the Berkshires.
Reconnecting with classmates you know and want to see are the two most important reasons alumni come to reunions.
In response, our Class has created a special “Reconnect By…” section, making it easier to find and interact with your classmates again.