Scenes from the 2024 "Passing the Baton" dinner at the mini-reunion in October (click on an image to enlarge). Thanks to Juan Baena '06 for sharing the images.
Dear Classmates,
Following close on the heels of an outstanding Mini Reunion weekend in beautiful autumn Williamstown, including the traditional Pass the Baton dinner (photo below), faculty seminars, invaluable time with students, President Mandel, and 30 classmates and spouses, we have important information to share regarding all things 50th Reunion this coming June 12-15 (a reminder for planning travel and lodging that events begin on Thursday, the 12th).
All our best,
Joe Bonn & Martha Coakley
Co-Presidents, Williams College Class of 1975
Where Can We Stay:
Williams Inn 50th Reunion Room Block
We have reserved 40 available rooms in the Williams Inn, located at the base of Spring Street, for the 50th Reunion Class of 1975. Rooms in the block are available from Wednesday, June 11 – Sunday, June 15 at the rate of $399/night for standard rooms for a minimum two-night stay. To reserve a room by phone, you must call the Inn at 413-458-9371 and mention the code “Williams 1975 50th Reunion” when prompted. Alternatively, to make a reservation online, please use THIS CUSTOM LINK to ensure the room block rate. Reservations are on a first come, first served basis and must be made directly with the hotel. The release date for unreserved rooms in the block is April 1, 2025.
Other Options
As an alternative to The Williams Inn, these are some local hotels that have been popular options for past 50th Reunion attendees:
Williamstown
413–458–7333
Williamstown
413–458–9677
North Adams
413–663–6500
North Adams
413–347–4995
North Adams
413–664–0400
In addition, Destination Williamstown lists numerous local hotels, motels, and bed and breakfasts. Visit the listings online at destinationwilliamstown.org/venues/category/places-to-stay/
Campus Accommodations
Our 50th Reunion Headquarters will be Horn Hall. There will be 60 twin beds available to class members and spouses for the weekend (Thursday afternoon, June 12 through Sunday morning, June 15) on two floors, with six communal bathrooms on each floor. While the rate has not yet been finalized, in recent years the fee has been in the range of $80/bed for the three-night stay. If you are interested in staying in the Horn Hall dorms, please complete the DORM BED RESERVATION FORM and you will be put on the 50th Reunion Dorm Bed Reservation List. Please keep in mind, while being on the reservation list holds a room, attendees must still register and pay for the beds to guarantee the space once reunion registration opens. In the case of overflow, the additional dorm building will be decided a few weeks prior to Reunion Weekend and based upon what's still available with regards to where other reunion classes still have open space. If you have questions, please contact 50th.Reunion@williams.edu.
What Are the Events:
While the Reunion program is still in development, there will be a wide-ranging mix of speakers, panel discussions, and tours of campus and museums, with gatherings for cocktail parties and class dinners Thursday through Saturday, The Parade with ’75 in the lead, the Annual Meeting of the Society of Alumni, classmate slideshows and musical interludes, Reunion golf led by Connie Sheehy, a Sunday Memorial service, and plenty of free time to hike the Purple Valley or simply hang with old, and renewed, friends. Be on the lookout for more details in the weeks ahead, in emails and on our website.
How Can We Connect:
Williams75.com website:
The center of all information about our class and about our 50th Reunion, the website is continually a work in progress, so check in often to find new information, especially Reunion Event details. There are also new submissions to the 75creates site, Recollections of shared classmate stories, Faculty and Staff tributes, Timelines tracking news from three Williams student newspapers from our era, Essays and Conversations classmate interviews, Class Notes from the past 6 decades, Memorial tributes, and an opportunity to keep informed by signing up for The ‘75 Blog.
50th Reunion Book:
Liz Haff and team are in the final stages of collecting our individual stories, and if you haven’t already submitted, time is of the essence. Your classmates would love to hear from you, so contact Liz at elizhaff@gmail.com for your link to the publisher’s site.
Social Media:
New classmate stories and photos are continually updating on our Facebook and Instagram sites, both available directly on the Williams75 website homepage. If you have not yet signed onto our class Facebook page, contact Guy Creese at guy.creese@gmail.com. And we encourage everyone to contribute images old and new onto our ephs75 Instagram page; simply send them to Joe Bonn for posting at drjoebonn@gmail.com.
How Can We Contribute:
50th Reunion Class Gifts & Alumni Fund:
As you may have seen in direct mail and email messages, our Reunion Gift and Reunion Fund Committees have begun to reach out and provide us with important opportunities to make special 50th Reunion contributions to Williams. Detailed information can be found on our website at Our 50th Reunion Gift. As we have generously given to it over many decades, we hope the annual Alumni Fund, providing important annual operating support for the College, remains a priority for your consideration at the same time.
Volunteers:
We are thankful for the many classmates listed below who are engaged in planning our 50th Reunion. Please consider how you, too, might become part of the momentum moving us towards next June’s gathering, and feel free to contact any of the group chairs through Kate Hyde in the 50th Reunion Milestone Program to explore how you can contribute.
Co-Presidents: Joe Bonn, Martha Coakley
Secretary: Julie Berens
Treasurer: Amanda Van Dusen
Reunion Gifts Committee Joe Bonn & Martha Coakley (Co-Chairs), Julie Berens, Hardin Coleman, Frank Richards, Amanda Van Dusen
Reunion Fund Committee Rich Pickard, Martha Coakley and Frank Richards (Co-Chairs), Barbara Austell (Planned Giving Chair), Jon Appelbaum, Hardin Coleman, Steve Gardner, Liz Haff, Peter Hillman, Alan Ruchman
Alumni Fund Class Agents Jon Appelbaum & Liz Haff (Co-Head Agents), Tony Brown, Sheila Brown, Clive Connor, Fred Geilfuss, Wendy Gradison, Deborah Grose, Peter Hillman, Nancy Reece Jones, Scott Lutrey, Rich Pickard, Ned Reade, Allan Ruchman, Judy Serkin
Reunion Outreach Committee Peter Kiernan (Chair), Martha Coakley, Joe Bonn, Barbara Austell, Hardin Coleman, Hope Coolidge, Clive Connor, Fred Dittman, Fred Geilfuss, Robyn Geissler, Nancy Greenhouse, Peter Hillman, Joe Hutcheson, Peter Keller, Melissa McGuire, Bob Morin, Jon Myers, Tom Parker, Rich Pickard, Gwen Rankin, Dave Reimann, Tim Reny, Frank Richards, Mike Rosten, Judy Serkin, Connie Sheehy, Paul Skudder, Mike Snyder
Reunion Planning Committee Joe Bonn (Chair), Andrea Axelrod, Julie Berens, Kathy Bogan, Hope Coolidge, Robyn Geissler, Hank Haff, Connie Sheehy
Reunion Website Kathy Bogan (Chair), Andrea Axelrod, Julie Berens, Joe Bonn, Walter Clark, Guy Creese, Gordon Earle, Gene Falk, Jodi Greenspan, Nancy Reece Jones, Peter Keller, David Rollert
50th Reunion Book Liz Haff (Chair), Barbara Austell, Julie Berens, Clive Connor, Jodi Greenspan, Nancy Reece Jones
From Williams College
50th Reunion Milestone Program: Ryan Ford ’09, Kate Hyde ’96, Darlene Alderman
Office of Gift Planning: Margaret McComish, Annie Art
Office of College Relations, Office of the Vice President: Mark Robertson ’02
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