A Williams Life: Recent Episodes
Williams College Class of 1975
A Williams Life explores the lives of members of the Williams College Class of 1975 through in-depth interviews. Hosted by Gordon Earle ('75).
Polly Wood-Holland is a scenic artist and designer for film, TV, and theater. She's worked on many iconic Broadway productions, including The Lion King, Phantom of the Opera, Spamalot, and Mary Poppins. On this episode, we discuss the projects, mentors, and serendipitous moments that have shaped her career, as well as her experiences with legendary figures such as Paul Newman and Mike Nichols.
00:00 Introduction
01:08 Experience at Williams
04:55 Mentorship and Early Career Challenges
09:58 Working with Tony Walton on "The Wiz"
22:15 Mechanical Wolves and Practical Effects on "Wolfen"
27:58 Learning from Industry Legends
30:27 Moving to Vermont and Starting a Mural Business
35:48 Returning to New York
36:50 Kanye West's Coachella Project
38:36 Paul Newman's Hole in the Wall Camp
43:03 Broadway Highlights
44:23 Transition to Movies and TV
46:15 "The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel"
50:06 Reflections and Future Plans
Click here to view pictures and transcripts, and hear more episodes of A Williams Life.
Producer: Jon Earle ('09)
Web designer: Kathy Bogan ('75)
On this episode of "A Williams Life," we delve into the enduring friendship of classmates Will Parish and Perk Perkins, whose bond spans 50 years. Starting in the fall of 1975, they embarked on a 20-month journey, crossing five oceans and seas, and exploring 35 countries—an experience they chronicled in their book, "Around the World in a Jeep.” We also explore their lives today, with Will engaged in educational and environmental causes in California, and Perk running Orvis, a family-owned business specializing in outdoor sporting goods, previously run by his father. Additionally, Will and Perk discuss the strong influence that their fathers, both Williams alums, played in their lives. Their friendship remains the central theme of the episode, including how they use annual retreats to strengthen their friendship and reflect on life.
00:00 Introduction
01:23 Beginnings of a Lifelong Bond
03:43 Embarking on a Round-the-World Trip
05:26 Memorable Encounters
13:17 Navigating Challenges and Embracing Humanity
15:36 Reflections on Mortality and “Invincibility"
23:53 Life Lessons from the Trip
27:25 Will & Perk’s Annual Retreats
30:01 The Evolution of the Retreats
33:40 Navigating Family Legacies and Career Paths
37:24 Conservation & Activism
50:38 A Climate Message to Future Generations
53:26 Closing Thoughts
Click here to view pictures and transcripts, and hear more episodes of A Williams Life.
Producer: Jon Earle ('09)
Web designer: Kathy Bogan ('75)
Pamela Hawkes is a national leader in historic preservation. On this episode, she discusses her time at Williams, early inspirations, and takes us on a tour of three projects—the renovation of the Crandall Public Library in Glens Falls, NY, the restoration of Georgia O'Keeffe's home and studio in New Mexico, and the design of a girls' boarding school in Tanzania. She also talks about her experience as a woman in a male-dominated field, the value of a liberal arts education, and the virtues of hand-drafting in a computerized age. Lastly, she tells the story of co-founding Scattergood Design with her husband Scott and shares her passion for sailing.
Click here to view pictures of the projects mentioned in this episode.
If you would like to know more about Pamela's work, please visit her website.
00:00:00 Introduction
00:01:07 Pam's Journey to Williams College
00:02:19 Experiences at Williams College
00:08:48 Transition from College to Career
00:10:48 Influence of Early Experiences on Career
00:14:49 Design Philosophy
00:16:06 Case Study: Crandall Public Library
00:22:45 Case Study: Georgia O'Keeffe's Home and Studio
00:32:20 Case Study: Girls' School in Tanzania
00:49:33 Hand Drawing and AI
00:56:47 Starting Scattergood Design
01:00:00 Sailing Adventures and Future Plans
This episode was recorded in June 2023 in New York City.
Click here to view pictures and transcripts, and hear more episodes of A Williams Life.
Producer: Jon Earle ('09)
Web designer: Kathy Bogan ('75)
Dr. Frank (Rick) Richards is one of the world's leading experts on parasitic and tropical infections. He's traveled to some of the poorest and most remote locations of our planet to fight diseases that have harmed millions. During his long tenure at the Carter Center in Atlanta, where he has worked closely with former President Jimmy Carter, Rick played a leading role in the eradication of river blindness from Guatemala. In addition to his career, Rick talks about his experience as a Black student at Williams, his campus activism, and the significant academic and personal challenges he faced during his four years at the College.
To view pictures and hear more episodes of A Williams Life, visit our website:
https://www.75creates.com/a-williams-life
Denise Littlefield Sobel ('75) takes us on a highly personal journey through her varied and interesting life. It starts with her decision to attend Williams and her experience as a member of the first class of women to enroll at Williams for a full four-year term. Denise talks candidly about mental health struggles that she encountered, including serious bouts of depression, toward the end of her years at the College. Continuing in this personal vein, Denise discusses her conversion to Judaism against the strong wishes of a parent, and how she has come to practice acceptance as a parent herself. Another intensely personal portion of the interview focuses on the loss of Denise’s son, Elliot, who died at a tragically early age. Denise closes the episode with a discussion of her many years of philanthropy—focusing on arts and culture—and her recent appointment as Chair of the Clark Art Institute’s Board of Trustees, the first woman to hold the position.
This interview was recorded in January 2023 at CDM Studios in New York City.
For more episodes of A Williams Life, visit our website:
https://www.75creates.com/a-williams-life
In this episode of A Williams Life, host Gordon Earle (’75) talks with classmate Frank Doelger, a multiple Emmy Award-winning TV producer, whose credits include HBO’s Game of Thrones, Rome, and John Adams. Frank begins by talking about Williams and the professors who had an early influence on his career path. He then discusses his time as a graduate student at Oxford, where a chance encounter led to his becoming a theater producer. Afterwards, the conversation turns to how Frank broke into the TV business, initially as a script reader for network television. During the remainder of the episode, Frank details his role as an executive producer on Game of Thrones, one of the most successful TV series in history, and other HBO hit productions. Lastly, we hear about Frank’s latest project, The Swarm, produced by his new production company, and the Winter Study class he taught this past winter.
This interview was recorded in February 2022 in New York City.
Harry Sheehy ('75) is the former head men's basketball coach and athletic director at Williams College. In this interview, he talks about his time in Williamstown as a child and young adult, often accompanied by his father ('51). He discusses his time as a star college basketball player at Williams as well as a professional athlete, and his phenomenal success as Williams basketball coach (1983-2000) and athletic director (2000-10). Toward the end of the interview, Harry talks about his decade as athletic director at Dartmouth, a position he retired from in early 2021, and his marriage to Williams classmate Connie (’75), the love of his life for over 40 years.
This interview was recorded at Harry's house in Williamstown in May 2021.
In September 2021, four months after recording A Williams Life, Harry suffered a life-threatening heart attack. During bypass surgery, he had a stroke that resulted in his becoming almost completely blind. While Harry has been recovering nicely from the heart attack, his vision has not returned, except in an extremely limited way. During this interview, recorded in November 2021, Harry reflects on his health and touches again on some of the major themes from the first interview, such as the power of faith and the meaning of resilience.
Williams was the only college where Harry wanted to coach basketball. Fortuitously, in 1983, an opening occurred. After a lengthy interview process, Williams offered the position to a different coach—who, fortunately for Harry, turned it down for the head coaching job at Dartmouth, where Harry would later serve as athletic director. This short segment explores Harry’s intense disappointment at initially being rejected for the Williams coaching position, and his exhilaration when he finally received the offer—even though he was Williams’ second choice.