Explore every episode of the podcast A Williams Life
| Title | Pub. Date | Duration | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dr. Toby Cosgrove ’62 | 03 déc. 2025 | 00:51:53 | |
Dr. Toby Cosgrove ’62 reflects on a remarkable life that took him from upstate New York to Williams, through medical school at UVA, into the U.S. Air Force during the Vietnam War, and ultimately to the helm of the Cleveland Clinic. A renowned cardiovascular surgeon who performed more than 22,000 operations and later served as CEO of one of the world’s leading medical centers, Cosgrove shares stories from his military service, his decades in medicine and leadership, and his lifelong experience managing dyslexia. This episode offers an intimate look at the journey behind his extraordinary career. Click here to view pictures and hear more episodes of A Williams Life. | |||
| Reflections on A Williams Life | 06 juin 2025 | 00:36:21 | |
In this final episode of A Williams Life before the Class of 1975's 50th reunion, host Gordon Earle is interviewed by Jon Earle, his producer, nephew and fellow Williams alum ('09). Gordon reflects on his positive experience talking with fellow classmates, most of whom he didn't know, or knew only slightly during his undergraduate years. He discusses their lives and legacies, and how they were shaped by their time at Williams—and beyond. Click here to view pictures and hear more episodes of A Williams Life. | |||
| Jackie Laughlin — Midwife & Archivist | 28 mai 2025 | 01:06:36 | |
This episode of A Williams Life features a conversation with Jackie Laughlin, who was known during her undergraduate years at the College as Jackie Meadows. And that's one of the aspects of Jackie's life that makes her time at Williams so unique. Because she was not only a student, like most of her classmates, but also—during her senior year—a wife and mother. Although strongly encouraged by her father to attend either medical or law school following Williams, Jackie instead opted to pursue a master's degree in education and counseling at Howard University. She then embarked on a long and varied career in public service, with a specific focus on women's health, while serving as a midwife in various locations around the country. Jackie is also a trained archivist, who has recorded many stories as part of what she calls her oral history collections, including some that she labels "Conversations with Wise Women." Additionally, she's engaged in a variety of other pursuits as a scholar, artist, poet, writer, and activist—all of which are discussed during the podcast. Click here to view pictures and hear more episodes of A Williams Life. | |||
| Jon Myers — Inventor & AI Entrepreneur | 13 mars 2025 | 00:58:55 | |
This episode of A Williams Life will take us on a journey from the banks of the Mississippi, to Williamstown, to the bond trading world of Wall Street, and finally to the dazzling universe of artificial intelligence. Our guide will be Jon Myers, a self-taught inventor and entrepreneur, who has spent many years founding and investing in technology companies designed to, in his words, “make the world a better place.” In recent years, Jon has devoted a great deal of time and energy focusing on ways to optimize artificial intelligence while mindful of the challenges, even dangers, it poses to humankind. Prior to joining the ranks of tech entrepreneurs, he spent 15 years on Wall Street immersed in the culture that Michael Lewis described so memorably in his 1989 book, Liars Poker. 📍 00:00 – Introduction Recorded at CDM Studios in New York City in January 2025. Click here to view pictures and hear more episodes of A Williams Life. | |||
| Reggie Garrett — SnakeOil Peddler | 12 nov. 2024 | 01:13:53 | |
This episode of A Williams Life features a conversation with Reggie Garrett, a Seattle-based singer/songwriter, who plays a wide range of music, including folk, blues, Celtic and more, with individual musicians as well as his band The SnakeOil Peddlers. One reviewer noted his “mellifluous voice reminiscent of Bill Withers or Terry Callier that draws you into the song rather than putting you off.” On A Williams Life, Reggie talks about his life on and off the stage, including growing up in Cincinnati with seven brothers and sisters, life as a starving artist in New York, and, eventually, his experience teaching in a special program for high school dropouts. And through it all—music. Click here to view pictures and hear more episodes of A Williams Life. | |||
| Polly Wood-Holland — Scenic Artist | 05 sept. 2024 | 01:00:08 | |
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. Click here to view pictures and hear more episodes of A Williams Life. | |||
| Will Parish & Perk Perkins — Adventure Friends | 25 avr. 2024 | 00:57:12 | |
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. Click here to view pictures and hear more episodes of A Williams Life. | |||
| Pamela Hawkes — Preservation Architect | 09 nov. 2023 | 01:02:25 | |
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 and hear more episodes of A Williams Life. | |||
| Frank Richards — Tropical Disease Fighter | 13 août 2023 | 01:04:36 | |
Dr. Frank "Rick" Richards is a world-leading expert 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. Click here to view pictures and hear more episodes of A Williams Life. | |||
| Denise Littlefield Sobel — Philanthropist | 26 avr. 2023 | 00:51:47 | |
Denise Littlefield Sobel takes us on a highly personal journey through her varied and interesting life. It starts with 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 her mental health struggles as a student, including serious bouts of depression. Continuing in this personal vein, she discusses her conversion to Judaism against the strong wishes of her mother, 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 young 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. Click here to view pictures and hear more episodes of A Williams Life. | |||
| Frank Doelger — TV Producer | 01 juil. 2022 | 02:18:19 | |
Frank Doelger is 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 at CDM Studios in New York City. Click here to view pictures and hear more episodes of A Williams Life. | |||
| How Harry almost didn’t get the job | 14 janv. 2022 | 00:06:58 | |
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. Click here to view pictures and hear more episodes of A Williams Life. | |||
| Harry Sheehy — Part II: Reflections After a Heart Attack | 13 janv. 2022 | 00:45:05 | |
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. Click here to view pictures and hear more episodes of A Williams Life. | |||
| Harry Sheehy — Part I: A Williams Sports Icon | 12 janv. 2022 | 01:41:46 | |
Harry Sheehy 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 (Williams '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 (Williams ’75), the love of his life for over 40 years. Click here to view pictures and hear more episodes of A Williams Life. | |||