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Colorado's Udall Speaking at Williams Convocation12:48PM / Thursday, September 03, 2009
Colorado Sen. Mark E. Udall will also be presented a Bicentennial Medal. |
WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. — With no president yet in sight, the Williams College graduating class will be welcomed back for their final year by interim President William G. Wagner.
Morton O. Schapiro, after a nearly decade at Williams, will instead be greeting students from his new post as president of Northwestern University in Chicago. Schapiro stepped into his new position on Sept. 1 and will be inaugurated in October.
The college has retained a national search firm to seek out a new leader "with a passionate belief in the value of a residential liberal arts college" after a series of forums with staff, faculty, students and community members. If successful, the class of 2010 may be bid farewell by a new president.
They will get to hear from a distinguished graduate of the college at the fall convocation, set Saturday, Sept. 12, at 11 a.m. in Chapin Hall. The event formally launches the academic year.
U.S. Sen. Mark E. Udall, D-Colo., class of 1972, will speak on "Attitude and Altitude." The senator is nationally recognized for his commitment to addressing challenging environmental issues, including his early support for alternative energy.
Udall, son of the late longtime Arizona congressman Morris "Mo" Udall, was elected to the Senate in 2008 after representing Colorado's 2nd Congressional District for five terms, and one term in the state's General Assembly.
He spent 20 years with the Colorado Outward Bound School, beginning in 1975, and was the organization's executive director from 1985 to 1995. In the Senate, he serves on the Armed Services and the Energy and Natural Resources committees, and the Special Committee on Aging. He also chairs the National Parks Subcommittee.
Udall is an advocate for the environment and development of alternative fuels. He has also championed health care for workers and retirees from the nation's nuclear weapons complex and consumer protection against abusive and predatory credit card companies.
Mika Brzezinski, class of 1989, and three others will also receive medals. |
Wagner will present Udall with the college's Bicentennial Medal, established in 1993 to honor members of the Williams community for distinguished achievement in any field of endeavor.
In addition to Udall, those receiving medals will include the Denver Juvenile Court Judge Karen Ashby, class of 1979, a nationally recognized expert in matters of juvenile and family law; MSNBC "Morning Joe's" Mika Brzezinski, class of 1989, television news journalist and familiar anchor on NBC; Gary Fisketjon, class of 1976, editor and vice president at Alfred A. Knopf, and John F. Raynolds III, class of 1951, a speaker and writer who spent years with Outward Bound USA and who served in the Korean War with the first Underwater Demolition Unit deployed by helicopter, a tactic that would become a hallmark of the SEAL units created a decade later.
College Council co-Presidents Elizabeth Brickley and Michael Tcheyan also will welcome the graduating class. The ceremony will include introduction of the newest members of Phi Beta Kappa by Dean of the College Karen R. Merrill and the announcement of the winner of the Grosvenor Cup Award, given to the senior who has best demonstrated concern for the college community.
The convocation ceremony will be preceded by a processional. Following the ceremonies, there will be an all-campus picnic on the lawn of Paresky Center. The public is cordially invited to attend.
The Bicentennial Medalists will share their life stories in a panel discussion on Friday, Sept. 11, at 4 p.m. in Brooks-Rogers Recital Hall. |
Your Comments
iBerkshires.com welcomes critical, respectful dialogue. Name-calling, personal attacks, libel, slander or foul language is not allowed. All comments are reviewed before posting and will be deleted or edited as necessary. Comments are closed for this article. If you would like to contribute information on this article, e-mail us at info@iBerkshires.com |
John F. Raynolds III, class of 1951, a speaker and writer who contributed to the development of the Navy Seals and Outward Bound USA.
Please explain to us, Navy SEALs , how he did that. It should be part of our history and given to the UDT SEAL Museum in Ft. Pierce FL.
Thank you
Erasmo "Doc" Riojas MD
retired U.S> Navy SEAL
Editor: Tried looking that up but found nothing. I'll be at the Friday night panel to hear him. | | from: E. "Doc" Riojas | on: 09-04-2009 12:00AM
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| I was intricately involved in establishing the U.S. Navy SEALs (Aug 1961-Dec 61)on COMPHIBPAC Staff Committees, and later assigned Officers and men from UDT-11 to SEAL TEAM ONE, ESTABLISHED 1 Jan 62. I know of no involvement at any level by a Mr. Raynolds. Please elaborate. Franklin Anderson Past Commanding Officer of SEAL TEAM ONE. | | from: Cdr Franklin W. Anderson USN/ret | on: 09-06-2009 12:00AM
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Please ask Mr. Raynolds for his BUD/S class number and a few of his class mates.
Thank you
RD
R. D. Russell class29wc
Co-Director
Naval Special Warfare Archives | | from: Russell | on: 09-06-2009 12:00AM
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Can't wait to pics of this event! especially since Mika is being awarded a medal and etc. Good luck to all attending.
| | from: Ann | on: 09-07-2009 12:00AM
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| To the gentlemen posting above, it seems there was some confusion on the press release. It has been corrected (and double-checked). Thank you for your comments. I spent some time learning more about the SEALs & watching some truly awesome video. I always appreciate a chance to learn more. | | from: Editor | on: 09-09-2009 12:00AM
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These Raynolds claims are false. He also got a high school award from the Blake school for being a "co founder" of the "Seal teams"...
| | from: BS101 | on: 09-10-2009 12:00AM
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So, was he UDT or not? You posted that he served "with" the UDT.... was he "in" the UDT or not? What was his class number?
Editor: He served in UDT 5 & UDT 13 and he went through BUD/S. He was in Korea in 1952. Unfortunately, family obligations prevented my attending the talk with all the honorees. This is from someone who attended the talk and posted on the Ephblog:
Will Slack '11 says:
"I went to a thing with him yesterday. He's very clear that he was on the team that practiced and invented tactics that were used in the formation of the SEALs, which was done by people he had been working with. One such tactic: learning how fast and high you could be in a helicopter while still able to drop swimmers who would stay conscious."
I can't speak to the Blake School, but Williams immediately reworded the press release when I alerted them to questions about his service. They also never described him as a "co-founder" nor said he served in the SEALs. But it certainly appears he was on the first team to establish the airborne tactics that would become the hallmark of the SEALs.
There is a lack of knowledge about military matters in general in contemporary society that I would blame for some of the inartful phrasing surrounding Mr. Raynolds.
My desire in this matter has been to present factual information while still respecting the service of a gentleman who definitely went into harm's way.
I would suggest any further conversation be moved to the Ephblog or some other more appropriate site. We're just a little local news site. | | from: SC | on: 09-12-2009 12:00AM
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