Scott Grinsell, left and Adam Grogg. (Photo courtesy of Williams College)
WILLIAMSTOWN — Williams College seniors Scott S. Grinsell and Adam A. Grogg are among 44 men and women awarded prestigious Marshall Scholarships for 2003.
Each year, the British Council selects students “who are the potential leaders, opinion-formers and decision-makers in their own country†and pays all their expenses for further study at British universities.
“I was thrilled and more than a little shocked when I found out I had won,†said Grinsell, of Millbrae, Calif. “I had apparently reversed part of my phone number on the application, so the committee chair couldn’t call me until four days after the interview. I was sure I’d lost until I got the call.â€
Grogg, of Winchester, Va., admitted to being surprised at his selection.
“I’m still coming to terms with exactly what it means,†he said.
A history and English major, Grinsell is writing a senior honors thesis on the construction of race and plantation slavery in colonial Rhode Island. “I am interested in the historical origins of modern problems such as racism and economic inequality,†he said. “The deeper I get into my thesis, the more I realize that I need to study the European background to notions of race to really understand what was happening in the colonial period.â€
Grinsell is a fellow of both the Oakley Center for the Humanities and Social Sciences at Williams and of the Center for the Study of the Presidency in Washington, D.C. He is the author of the book “Tackling Your First College Paper†(Natavi Guides, 2001) and writes a regular column for the National Center for Learning Disabilities.
Stephen E. Fix, the Robert G. Scott ’68 Professor of English, praised Grinsell’s academic work.
“I was struck, first, by his contributions in the classroom, where the depth and nuance of Scott’s insights always transformed our discussions. He demonstrated an extraordinary ability — rare among students — to bring us to the lucid heart of the matter; he both gathered up the ideas we were pursuing and reconceived the argument in ways that launched us in more ambitious, fruitful directions.â€
For the past two summers Grinsell worked for House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi in San Francisco and Washington. With one of her advisors, he wrote a policy agenda for the Democratic Rural Working Group, which will serve as part of the party’s national platform. He also worked for then California Assembly Majority Leader Kevin Shelley.
At Williams, Grinsell has served on College Council, including as co-president. In that position he worked to enhance cooperation between student government and the government of Williamstown. He helped establish and run a tutoring program at Mount Greylock Regional High School. He served as a junior advisor and is a tutor in the college’s Writing Workshop, a member of the Committee on Undergraduate Life, vice president of the honorary society Gargoyle, coordinator of the senior advisors and member of the History Department Liaison Committee.
“Scott’s record of service to our community is extraordinary,†Fix said. “What motivates such work is his sincere, passionate commitment to improving any community of which he is a part; a highly developed sense of his ethical responsibilities; and a generous hope to use his talents for the public good.â€
Grinsell plans to pursue a master’s degree in modern European history at the University of Oxford with a focus on intellectual and social history in the 17th and 19th centuries.
Grogg, an economics and political science major, he is pursuing an independent study that is a cross-disciplinary investigation of the connection between how Americans view the land and themselves, with a particular focus on land-use dilemmas in the South.
“My work in both political science and economics has been centered around different theoretical and practical interpretations of equality,†he said.
He plans to further explore these interests by studying at Oxford for a master’s degree in comparative social policy, followed by law school.
Grogg worked last summer for Sen. John Kerry’s presidential campaign in Washington, D.C. Before entering Williams, he was involved with the Local Black History Taskforce in his hometown. In his senior year of high school, he wrote, directed and narrated a video documentary on black history in the city of Winchester and Frederick County, which earned him a place on USA Today’s All-USA High School Academic First Team.
At Williams, he is co-director of the Writing Workshop, manager of two student centers (Goodrich Hall and The Log) and business manager of the a cappella singing group the Springstreeters. As founder and director of The Williams College Bone Marrow Registry Organization, he has run a bi-annual drive in Williamstown. He is also a member of the Honorary Degree Committee, the New Student Center Committee and the honorary society Gargoyle.
Among the Williams faculty members deeply impressed with Grogg and his work has been Gary J. Jacobsohn, Woodrow Wilson Professor of Political Science.
“There is a quality about Adam that is really quite special,†Jacobsohn said. “He exudes character without an ounce of affectation or pretense. There is real energy and desire, an engagement that bespeaks genuine enthusiasm for the life of the mind. He possesses a combination of maturity, intelligence, confidence, and bearing that makes him a natural teacher. Should he choose not to become one professionally, these same qualities will make him a person worth listening to whatever he happens to be doing.â€
The Marshall Scholarships were established in 1953 as a British gesture of thanks to the people of the United States for assistance received after World War II under the Marshall Plan.
Earlier this month, two other Williams seniors, Jeffrey J. Ishizuka and Emily P. Ludwig, were awarded similarly prestigious Rhodes Scholarships for further study at Oxford.
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Lanesborough Town Meeting to Vote Budget, Bylaws & Vehicle Purchases
By Breanna SteeleiBerkshires Staff
LANESBOROUGH, Mass. — Tuesday's annual town meeting includes a $14 million operating budget, new short-term rentals, accessory dwelling units and sign bylaws, and free cash article appropriations.
Voters will gather at Lanesborough Elementary School on June 9 at 6 p.m. to decide on 20 warrant articles.
The fiscal 2027 budget is up a little over 10 percent. Some of the main increases are the Mount Greylock Regional School District and McCann Technical School: the McCann assessment is up more than 30 percent based on factors including enrollment and the school renovation project, and Mount Greylock's is up 11 percent.
Article 11 is for the town to vote to approve from free cash the sum of $16,298.48 for the McCann Technical School roof and window replacement project so as not to impact the budget. Article 3 is appropriate $7,586,284 for Mount Greylock Regional School assessment.
Another notable increase was in life and health insurance, showing an increase of about 26 percent.
Ambulance Director Jen Weber is planning 24-hour coverage, which means more staff and a hike in her budget. One of the articles asks the town to appropriate $234,100 to operate the Ambulance Enterprise Fund for salaries and expenses.
Many town departments are looking for new vehicles. The Fire Department is looking to replace its outdated 1996 fire engine. There are two articles related to the truck at a total of $813,366. Article 12 would transfer $225,000 from free cash into the Fire Truck Stabilization Fund; Article 13 would transfer $605,000 from the fund and authorize the borrowing of $208,366.08.
The total includes a $100,000 contingency cost to cover any additional costs if a 2026 model-year chassis cannot be secured before new emissions standards go into effect in 2027.
The board at its last meeting moved the $225,000 transfer to come before the borrowing article, changing the stabilization number. If the $225,000 is not voted on, then they will amend the next article's number on the floor, subtracting the $225,000. This shows the borrowing number significantly lower.
Article 17 asks for the transfer of $80,000 from free cash to replace a police cruiser.
Police Chief Rob Derksen's aim is to replace one vehicle every other year, meaning the oldest vehicle gets replaced about every 10 years.
He stressed that if delayed this year, the town may have to double up in a future year to get back on schedule, and that paying later usually costs more. The article will ask for $80,000 from free cash, the vehicles used to be funded by the BHRD.
Lastly, the Highway Department is looking to replace a 2014 International dump truck that will be a total of $330,000 and will take two to three years to receive.
Money will be used from last year's approval of $250,000 from free cash for the replacement of a 2012 highway front-end loader that was underspent $49,261. Town meeting is being asked to approve a transfer of $53,274.85 from free cash and the use of $227,464 from funds from the Sale of Town Real Estate to fund the balance.
Other free cash proposals include $1,200 to purchase software to support tracking and ongoing maintenance schedules of town-owned vehicles; $42,000 for the replacement of the Highway Department's storage shed roof, $200,000 to reduce the tax levy.
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