Williams students win Marshall Scholarships

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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.” 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.” 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.” 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.” 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.” 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 Fifth-Graders Win Snowplow Name Contest

LANESBOROUGH, Mass. — One of the snowplows for Highway District 1 has a new name: "The Blizzard Boss."
 
The name comes from teacher Gina Wagner's fifth-grade class at Lanesborough Elementary School. 
 
The state Department of Transportation announced the winners of the fourth annual "Name A Snowplow" contest on Monday. 
 
The department received entries from public elementary and middle school classrooms across the commonwealth to name the 12 MassDOT snowplows that will be in service during the 2025/2026 winter season. 
 
The purpose of the contest is to celebrate the snow and ice season and to recognize the hard work and dedication shown by public works employees and contractors during winter operations. 
 
"Thank you to all of the students who participated. Your creativity allows us to highlight to all, the importance of the work performed by our workforce," said  interim MassDOT Secretary Phil Eng.  
 
"Our workforce takes pride as they clear snow and ice, keeping our roads safe during adverse weather events for all that need to travel. ?To our contest winners and participants, know that you have added some fun to the serious take of operating plows. ?I'm proud of the skill and dedication from our crews and thank the public of the shared responsibility to slow down, give plows space and put safety first every time there is a winter weather event."
 
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