What's In a Name: The Buildings of Williams College, a collection of essays published originally in the Williams College Alumni Review, has been published, with illustrations by North Adams native Brent Cardillo, by Williams College.
    The volume of essays by Philip H. Warren Jr., Class of 1938, is the first time these have been collected as a single historical document, according to editor Thomas W. Bleezarde, the college's editor of alumni publications and the Alumni Review.
    "This way people can get all this information in one place instead of leafing through 12 years of the Alumni Review," said Bleezarde.
    In his preface, Bleezarde describes Philip Warren, who died in 1996, as "the consummate volunteer for his alma mater."
    Warren, who served as a member of the executive committee of the Society of Alumni and as his class secretary, had previously written The Purple Connection - a celebration and investigation of the Society of Alumni of the College, the oldest organization of alumni in the United States, founded in 1821, and believed to be the oldest in the world.
    Warren - who had retired from marketing/advertising and public relations - wrote that book for his 50th reunion, and during his visits to campus during its preparation, he would often visit one of his favorite Williams professors, historian Charles Keller.
    Wrote Bleezarde: "One day their conversation turned to the people for whom campus buildings were named. Professor Keller expressed his dismay at the lack of recognition given these College benefactors, and Warren quickly agreed. Together they came up with the idea of producing a series of essays which would identify and tell a little bit about those people to today's - and perhaps tomorrow's - campus residents."
    "It is our hope that presenting these historical tidbits in this fashion will support the idea Keller and Warren hatched in Keller's living room on Waterman Place and help generations of Ephs to to come develop an appreciation for those who have gone before."
    Bleezarde said that at first the plan was to include the most important buildings - Chapin, Stetson, Hopkins - but that the column proved so popular it subsequently included the former fraternity houses, named for a prominent member of that fraternity - such as Garfield House - and the smaller houses, named for a former owner - such as Hubble House.
    For example, Fitch Hall, a dormitory in the Berkshire Quadrangle, was built in 1905 and named for Williams' first president, Ebenezer Fitch.
    Named headmaster of the Free School when it opened in 1792 in accordance with Ephraim Williams' will, he was president for 22 years, resigning in 1815 after dwindling enrollment led to talk of relocating the college southward.
    "Fitch served the College better than the College served him. The Trustees gave him only partial back pay on his retirement, withholding the balance for two more years. In 1864, the College authorities - some say by way of tardy atonement for this shabby treatment - moved his remains from a West Bloomfield grave to his final resting place in the College Cemetery where it is now marked by an appropriate monument."
    Illustrations, strong, detailed and elegant line drawings, are by Brent Cardillo, a North Adams native and son of Fran Cardillo, longtime Williams band director, who died just a year ago.
    Brent Cardillo, a 1985 graduate of Drury High School, went on to study at the Rhode Island School of Design, and now designs children's books for Publications International Ltd., in Lincoln Wood, Ill., a Chicago suburb.
    Contacted by telephone, Cardillo said he enjoyed working on the illustrations.
    "Although I grew up in North Adams, I spent a lot of time at Williams College, where my dad was band director, so I got to draw all these places I wandered around as a child.
    "Williams College's architecture is very diverse," said Cardillo,
    "There are the churches, there are some buildings that are very old, some modern buildings like the hockey rink, and some even newer ones that are more angular," he said.
    "I did those over a long period of time, and when the essays were compiled there were some additional illustrations needed," he said.
    In the process, Cardillo said he gained an even greater appreciation for the college's buildings and their architectural details and ornaments.
    "When you're drawing them you notice things that you hadn't noticed before, because you're trying to replicate them," he said.
    The book, at $9.95, is available at Water Street Books and at Goff's on Spring Street.
If you would like to contribute information on this article, contact us at info@iberkshires.com.
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.
No Comments
Berkshire Food Project Closed for Power Issues
NORTH ADAMS, Mass. — The Berkshire Food Project is closed Monday because of a power outage early in the morning.
"We are unable to get proper electricity and heat to the building," according to Executive Director Matthew Alcombright. "We hope that this can be resolved and be open tomorrow."
The project does have some sandwiches and frozen meals that will be distributed at the entry.
The city has lifted a boil water order — with several exceptions — that was issued late Monday morning following several water line breaks over the weekend. click for more
The bridge had been closed to all vehicle traffic since March 2023 after being deemed structurally deficient by the state Department of Transportation. click for more
