A Williams Life

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.

00:00 Introduction
01:23 Beginnings of a Lifelong Bond
03:43 Embarking on a Round-the-World Trip
05:26 Memorable Encounters
13:17 Navigating Challenges and Embracing Humanity
15:36 Reflections on Mortality and “Invincibility"
23:53 Life Lessons from the Trip
27:25 Will & Perk’s Annual Retreats
30:01 The Evolution of the Retreats
33:40 Navigating Family Legacies and Career Paths
37:24 Conservation & Activism
50:38 A Climate Message to Future Generations
53:26 Closing Thoughts

Click here to view pictures and hear more episodes of A Williams Life.

Senior Producer: Jon Earle ('09)

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 of the projects mentioned in this episode.
If you would like to know more about Pamela's work, please visit her website.

00:00:00 Introduction
00:01:07 Pam's Journey to Williams College
00:02:19 Experiences at Williams College
00:08:48 Transition from College to Career
00:10:48 Influence of Early Experiences on Career
00:14:49 Design Philosophy
00:16:06 Case Study: Crandall Public Library
00:22:45 Case Study: Georgia O'Keeffe's Home and Studio
00:32:20 Case Study: Girls' School in Tanzania
00:49:33 Hand Drawing and AI
00:56:47 Starting Scattergood Design
01:00:00 Sailing Adventures and Future Plans

This episode was recorded in June 2023 in New York City.

Click here to view pictures and hear more episodes of A Williams Life.

Senior Producer: Jon Earle ('09)

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.

00:00 Introduction
00:55 Frank's Early Life and Family Background
01:48 Childhood Experiences of Segregation and Racism
05:34 Activism During High School
08:02 Father's Influence and Life Lessons
09:24 Challenges and Experiences at Williams College
22:35 Activism and Protests at Williams College
26:12 Influence of Professor Joe Harris and Interest in the African Diaspora
30:44 Transition to Medical School and Global Health
33:50 Early Interest in Infectious Diseases
35:33 The Journey to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
36:45 The Fight Against River Blindness
42:40 Challenges Post-Eradication
43:51 Poverty and Global Health
49:06 The Personal Toll of Global Health Work
53:56 Working with President Carter and the Carter Center
01:00:31 Reflections on the 50th Reunion

Click here to view pictures and hear more episodes of A Williams Life.

Senior Producer: Jon Earle ('09)

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.

00:00 Introduction
00:30 Choosing Williams College
02:57 Experiences as a Woman at Williams
04:45 Challenges and Triumphs of Women at Williams
08:24 Struggles With Depression and Journey to Judaism
13:25 Family Reactions to Denise’s Conversion
15:31 Embracing Diversity and Acceptance as a Parent
19:06 Philanthropy: A Family Tradition
19:34 Promoting Diversity and Inclusion through Philanthropy
20:30 The Tikkun Olam Foundation: Repairing the World
25:06 The Loss of Denise’s Son
34:53 Denise’s Early Philanthropy
43:47 Leading the Clark Art Museum
49:15 Reflections and Future Aspirations 

This interview was recorded in January 2023 at CDM Studios in New York City.

Click here to view pictures and hear more episodes of A Williams Life.

Senior Producer: Jon Earle ('09)

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. 

00:00 Introduction
00:44 Time at Williams
01:40 Discovering Passion for Narrative
04:30 Exploring Career Options
10:14 Journey into Theater
14:33 Struggles and Triumphs of Early Career
17:48 From Unemployment to Columbia Pictures
27:05 Joining HBO and Learning to Produce
31:40 Mentorship Under Linda Gottlieb
35:23 Frank’s first hit—“Taking a Stand” (ABC)
44:09 Rome (HBO): Creating Problem Solving
52:04 Game of Thrones (HBO): Creating Worlds
56:03 John Adams (HBO): Bringing Historical Figures to Life
01:12:00 Balancing Fantasy and Reality on Game of Thrones
01:16:54 Reluctance to Work on Game of Thrones
01:27:53 Working with Writers
01:32:51 Deadlines and Stress
01:35:39 Critics, Criticism and Controversy
01:45:08 The Swarm and New Projects
01:51:58 Winter Study at Williams: Getting to the Big Idea
02:09:52 Reflections on a Career in Television Production

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.

Senior Producer: Jon Earle ('09)

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.

Senior Producer: Jon Earle ('09)

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.

Senior Producer: Jon Earle ('09)

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.

0:00 Childhood
9:10 Student at Williams
24:35 Athletes in Action, Part I
30:01 NBA itch
37:48 Athletes in Action, Part II
44:36 Coaching at Williams
1:16:59 Athletic Director at Williams
1:30:00 Dartmouth
1:39:14 Plans for the Future

This interview was recorded at Harry's house in Williamstown in May 2021.

Click here to view pictures and hear more episodes of A Williams Life.

Senior Producer: Jon Earle ('09)