April 2020
A printed copy of this issue of Williams People was due to land in your physical mailbox in May. We were deep into its production when the rapid spread of COVID-19 began reconfiguring daily life in exceptional ways. We, too, quickly realized we were faced with an exceptional decision: whether and how to publish alumni news that was gathered and written during a very different time from the one we are in today—and likely will be in May. After much thought and discussion, we decided to forgo the printed edition and publish Williams People online.
As you scroll through this online edition, you’ll see the photographs and updates you and your classmates submitted to your class secretaries and the editors in late 2019 and early 2020. You’ll see excitement over upcoming visits with family and friends, vacations and, for many of you, Williams minireunions, Commencement Weekend and Reunion Weekend—plans that, unfortunately, had to be canceled or postponed.
You’ll also see the fabric of your everyday lives—new babies and grandbabies, grad school updates, job changes, retirements, wedding and commitment ceremonies, illness and recovery, the passing of loved ones, and get-togethers all around the globe—all the stuff that strengthens your connections to each other and to Williams. You answered the call for news from your dedicated class secretaries, who knitted it all together into a cohesive narrative for you to read. This level of engagement is just one example of what sets the Williams family apart from other alumni communities.
In times that are anything but normal, we hope the simple act connecting with your Williams family in this familiar and comfortable way will provide solace and a smile.
