BOOK AWARDS |
For many years, the College has sponsored a book award program that allows regional associations
to present an ornately bound Webster’s New Collegiate Dictionary, adorned with a large
Williams seal to local students. The book is presented to “a junior in the top five percent of his
or her class who has demonstrated intellectual leadership and has made a significant contribution
to the extracurricular life of the school.” The dictionaries cost $37 and are paid for by the
regional association. In 2004, 570 students received a Williams Book Award. Most associations
have a book award coordinator who oversees this annual project. Not all associations distribute
dictionaries; some have ordered Whitney Stoddard’s book on Williams architecture, and one
region, Rhode Island, makes its award to local eighth-graders, not high school students. The program
is flexible and can be adapted in various ways by individual associations. This is a good
project for large and small regions alike. Many schools appreciate having a Williams alum or
parent actually present the book at the school’s awards ceremony. For more information, see
details in the handbook appendix or contact the Alumni Relations Office at (413) 597-4111.
Maine Regional Association: King of the Book Awards
While many regions take pride in their Book Award programs, in recent history Maine has
been the undisputed champion of allocation. In 2004, Maine distributed 88 books (out of
120 public and private secondary schools in the state), the most of any regional association.
David Snow ’56, ably assisted by Debbie Jordan ’76 and Maggie Donavan ’94 during
his tenure as Book Award Coordinator in Maine, started with a base of 34 awards. An
initial plea to the association members brought the total to 52, and further efforts resulted
in the jump to today’s standard. David describes one of his book award sponsors as “a
retired Washington, DC lawyer who moved to a remote fishing village in far Eastern
Maine and wanted to both pay for four books and present them to the recipients. It’s a
total of about 300 miles of driving and he continues to do this today.” |
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