Liberal arts education at its best.

For an alphabetical index of the New England College series of pieces, click here.

Nestled in the Berkshires of western Massachusetts, Williams College is renowned for its outstanding academic standards. My niece graduated thence in the mid-1980s, proceeding on to the National Institutes of Health where brains were her specialty. Certainly, there’s no shortage of brain matter at Williams which dates from 1793 and numbers some 2,200 students.

There is no central quad; rather, the 100 or so buildings are dotted around central Williamstown either side of Main Street and anchored by the Memorial Chapel, with its splendid architecture and magnificent stained glass:

Lawrence Hall houses the College’s art collection, which includes a superb Edward Hopper from 1944. The eyeballs outside are by Louise Bourgeois:

My son poses with the Bourgeois piece; no arguing with his expression.

The charming receptionist was a fount of knowledge.

Architecture reflects many periods, from the old ….

Upperclass housing on campus.

…. through the contemporary:

Magnificent use of line and light in the Green building.

Inspirational messages abound:

And, finally, this is graduation day. New graduates celebrate with a fist pump:

Alumni include President James A. Garfield, Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, Depression era photographer Walker Evans, actor David Strathairn, composer and lyricist Stephen Sondheim and movie director John Frankenheimer, and, of course, my niece Krystyna Isaacs.