Letter from Aaron Reibel '06

 Aaron Reibel 

3430 Wilson Blvd. 

Arlington, VA 22201 

202-615-6906 

January 11, 2011 

Dear Professor Wagner, 

My purpose in writing is to voice my support for Sheafe Satterthwaite. I recently learned that Sheafe’s contract has not been renewed and that his position at the College will be terminated in the near future. I truly hope that this is not case as in the event that it is the College will lose one of its most dedicated and influential educators. 

I took several of Sheafe’s classes during my sophomore and senior years and found his classes and passion for American Landscape History to be the most memorable and influential academic experience I had at Williams. His classes always involved an impressive amount of theoretical debate and practical fieldwork. Through him I – a young man who grew up an expat in Southern Africa and knew very little about the development of American suburbs, transitions that had impacted American farming, and about the livelihoods of cattle and dairy farmers – learned to appreciate our great land and how it had been transformed over the course of centuries. 

To this day I spend more time discussing the invaluable lessons I learned in Sheafe’s class with my fellow Ephmen and Ephwomen than any other Williams class material. While I realize that when I was 20 or 21 it might have been difficult for me to understand how influential Sheafe’s candid but captivating educational approach would prove to be, I have now come to see that his style of teaching and content choice has had a profound effect on me. Its breadth and direct methodology cuts to the core of the education that Williams espouses – theoretical mastery based on practical application and knowledge. 

As an Ephman I was taught to keenly observe and analyze my environment. I now realize that this does not only apply to hard science, political analysis or learning to appreciate the beauty of Spanish poetry. It also meant being able to see the beauty of New England and the wider American landscape for what it had once been and what it had become. Sheafe taught his students how to examine the world around them – including the geographic realities and the cultural influences that shaped them. In his classes we learned to consider how our environment would continue to change in-step with our society. 

It was Sheafe’s inspiration as an engaging and dedicated educator that has colored my own professional and personal goals. I taught at a private boarding school in Pennsylvania, worked for an energy regulator in New Zealand, served a New Zealand politician who represented an agrarian community, and now am poised to serve our country as an Army Officer. Sheafe’s interests and his dedication to being an educator inside and out of the classroom continue to inspire me as I continue to develop my career. Not only has he had a significant influence on my life but I consider him a great friend and mentor. 

I ask you to reconsider your decision to terminate Sheafe’s contract at the College. Not only would terminating Sheafe’s contract at Williams deprive current and future students of such a knowledgeable and influential educator but it would also be a great disservice to a teacher and mentor that has spent his life working to enrich the lives of countless Ephmen and Ephwomen. 

Sincerely, 

Aaron J. Reibel (class of ’06) 

Cc: Adam F. Falk, Williams College President 

Belle Zars, former student of Sheafe Satterthwaite and class of 1979