Letter from Shamus Brady '04

Dear Dean Wagner,

I am writing in support of Professor Sheafe Satterthwaite.  He is in
my humble opinion the greatest professor at Williams that I
encountered.

He is a teacher in every sense of the word.  And as the principal of a
middle school and an educator myself I like to think I have a decent
knowledge of what it is to be a teacher.

I will not waste your time with all the reasons that letting Sheafe go
is a mistake.  I know in your heart you know them and they have been
voiced in numerous letters to you.  My personal experience is that
when I return to campus Sheafe is one of the few professors that makes
time to meet with me.

He is the only professor who would host alumni and their families at
his house on a Sunday.  You may not be aware of all the ways he goes
above and beyond.  This is because for him it is not above and beyond.
 It is what a teacher should be and what he is.

I must say that in letting Sheafe go you make Williams not a better
place but a worse one.  There are things that make Williams an
unparalleled experience and this is one of the most important.

As an administrator myself I am aware that what you and all
administrators typically do in this situation, in fact what I am
almost certain that you will do, is dig in your heels and ignore the
hundreds of letters students send you.  You do this perhaps because
you are afraid to admit you have made a mistake.

However, I want to let you know that admitting a mistake is often the
greatest thing an educator can do.  Sheafe taught me that.

In your career I do not doubt you have made and will be forced to make
countless impossible decisions.  I simply ask you to do the right
thing.

Please consider that some day you may find yourself in Sheafe’s place
and you might be judged based on how you treat him now.

Thanks for your time.

I greatly appreciate your service to the college.  I know Sheafe has a
great deal of respect for you and only hope that you will afford him
the same.

Sincerely,

Shamus Brady 04’