Letter from Field Horne '73

From: Field Horne <fhorne@nycap.rr.com>

Date: February 3, 2011 11:46:44 AM EST

To: Adam.F.Falk@williams.edu

Cc: William.G.Wagner@williams.edu

Subject: Satterthwaite

Dear President Falk:

I am very disturbed by the recent decision to cut Satterthwaite loose.

The College must marshal its resources and, while I do not believe in retirement -- given that my path since Williams will not, perhaps, allow it -- I understand that it may be in the best interests of the Art Department to release a full-time non-tenured position to a new hire who can provide courses now in demand.

Here is my concern: I came to Williams in the fall of 1969 with many of the interests that still motivate me. The draw, aside from the location, was the American Civilization major. In practice, I found it was rather dry, consisting largely of conventional American history courses unleavened by the New Social History that was then transforming the discipline, and English courses on the usual, mostly nineteenth-century American writers. A course in American music with Ken Roberts and a course in American architecture with Bill Pierson were the leavening. And everything was taught by the lecture method.

Then Sheafe arrived. Not only did he bring an innovative and exciting approach to understanding our environment, but he taught by the inductive process.

At the same time, Gaudino launched Williams-at-Home, possibly the most revolutionary approach to learning the College ever embraced. (Of course, it DIDN'T embrace it, since the faculty mistrusted it; and as soon as Gaudino's health failed further, it was terminated. My greatest regret about my college years is that I didn't do that program, and I am still astonished that the College let it die.)

You have an intellectual treasure in Satterthwaite. A TREASURE.  While I regret the College's  need to take this step, I am writing to make only one request: that the committee, in the three semesters it has to deliberate, look into offering Art 201 and perhaps one second-semester course by means of a very limited, continuing arrangement with Satterthwaite as an adjunct instructor.

Field Horne '73