Gargoyle Society

Recent Delegations

114th Delegation (2008-2009):

Rachel Ko (President), Eve Streicker (Treasurer), Andrés López (Secretary), Elizabeth Brickley, Anthony Coleman, Rashid Duroseau, Jeremy Goldstein, Nontombi Kraai, Sarah Moore, Aroop Mukharji, Peter Nurnberg, Thomas Rubinsky, Nordia Savage, Michael Smith, Michael Tcheyan, Kevin Waite.

113th Delegation (2007-2008):

Jose Pacas (President), Julia Kropp (Treasurer), Rashid Duroseau (Secretary), Morgan Goodwin, Kim Dacres, Phillip Carter, William Bruce, Eve Streicker, Rachel Ko, Peter Nurnberg, Michael Smith, Jeremy Goldstein, Kevin Waite

112th Delegation (2006-2007):

Katie Josephson (President), Charles Howard (Treasurer), Godfrey Bakuli, William Bruce, Kim Dacres, Nirmal Deshpande, Blake Emerson, Morgan Goodwin, Julia Kropp, Alexis Machabanski, Jose Pacas, Robert Streicker, Peter Tosirisuk

111th Delegation (2005-2006):

Katie Krause (President), Geri Ottaviano (Treasurer), Charles Howard (Secretary), Ainsley O'Connell (Vice President), Zachary Ulman, Andres Schabelman, Alan Cordova, Maurice Robinson, Cathy Mercado, Alexis Machabanski, Katie Josephson, Godfrey Bakuli.

History and Mission

In 1895 the founders of Gargoyle Society wrote, "The object of this organization shall be to discuss college matters, and take active steps for the advancement of Williams in every branch of college life and work, and to exert itself against anything which it considers detrimental to such advancement."

Gargoyle's commitment remains the same today. Every spring, Gargoyle elects several seniors and a few juniors based on self-nominations which demonstrate leadership capability and a strong commitment to improving Williams College.

As Gargoyle seeks to integrate the concerns of alumni, administration, faculty, and students, it provides an essential link between the past and the present at Williams, perpetuating a forum for the discussion of long-range as well as contemporary issues.

Projects

Past delegations of this honor society have been instrumental in founding the College Council, abolishing fraternities, and encouraging student input into administrative decisions by founding groups like the Committee on Undergraduate Life and the Advisory Committee on Shareholder Responsibility.

In 1997-1998, the 103rd delegation of Gargoyle founded the Williams College Debate Union (WCDU) and held two wildly successful debates in Chapin Hall; worked to increase students-faculty interaction through a series of forums and other events; and organized an internship fair to help acquaint students with possibilities for summer and post-graduate employment.

Recently Gargoyle has proposed amendments to the Honor Code, hosted wildly successful biannual senior only parties to foster class cohesion, examined the Williams advisory system, lobbied the administration on behalf of club sports, hosted dinners to integrate the Center for Development Economics fellows into the broader Williams community, and hosted community discussions on important campus and international issues.

Project Links and Additional Information

• See here for information about the biggest WCDU-sponsored debate
• See here for the Gargoyle Honor Code Proposal
• See here for the Class of 2009 Hundred Days Party poster
• See the Center for Development Economics Dinner Hosted by the Gargoyle Society page for more information about the CDE dinners
• See the Gargoyle Discussions page for the topics of past Gargoyle Discussions

New York Times Coverage

• See here for a reference to Gargoyle in the 5/31/1907 edition of the New York Times
• See here for a reference to Gargoyle in the 5/31/1929 edition of the New York Times
• See here for a reference to Gargoyle in the 5/31/1932 edition of the New York Times
• See here for a reference to Gargoyle in the 5/31/1939 edition of the New York Times
• See here for a reference to Gargoyle in the 8/30/1942 edition of the New York Times

Recent Record Coverage

• Gargoyle's history is rock solid (3/8/05)
• Gargoyle proposes new Honor Code procedures (2/14/2007)

Famous Alumni

• Herbert Lehman (1899): New York State Governor and US Senator
• John P. Wilson (1900): Director of General Electric Co., United States Trust Co., and Harris Trust and Savings Bank, Chicago, Williams Trustee
• Harry J. Smith (1902): Successful Broadway playwright and sphagnum expert
• Tyler Dennett (1904): Williams College President
• Charles White Whittlesey (1905): Commander of the Lost Battalion in WWI
• Abbott Paige Mills (1911): Professional baseball player
• Gilbert Wolf Gabriel (1912): Chief of the Alaskan Mission during WWII and noted author
• James Phinney Baxter '14: Williams College President
• Richard Helms '35: CIA Director
• Whitney Stoddard '35: Famous art hisorian and Williams College Professor
• Henry Swan II '35: Chairman of the Colorado Medical School and pioneer of arterial graft surgery
• James MacGregor Burns '39: Famous historian and Williams College Professor
• Bruce McClellan '46: Lawrenceville School Head Master
• George Steinbrenner '52: Owner of the New York Yankees
• Arne Carlson '57: Governor of Minnesota
• Stephen Lewis '60: President of Carleton College
• Fay Vincent '60: MLB Commissioner and Chairman of Columbia Pictures
• William Finn '74: Award-winning American composer and lyricist
• Martha Coakley '75: Attorney General of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts
• Clarence Otis, Jr. '77: Chairman and CEO of Darden Restaurants