MoMA Director Glenn Lowry '76, Principal Speaker at Williams Fall Convocation

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MoMA director Glenn D. Lowry
Historian Bernard Bailyn '44 will participate in afternoon's "Conversations About The Constitution" Williamstown – President Morton Owen Schapiro will salute the graduating class of 2006 at the college's Fall Convocation on Saturday, Sept. 17, and Glenn D. Lowry '76, director of New York's Museum of Modern Art, will be the principal speaker for the event, which formally launches the academic year. His address is titled "From the Village Beautiful to the Big Apple: Notes from the Williams Mafia." The Convocation ceremony will begin at 11 a.m. in Chapin Hall and will be preceded by a processional. The ceremony will include introduction of the newest members of Phi Beta Kappa by Dean of the College Nancy A. Roseman; the announcement of the winner of The Grosvenor Cup Award (given to the senior who has best demonstrated concern for the college community); a performance by violinist Basema N. Safa '06, cellist Samuel W. Clapp '06, and harpist Talia Mailman '06; a reading by senior Miriam F. Lawrence '06; and remarks by College Council President Alexander S. Bal '06. President Schapiro will present the college's Bicentennial Medal to Dr. Lowry during the ceremony, as well as to Bernard Bailyn '44, Pulitzer Prize-winning historian; Edgar M. Bronfman '50, president of the World Jewish Congress; A. R. Gurney, Jr. '52, award-winning playwright; Inigo Manglano-Ovalle '83, acclaimed mixed media artist; and Marisa E. Reddy Randazzo '89, nationally recognized psychologist. Dr. Lowry grew up in Williamstown, graduated from Williams in 1976, and earned a Ph.D. in art history at Harvard. While a curator at the National Museum of Asian Art in Washington he oversaw the acquisition of a heralded collection of Persian and Indian painting and produced two catalogs on it. He directed the Art Gallery of Ontario from 1990 until moving to New York's Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in 1995, where his major initiatives have included the design, building, and funding of the museum's new building. When it opened last year, MoMA was praised as a spectacular new home for one of the world's greatest collections of modern art. And the public has lined up at its door ever since. A strong advocate of contemporary art, he also helped conceive and initiate MoMA's merger with P.S. 1 Contemporary Art Center. Established in 1993 on the occasion of the college's 200th anniversary, Bicentennial Medals honor members of the Williams community for distinguished achievement in any field of endeavor. Following the ceremonies there will be an all-campus picnic on the lawn of Sawyer Library. At 4 p.m., an informal "Conversation about the Constitution" with historian Bernard Bailyn '44 and assistant professor of political science George Thomas, moderated by Cathy Johnson, Schumann Faculty Fellow and professor of political science, will be held in Chapin Library. Robert L. Volz, custodian of the Chapin Library, will present remarks on the George Mason annotated copy of the Constitution and other holdings of the library. The event will be followed by a reception. The conversation is in observance of the newly established Constitution Day by the Congress of the United States. The day's events are free and the public is cordially invited to attend.
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Lanesborough Fifth-Graders Win Snowplow Name Contest

LANESBOROUGH, Mass. — One of the snowplows for Highway District 1 has a new name: "The Blizzard Boss."
 
The name comes from teacher Gina Wagner's fifth-grade class at Lanesborough Elementary School. 
 
The state Department of Transportation announced the winners of the fourth annual "Name A Snowplow" contest on Monday. 
 
The department received entries from public elementary and middle school classrooms across the commonwealth to name the 12 MassDOT snowplows that will be in service during the 2025/2026 winter season. 
 
The purpose of the contest is to celebrate the snow and ice season and to recognize the hard work and dedication shown by public works employees and contractors during winter operations. 
 
"Thank you to all of the students who participated. Your creativity allows us to highlight to all, the importance of the work performed by our workforce," said  interim MassDOT Secretary Phil Eng.  
 
"Our workforce takes pride as they clear snow and ice, keeping our roads safe during adverse weather events for all that need to travel. ?To our contest winners and participants, know that you have added some fun to the serious take of operating plows. ?I'm proud of the skill and dedication from our crews and thank the public of the shared responsibility to slow down, give plows space and put safety first every time there is a winter weather event."
 
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