Centennial Weekend
The culminating weekend of the William Smith Centennial—November 7th through 9th—was full of events.
Friday included a tour of historic properties related to William Smith, High Tea with the William Smith Deans, open houses in the William Smith residence halls, an art exhibit with Colette Watts Quaglia '99, and tours of the new Katherine D. Elliott Studio Arts Center and Goldstein Family Carriage House.
The day ended with The Great Debate, where two teams of HWS seniors competed in a debate on the question "Should a women's college be allowed to join Hobart College?"
On Saturday, President Mark D. Gearan, Chair of the Board of Trustees David H. Deming '75, and Vice Chair of the Board of Trustees Maureen Collins Zupan '72, P'09 each gave a talk. Other events for the day included college sessions with faculty, an all-campus photo on Stern Lawn, and the dedication of Centennial Center for Leadership.
That afternoon, at 4:00 PM, the statue of William Smith was unveiled on the hill. The bronze statue was sculpted by art professor A. E. "Ted" Aub using the few existing photographs of William Smith and live models Christopher Slaby '09 and Ted Smith, William Smith's great, great grand-nephew.
The initiative for the statue came from trustee Dr. Todd A. Patterson ’72, P’06, P’12 and sociology professor Jim Spates. Patterson said, “This statue is a gift from the men of Hobart to honor the women of William Smith, in recognition of the role William Smith women have played in the success of our institution.”