“Early in my first semester at college I remember hearing about interesting conversations taking place at a professor’s home. His name was Professor Gaudino. And I came to Williams as a science major but I always was really just fascinated about public discussions about all kinds of topics and they were open to anybody and for some reason I just was drawn to this professor’s house one evening, ’68, I would guess maybe some time in October. As best I can remember the discussion was about the Kerner Commission Report [on the riots in American cities]. I must say I don’t recall anything about the substance of the conversations but I very vividly remember the setting. It was this low-slung house. It seemed like a relatively spacious living room, chockablock with students sitting every place there was a square inch. At first I remember not figuring out where this faculty member was. He definitely wasn’t speaking. Anyway, I found a place and I sat and listened. And it was just a wonderfully interesting series of conversations by students, mostly, I think, upperclassmen. And every once in a while this person, who was Gaudino — I figured it out — would pipe up and say something and I guess in retrospect was kind of moving the conversation in new direction. Anyway, I don’t remember talking to him. I just went to his house. I remember thinking, I really do, that this is what college is all about.

–Dale Riehl '72