On October 8, 2021, the Williston Northampton School community gathered to dedicate Emily McFadon Vincent House and Wold House, thereby completing the Residential Quadrangle. On this warm and sunny day, members of the Board of Trustees were on hand to mark the occasion, as was the entire student body, dressed in navy blue T-shirts with the logos of the two residence halls.
The day ended with a mini-reunion of the classes of 1970 and 1971, and on Saturday, October 9, those classes dedicated the Memorial Hall Terrace, a gift of the Williston Academy class of 1970.
They Call it EMV
EMV, as students refer to Emily McFadon Vincent House, has been home to 40 female students since its opening in the fall of 2020—however the pandemic prevented an in-person celebration.
“We’ve been waiting a year for this moment, a truly momentous one, in Williston Northampton School’s long history since 1841,” said Robert W. Hill, Head of School. “The Residential Quad, where we are standing today, has transformed our campus, bringing us literally and symbolically closer together.”
Hill reminded those assembled, “Schools are built by those who come before you, and you should never forget that debt of gratitude we owe them.”
He spoke about Emily McFadon Vincent, a “quiet and fearless explorer.” A 1949 graduate of the Northampton School for Girls, McFadon Vincent traveled alone by train from her home in Tacoma, Washington, to come to Massachusetts for her senior year of high school. Her appreciation of travel only grew, and as an adult, she ended up visiting Australia, Scotland, Africa, and the Middle East, “a wanderlust that inspired her to launch a business in the travel industry,” Hill said. The Emily McFadon Vincent House is the first building at Williston Northampton School to be named for an alumna.
Welcoming Wold House
Board Chair John Hazen White ’76 spoke about the residence hall formerly known as 194 Main Street dorm. He remarked that it was a special day to dedicate “this great home behind me to the Wold family.”
Peter Wold ’67, a former trustee and longtime supporter of the school, along with his wife Marla, unveiled the new name over the transom: Wold House. The Wolds’ daughter Abbie Long and son Joe Wold ’06 and his wife Chelsey Cutting Wold ’07, with their two children, as well as members of their extended family, were on hand for the dedication.
Peter Wold recalled the words his parents said to him when they dropped him off in front of the Phillips Stevens Chapel after a three-day-long drive from Wyoming: “This school will present you with many opportunities,” they said. “Work hard, take advantage of them. We love you and we’ll miss you.”
Members of the classes of 1970 and 1971 were also present on Friday for the namings, and for a mini-reunion afterward, as well as the dedication on Saturday of the Memorial Hall Terrace, a gift from the Williston Academy class of 1970.
Watch a video of the dormitory dedications. See photos of the dorm dedications, mini-reunion, and Memorial Hall Terrace dedication.