“This Week in Williams History” is a column that looks back at memorable moments in the College’s past through articles in the Record. This week in history, the College library received a gift from France, Winter Carnival welcomed famous music groups, and men’s basketball earned its fourth NESCAC Title. 

Feb. 28, 1919: Williams receives gift from France 

The Record reported in February 1919 that Monsieur L. de Sartique ­— a resident of Pau, France — offered the natural history works of French naturalist and mathematician Georges-Louis Leclerc, Comte de Buffon to the College library. Sartique gifted Buffon’s works in a letter to then-President Harry A. Garfield — the son of former U.S. President James A. Garfield, Class of 1856. The collection contained 36 volumes of the text’s original edition. Sartique made the gift in recognition of the “close ties and amicable relations” between the United States and France in the aftermath of World War I, the Record reported. 

In the letter, Sartique wrote that he found President Harry A. Garfield’s name through an acquaintance: “Mr. Abbott, formerly with the Boston Library.” Sartique was likely referring to Samuel Appleton Brown Abbott, who served as President of the Board of Trustees at the Boston Public Library from 1888 to 1895. 

“Allied by blood to the United States (my mother belonged to a Boston family), I have always had a deep affection … to your country,” Sartique wrote. “It would be a great pleasure to me if you would be willing to accept this modest gift as a mark of devotion and esteem.” 

Karl Ephraim Weston, Class of 1896, accepted the gift in a written response. Weston served as a professor of romance languages and art at the College and played an instrumental role in bringing The Clark Art Institute to Williamstown.

Feb. 28, 1964: Winter Carnival brings famous music groups to campus 

Sixty years ago, festivities began for the 1964 Winter Carnival, which was themed “A Midwinter Night’s Dream.” A Feb. 28 Record article outlined the schedule of events for the action-packed weekend ahead. While excitement surrounded the “female companions” visiting to compete for Carnival Queen, students also enjoyed musical performances from famous rock ’n’ roll and folksong groups. 

Baxter Hall — which was demolished in 2004 to make way for Paresky Center — transformed into a dance hall on Friday evening. The Chiffons, one of the most popular girl groups in the early 1960s, performed hits like “He’s So Fine” and “One Fine Day” to a sold-out crowd. Today, “One Fine Day” has reached 71 million streams on Spotify.

Little Anthony and the Imperials also performed on Friday evening. At the time, the R&B and pop group was struggling to maintain popularity. The group made an impressive comeback shortly after their performance at the College, however, with the release of their single “I’m On The Outside (Looking In).” The single reached No. 15 on the Billboard Hot 100 in 1964. 

The Kansas City Playboys played backup for The Chiffons, while The Combo Kings accompanied Little Anthony and the Imperials. 

Tommy Makem and the Clancy Brothers performed on Saturday evening in Chapin Hall. According to the Record, the magazine Playboy rated the Irish group as the fifth most popular folk-singing group in the country. The Record reported that the group garnered excitement for its “showmanship and lively concerts.”

Feb. 29, 2010: Men’s basketball earns fourth NESCAC Title

While the Ephs fell short of the championship title last weekend, men’s basketball had better luck in the championship game in late February 2010. The Record reported on March 3, 2010, that the team defeated Middlebury 64-56 to earn its fourth NESCAC title. With the win, the Ephs finished their season with an outstanding 26-1 record.

Williams defeated Bates 71-48 in the semifinals. The Ephs entered the final game ranked second in the nation, while Middlebury sat at sixth. With Middlebury as the reigning NESCAC champions, the game was a “hotly contested” matchup, the Record reported. 

The Ephs struggled offensively, shooting 44.2 percent from the field and making only six out of 19 3-pointers. They made up for such shortcomings defensively, forcing the Panthers to 34 percent from the field. James Wang ’12 led the team with 19 points, while eight other Ephs each contributed at least three points in the Middlebury game. For his performance, Wang was named NESCAC Player of the Week for the fourth time that season. 

Ethan Timmins-Schiffman ’10 described the post-victory feeling in an interview with the Record. “Hosting and winning the conference tournament were two of our goals when we met as a team at the end of last season,” he said. “To achieve both gives us a tremendous feeling… The most important thing right now is that we won as a team and we are enjoying this accomplishment as a team.” 

The Ephs headed into the NCAA Tournament as the No. 1 seed and finished in second place.