Around the Table
In the Assembly Hall A S A M P L I N G O F S P E A K E R S W H O C A M E TO C A M P U S September 21: Adam Liptak The New York Times Supreme Court correspondent
September 25: Alexandra Marshall Author and journalist
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The Exeter Bulletin
W INTER 2013
NBA senior director of basketball operations
Brandon Williams, a member of the 1998-99 NBA championship-winning San Antonio Spurs, spoke to students about the collateral impact of leadership, how one person can effect change in another. Williams came to Exeter in 1989 from a Louisiana town of 450 people. An “A” student and skilled basketball player back home, he was “stunned” by Exeter’s rigor. “I never thought I’d struggle keeping up academically and athletically,” he says. “The question I was facing was, ‘Do I have what it takes?’ And what overwhelmed me was the thought that I did not.” Williams reached an emotional low point during an assembly that year and left early. Belinda Tate ’90, a senior, followed him. “Belinda displayed incredible leadership qualities,” he says. “She was observant, having recognized over several weeks that my optimism had gone. She provided me direction by pointing out the value of my dorm head, who could mentor and advise me. She directed me to classmate study groups that could bridge the gap in my academic understanding. And most importantly, she offered encouragement.” Williams closed by saying, “A leader does not wait for an invitation. You have the ability to impact another individual: to ignite the torch of passion and determination.” Watch excerpts from the speech at www.exeter.edu/bulletinextras. October 5: Michael Crowley ’90 Time magazine’s senior correspondent and deputy Washington bureau chief
“It’s a funny thing about being back in Exeter during a presidential campaign,” Michael Crowley told students, “because when I was a student here, I did not get around the state of New Hampshire very much.” That changed when Crowley was at Yale and began his political reporting career in earnest. He ticked off the “amazing cast of characters,” or candidates, he’s covered in New Hampshire since then, giving him access to the state’s “different nooks and crannies.” As senior correspondent for Time magazine, Crowley wrote extensively about the 2012 presidential election, focusing largely MAXINE WEED
NANCY SHIPLEY
Author, journalist, film critic and educator Alexandra Marshall spoke to students about her personal journey as a new faculty wife and teacher in 1969 and on coming to terms with life’s unexpected circumstances. Forty-three years ago, Marshall arrived on campus with her former husband, the late Timothy Buxton, a PEA religion instructor. During just their second year at the Academy, she found herself widowed when Buxton died suddenly during a foreign teaching assignment. Marshall, now married to writer James Carroll, said she hoped her visit and address would help her audience identify with her experiences and learn more about Buxton, who Principal Richard Day described at the time as a young instructor showing “tremendous promise” and achieving “an incalculable amount of good.” Summing up her visit graciously, Marshall said, “It is both
September 28: Brandon Williams ’92
MIKE CATANO
NICOLE PELLATON
“Who’s on the Supreme Court? Why does it matter?” With these questions, Adam Liptak, The New York Times Supreme Court correspondent, launched his fast-paced 40-minute assembly talk. Liptak set the context for Exonians by discussing how the current court differs from previous courts. First in its gender, ethnic and religious diversity. Second in its homogeneity: notably no members have run for elected office, and all have attended Harvard or Yale, he pointed out. To round out assembly, Liptak focused on the Supreme Court case Fisher v. Texas, which addresses affirmative action in the admissions policy at the University of Texas. Describing it as a “blockbuster,” Liptak advised Exonians to watch as the case unfolds, and predicted that the outcome of Fisher v. Texas would have an impact on college admissions across the country. During class, assembly and lunch with students, Liptak welcomed questions. Topics covered recent Supreme Court decisions (Citizens United, Affordable Health Care Act), First Amendment rights, affirmative action, and what it’s like to be a journalist. Liptak’s daughter Katie ’15 proudly introduced him at assembly, and his wife Dr. Jennifer Bitman ’80 accompanied him to campus.
because of my losses and in spite of them that I have been most fortunate in my life. . . . I’m also very thankful, today, for Exeter and its enduring friendship, and for you and your most kind attention.”