Middlebury Magazine

  • Recent Stories
  • Menu
    • Features
    • Pursuits
    • Q&A
    • Review
    • Old Chapel
    • Road Taken
    • Podcasts
    • Videos
    • How Did You Get Here Series
    • About
    • Advertising
    • Contact
    • Support
    • Writers’ Guidelines
  • Search

Midd Moment: Season One Podcasts

Midd Moment, Ep. 9 featuring voices from Reunion Weekend

A mini-episode featuring a collage of voices from Reunion Weekend.

By Middlebury Magazine Staff
December 10, 2019
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • Email icon

“People had been sitting there for an hour and Dick Gregory was the featured speaker that evening, but he hadn’t arrived and he actually got off a bus and walked up from the bus station in town up to Mead Chapel in blue jeans and a dungaree jacket and just walked straight in, right up to the podium, and delivered a two-hour spellbinding presentation.”
—Tom McNeill ’74

Laurie Patton:  A Midd Moment is when you have to stop, pause, and contemplate the fact that you’re part of such an amazing community. It could be the moment when you’re walking the three members of the class of the 70th Reunion up the aisle; the entire Mead Chapel is thumping on their canes and cheering. One of them looks up at me and says, “I’m not staying in my wheelchair for the first woman president of Middlebury.” There’s so many moments like this, and they’re not just the national championship moments. They’re not just the award moments. They are the everyday moments where things come together in a particularly Middlebury way that inspires us all.

Johanna:          Hi, my name’s Johanna Smith, also known as Joey. I was Class of 1973, and I’m here with one of my two daughters who went to Middlebury. I’m helping take care of her children at her Reunion so she can enjoy the Reunion. To me that’s a Middlebury moment because Middlebury is so full of families that had children go to Middlebury, had cousins go to Middlebury. It’s a very family-oriented experience to me, so I’m back after 46 years with my daughter at her 15th, enjoying every moment.

Interviewer:     Thank you so much.

Tom:                Tom McNeill, Class of 1974. I remember the moment, it was actually in Mead Chapel, which was packed just like it was today. I’m not exactly sure what year it was, I think it might’ve been ’73, but Mead Chapel was packed. All of the surrounding balconies, the whole place was packed. People had been sitting there for an hour and Dick Gregory was the featured speaker that evening, but he hadn’t arrived and he actually got off a bus and walked up from the bus station in town up to Mead Chapel in blue jeans and a dungaree jacket and just walked straight in, right up to the podium, and delivered a two-hour spellbinding presentation. He went straight for two hours and people were just unbelievably responsive to his presentation. It was a great Middlebury event.

Interviewer:     It sounds like a sight to behold. Thank you so much.

Mason:             I’m Mason Arndt. I’m graduating in 2021. My Midd Moment is every Monday and Wednesday when I’d be a language table TA and I would see such a diverse amount of kids. So many kids come through and speak Spanish and all the other kids that came to all the other language tables as well. To me it’s my Midd Moment because it shows what’s unexpected about people and how many people have different talents that you wouldn’t expect.

Ellie:                Ellie Krause, Eleanor, year 2014. So my freshman year, like two months in, my dad died, and I came back to school and this community created a place where I could heal and grow and truly become my fullest self. And I’ve always wanted to thank Middlebury for creating the space for that and never had the opportunity. So I’m really grateful to all the people who truly supported me and were there for me.

Henry:              Okay. So my name is Henry Bell, Class of 2014. My Midd Moment comes from my freshman year. I was in Battell, just the best freshman dorm you can have, and I would get back from a late night. Maybe I was at a party, maybe I was studying, whatever it was. I’d roll into my dorm and into my double, and my roommate would be there. He’d be a little out of it. He’d be watching Friday Night Lights on his computer with a giant gallon jug of peanut butter and a spoon. He would be going to town, and he would finish this gallon jug of peanut butter in one night’s sitting. He probably watched like six episodes of Friday Night Lights and wake up in the morning and he’d have that gallon jug of peanut butter totally licked clean in his trashcan. He’d be like, “Dude, why’d you eat all my peanut butter?” He would have zero recollection that he had polished his entire gallon of peanut butter. This was a regular thing. The trashcan would have like three empty jugs of peanut butter in it. I kid you not. Great, great freshman roommate experience.

Interviewer:     Yo.

Speaker 8:        Hello.

Interviewer:     So these are my roommates. Don’t actually put this in the podcast because we aren’t supposed to be on this. This is Elaine.

Speaker 8:        Hey.

Interviewer:     This is Isa.

Speaker 9:        Hi.

Interviewer:     This is Jocelyn.

Speaker 10:      Hi.

Interviewer:     Do you guys have any Midd Moments to share?

Speaker 9:        Nah.

Speaker 8:        I feel like you should talk about your experience like just—

Interviewer:     Yeah, what’s your Reunion experience? How did you game Reunion?

Speaker 8:        We talked to a friend and they gave us fake name tags and we just snuck in to get some food. We’re having a great time.

Interviewer:     Sounds awesome. What a wonderful Midd Moment. Again, please don’t put this in the podcast.

Patricia:           My name is Patricia Sherlock Davidson and I was in the Class of ’59. I’m back for my 60th Reunion and having a wonderful time. One of the main moments for me was that I was in the first class that was allowed to do honors theses, and so that really launched my career of doing research and getting my doctorate and just continuing research and writing, and I felt I learned so much from Middlebury. Then I was honored to be on the Board of Trustees and to get one of their alumni awards, which was very meaningful to me. So all of that is precious, and this weekend has been a wonderful time to see so many classmates and good friends.

Speaker 12:      Thank you to everyone who shared their Middlebury moments at this year’s Reunion. If you’re just joining us, make sure to subscribe to Midd Moment, where you can hear conversations between Middlebury alum and friends and our own president and professor of religion, Laurie Patton. Thanks for listening.


You can subscribe to Midd Moment at Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, or Spotify. We encourage you to do so today!

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

You must be logged in to post a comment.

Recent Stories

Features

More Than a Game

In a critically acclaimed work of nonfiction, Abe Streep '04 introduces readers to the Arlee Warriors, a high school basketball team on a Native American reservation in Montana, where life's challenges are abundant.

By Alexander Wolff
Photograph by Devin Yalkin
October 21, 2022

Munya Munyati Has A Few Stories to Tell

Catching up with a young filmmaker who is rapidly making a name for himself at Vice.

By Mara Dolan
Film stills by Munya Munyati
September 16, 2022

Reverberations

A transcontinental move, a career discovered, a landmark speech studied and translated—and an identity reshaped.

By Clara Clymer, MA Translation '22
Illustration by Anna Gusella
April 2, 2022

The Road(s)

A little over a year ago, a writing student headed south to Florida for no other reason than J-Term was forced to go remote. She soon found herself reporting on an environmental justice battle that was roiling the state.

By Alexandra Burns '21.5
Illustrations by Yevgenia Nayberg
March 2, 2022

Dispatches

The Repatriation

The Leopard Head Hip Ornament returns to Africa.

By Jessie Raymond '90
Courtesy Middlebury Museum of Art
February 16, 2023

Adventures in Filmmaking

Two professors and an alum have embarked on a journey to take a screenplay from its creation to the end product of a full-length feature film.

By Sara Thurber Marshall
Still Photograph from The Swim Lesson Proof of Concept
February 14, 2023

A Night Out

For one evening in December, Atwater dining hall hosted a student-dining experience unlike any other.

By Caroline Crawford
Photographs by Paul Dahm
January 20, 2023

Finding His Way

What happens when your identity is stolen—not by another person but by your own body?

By Sara Thurber Marshall
December 15, 2022

A Natural Selection

For more than a quarter century, Stephen Trombulak— now an emeritus professor of biology and environmental studies—guided students in avian research on a parcel of College land hard by Otter Creek. This preserved area now bears his name.

By Jessie Raymond '90
Photography by Paul Dahm
November 18, 2022

The Utterly Fascinating Life of Howie McCausland

He saves lives. He brought the Internet to Middlebury. He has a degree in astrophysics. And he loves to fish. Yes, this is a true story.

By Jessie Raymond '90
Illustration by John S. Dykes
September 16, 2022

It’s a New Day at the Museum of Art

Reimagining what an art museum can and should be.

By Jessie Raymond '90
Art courtesy of the Middlebury College Museum of Art
June 30, 2022

First Aid

Their projects span the globe—from Kenya to Haiti to the United States. As the 2021-22 academic year came to a close, a cohort of students gathered to discuss what having a social impact really means.

By Sara Thurber Marshall
Illustration by Brian Stauffer
June 28, 2022

The Case of the Purloined Onions

Onions have been disappearing from Middlebury's garden. Now, a team of undergraduate sleuths are honing in on a lineup of suspects.

By Andrew Cassel
Illustration by Naomi Ann Clarke
June 21, 2022
View All

Pursuits

Public Defender

On becoming one of the country's foremost cybersecurity experts.

By Jessie Raymond '90
Illustration by Neil Webb
April 14, 2022

Q&A

The Making of a Teacher

Hebrew Professor Michal Strier reflects on her life an education—in Israel and the States—a journey that led the Language School instructor to the undergraduate College for the first time this year.

By Jessie Raymond '90
Photograph by Paul Dahm
May 19, 2022

Editor’s Note

A Brilliant Fogg

Saying goodbye to a dear colleague and friend.

By Matt Jennings
Illustration by Jody Hewgill
February 25, 2020

Old Chapel

Making Democracy Real

An Update on Our Conflict Transformation Initiative

By Laurie L. Patton
Illustration by Montse Bernal
January 20, 2023

Road Taken

What to Wear Now

Through accrued life experiences, a writer discovers that a common question has become a statement of identity.

By Samantha Hubbard Shanley ’99
Illustration by Naomi Clarke
March 11, 2021

Quotation

A summer immersed in a language can do wonders, as veterans of Middlebury College’s famous language-learning program can attest. The lockdown is clearly going to amount to the equivalent of about two summers, and there are mini-Middleburys happening in millions of houses worldwide.”

—John McWhorter, writing “The Coronavirus Generation Will Use Language Differently” in the Atlantic.

Podcasts

Introducing Midd Moment: Season 3

Coming this spring, season three of Midd Moment.

By Middlebury Magazine Staff
March 31, 2023

Alone Together, Ep. 9 with Jessica St. Clair ’98 and Dan O’Brien ’96

Dan O'Brien ’96, a playwright and poet, and Jessica St. Clair ’98, a comedian and writer, join President Patton for our final check in with the community during COVID-19 self-isolation. Dan and Jessica are a true power couple in the arts that met in a Middlebury improv group. They discuss Dan's magazine essay "Life Shrinks: Lessons from Chemo Quarantine," how reopening the country feels a lot like remission, and how their art is evolving to reflect the pandemic.

By Middlebury Magazine Staff
June 15, 2020

Alone Together, Ep. 8 with Dick Clay, Covid-19 Survivor

In this episode, Dick Clay, a student at the Bread Loaf School of English, shares his story of recovering from COVID-19. Dick discusses when the seriousness of the virus hit him, the "wilderness path to recovery," and how he will process this experience through writing.

By Middlebury Magazine Staff
June 8, 2020

Review

Heart and Soul(s)

Funny and touching, this story centers on a small town and the escapades of its inhabitants—both living and dead.

By Sara Thurber Marshall
Illustration by Miki Lowe
March 29, 2023

How Did You Get Here?

Megan Job

By Alexandra Burns '21
February 15, 2021

Leif Taranta

By Alexandra Burns '21
February 15, 2021

Mikayla Haefele

By Alexandra Burns '21
February 15, 2021

Videos

Pomp and Unusual Circumstances

As viewed from above.

By Chris Spencer
June 1, 2021

Davis the Owl Returns Home

Having recovered from life-threatening injuries, a beautiful winged creature is released to its natural habitat.

By Andrew Cassell
April 22, 2021

In the Blink of an Eye

Gone in less than a minute—the middle of June 2019 to the middle of June 2020, as viewed from the rooftop of the Mittelman Observatory.

By Middlebury Magazine Staff
Video by Jonathan Kemp/Mittelman Observatory
June 10, 2020
Middlebury College
  • Alumni
  • Newsroom
  • Contact Us
  • icon-instagram

The views presented are not necessarily those of the editors or the official policies of the College.

© 2023 Middlebury College Publications.