I quit Clarkson after Junior year in the spring of 1973. When my father died unexpectedly at age 55 in September of that year, I was glad that I was home for this traumatic and life-changing event and not away at school. In the wake of my father’s death, I decided I wanted to go back to Clarkson, change majors, and complete my BS. Clarkson accepted me back with, basically, no questions asked. I resumed pursuit of my Clarkson degree in January 1974, graduating in 1975.
In my senior year, I volunteered and served as assistant coach of Clarkson’s first women’s hockey team. My family has a history of women moving our country closer to gender equity, and I was thrilled to be associated with the first team in a program that has now won 3 NCAA Division 1 championships for Clarkson. This year is the 50th Anniversary of both Title IX and the Clean Water Act — my favorite year for legislation. In my free time over the past 30 years, I have co-founded a non-profit named Friends of the Presumpscot River here in Maine and applied my 3 years as a physics major to restoring the river and bringing back runs of diadromous fish to rebuild the fisheries in the river and the Gulf of Maine. So, I also appreciate the River Institute in Beacon and hope to visit or even become associated in some capacity one day.
Enjoy your coming years at Clarkson, root for Tech’s sports teams, and make sure Clarkson helps with any ecological needs the Raquette River may have these days.
Best,
Will Plumley ’75