Kudos to Trustee Paul Neely ‘68 for a new gift. Morty writes:

More recently, trustee and Williams Campaign co-chair Paul Neely ’68 endowed the J. Hodge Markgraf ’52 Professorship, a chair that recognizes the strength of our faculty and honors Hodge, who set a particularly high standard. The professorship will be awarded to a faculty member in any field who displays the “strikingly balanced skills of scholarly excellence and high citizenship that Hodge Markgraf did for almost 60 years.” As Paul Neely himself wrote, “There is no question that Hodge set the most brilliant combined example of scholarship, teaching, and citizenship within the memory of anyone alive today. That is what should be honored.” I am delighted that Hodge’s example will now be perpetuated by the generosity of Paul, who has himself set a similarly high standard of alumni commitment to Williams.

Indeed on both counts. Hodge displayed exceptional kindness and patience in sharing his wisdom with generations of Williams students and alumni, EphBlog included. He is sorely missed by all who knew him. Although there is nothing wrong with naming a professorship after oneself or one’s family, Neely deserves special praise for memorializing Hodge in this way.

Nominations for who should be honored with this chair are welcome in the comments. Who among Williams faculty today best exemplifies “most brilliant combined example of scholarship, teaching, and citizenship?” I’ll start the bidding with Professor Will Dudley ‘89, whose service on CUL during the transition to neighborhood housing was Ghandi-esque, whose excellent scholarship continues with a new book on German Idealism, and whose teaching is fast becoming legendary.

But few fights are as fun on EphBlog as those over which professor is best. If not Dudley, then who?