MiddBlog tweeted out about this a few days ago. But when things go viral, more of Midd should get in on the action. Jimmy Wong ’09.5 was the #1 most viewed musician on YouTube yesterday with his response to the “UCLA girl.” His video is almost up to a million views helping his budding acting/singing/improv/producing/etc. career. At Middlebury, Jimmy was involved with the Theatre and FMMC departments, sang lead in a band (The Gremlin’s Kremlin), and sang for several semesters with the Mamajamas. Below the original video and Jimmy’s response:
Brian Deese ’00 Credit: Official White House photo by Pete Souza
A quick congratulations to Brian Deese ’00 on being named Special Assistant to the President of the United States and Deputy Director of the National Economic Council. Deese is from Belmont, Mass. and while at Middlebury reportedly had a “college radio-show called ‘Bedknobs and Beatniks,’ which was described as a mix of news, music and banter,” according to WhoRunsGov.com. (tip via @BlakeRutherford)
Antoinette Rangel ’09, former Student Co-Chair of Community Council at Middlebury, is asked about her New Year’s resolution in this official White House video from a few weeks ago. She started as a press assistant recently. Start it about 4:07 just to see Antoinette. (tip via Vincent Recca ’12)
As stated in a previous post, the College recently announced that Governor Douglas will serve as Executive in Residence this J-Term. I talked with the Governor over Skype earlier this week about both the upcoming Residency and his student years. Take a look at the excerpts below or download an mp3 of the whole interview (lightly edited to remove greetings and some of my “ums”).
MiddBlog: What is the Residency, and how did it come about?
Governor Douglas: [President Liebowitz] asked me. Upon learning of my decision to leave government he suggested that [my] experience and knowledge might be of value to the College, and I jumped at the opportunity. I decided to offer a Winter Term course on Vermont government and politics, since that’s what I’ve been doing all these years.
MB: The College’s press release and an article in the Addison County Independent both mentioned that you’ll also be advising students who are interested in politics. What does that mean? Do you know what it means yet?
JD: That’s a part of the relationship with the College that’s still evolving. [I]t’s been a half-century since a Middlebury alumnus served as governor [Robert Stafford]. [T]he President and others on campus believe that the 38 years I’ve spent since leaving Middlebury [College] have been full of exciting opportunities and experiences, and they want to [give me] a chance to share them. We’ll see what develops in terms of exactly what role I’ll play.
MB: You’ve done a lot of public speaking, but what particular challenges do you anticipate from teaching?
JD: It’ll certainly be a different kind of experience, although I’ve been involved in a lot of interactive settings before. I could spend far more than the hours allotted telling war stories from my political career, but … I always want to be sure that what I have to say is of interest and relevant to the audience, so I hope the students will participate actively. … If I’m lucky, maybe I’ll get some good ideas from the students about where the state should go from here.
MB: Middlebury has a liberal student body; do you expect to be challenged on some issues by your students? Are you looking forward to it?
JD: We’re a liberal state, let alone the campus, so I’ve always had to swim upstream in my political career. [Vermonters] often are prepared to support someone even if they don’t agree with him or her on everything, as long as someone is straightforward and sincere. I certainly welcome whatever discussions might ensue.
MB: I’ve read that you were active in the College Republicans. Beyond that, what was your life like at the College?
It is with sadness that I report that Jeff Klein ’09 died this past Tuesday in Bear Mountain, New York near his hometown of Chappaqua. At Middlebury, many remember Jeff as living and breathing sports, particularly basketball. He was also as active as Middlebury students come in the classroom and outside of it. He was a Sports Editor and columnist at The Campus, penning the popular column “J.K. Rollin.” Jeff was a History major who completed his honors thesis on “The Ghetto Riots and Black Power Movement in 1960s America.” He graduated Magna Cum Laude in May 2009. After graduating, Jeff continued his passion for sports opinion and journalism with his blog titled simply, “Talkin’ Sports.” He was applying to law school after taking the LSATs and worked as a paralegal. Jeff was 23.
Some of his friends have graciously shared memories of Jeff with us. Here are a few excerpts:
Hussein Alramini ’09:
One night, during my sophomore year, I was walking to the Grille with my girlfriend at the time when we heard footsteps closing in on us from behind. We turned around and saw a guy carrying a snow shovel. He jokingly raised it and for a second gave us a scare, but for the rest of the night we laughed about it. For two years I knew him as “the shovel guy” and would laugh every time I remembered that night. But it wasn’t until senior year that I became friends with him. It was during that year that I realized what a nice person Jeff was. His sense of humor, above all, is what made him stand out for me. Jeff was on a mission to instill laughter in the life of those around him. For the rest of my life I will have a memory of him that will put a smile on my face. Thank you Jeff and rest in peace my friend.
Mohammed Almzayyen ’09:
…I’m pretty sure he didn’t miss a single college basketball game, even the trivial ones. I remember having three hour long dinners with him in Atwater dining hall and talking about politics, sports etc. Jeff was very outgoing and he genuinely loved his friends and Middlebury. He left us too early.
Logan Rutheford ’09:
Jeff and I lived next door to one another our senior year; I hadn’t met him before then. As my mother and I were moving in just before school began, Jeff came over to introduce himself. He was just so friendly; as he left the room, my mom said: “He’s a nice boy. You should be friends with him.” Over that next year we ate lunch and dinner together frequently. That friendly first impression turned out to be very accurate; Jeff was always nice to me and everyone I was around.
One funny memory occurred on the night of November 4, 2008. Jeff had been watching the election coverage somewhere else, and he came back into the dorm hooting and hollering because he was so excited about President Obama’s victory. He could hardly contain himself.
That “J. Douglas” listing in the Winter Course Schedule was who I thought it was.
An all-student email from President Liebowitz on Firday confirmed that Governor Douglas will indeed spend January at the College. He will teach a course called “Vermont Government and Politics” and write about his experiences during his career in Vermont politics.
At Middlebury, Douglas majored in Russian Studies. (What is it with important Midd alumni and Russian degrees? The President of NPR is a Summer Russian School alumna.) He took a number of PoliSci classes, from professors including Murray Dry. He was an active College Republican.
After graduating in 1972, Douglas went on almost immediately to win a seat in the Vermont House of Representatives — a pretty intense senior-year job search. By age 25, he had moved up to House Majority Leader. Before succeeding Howard Dean as Governor, Douglas served as a top aide to Governor Richard Snelling, as Vermont Secretary of State and as State Treasurer.
Douglas meets with Obama on the stimulus bill in 2009 (click image for source).
The Addison County Independent has already published an article about Governor Douglas’s upcoming residency at Midd. Here are some excerpts:
“I jumped at the opportunity [to teach the course],” Douglas said. “I feel I have something to offer the next generation of leaders.
“My ideas will be quite fresh,” he noted of what will be an almost immediate matriculation to the classroom from the governor’s office in the Pavilion Building in Montpelier. [...]
“Some people were expecting me to go on a cruise or take a long vacation,” Douglas noted of speculation surrounding his immediate exit plans. “But that’s not in my nature. I need to stay active to remain intellectually challenged.”
MiddBlog is hoping for a chance to talk with Douglas sometime soon. In the meantime, take a look at a few important moments in Douglas’s tenure as Governor (after the break):
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RT @emilyanne627: Had to read it for Brit lit junior year of high school. Not a fan. At all. Least favorite assigned reading ever, actually. - 5 hours ago
