All posts by Rick Teller '70

Rick Teller grew up on the Williston Academy campus and is a member of the illustrious Class of 1970. He studied music, religion, and history at Vassar College ('74) and librarianship and ethnomusicology at the University of Michigan (AMLS, '78). He is a former librarian at Williston Northampton and, from 1995 until his retirement in 2020, the school's archivist.

How the Grinch Stole Easthampton

By Rick Teller '70 with Dr. Charles D. Cohen
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A post-seasonal editorial.

[The opinions expressed here are the author’s own.  Special thanks to Charles D. Cohen and Patrick Brough for their contributions to this post.]

The story has been around for years.  Supposedly the Town (now City) of Easthampton and Mount Tom were Dr. Seuss’s inspiration for Whoville and Mt. Crumpit in the classic children’s book, How the Grinch Stole Christmas.   Back in 2009, a surge in the currency of this suburban legend prompted me to ask a friend, Charles D. Cohen, whether there was any legitimacy to the story.  It was not an idle question; Dr. Cohen is Theodor Geisel’s biographer (The Seuss, the Whole Seuss, and Nothing But the Seuss: A Visual Biography of Theodor Seuss Geisel, Random House, 2004) and possibly the leading authority on All Things Seuss.  Dr. Cohen responded,

The first thing I should point out is that whether you have the Grinch atop Mt. Crumpit, or King Derwin on his mountain looking down into the valley where Bartholomew Cubbins lived, or Yertle sitting on top of a skyscraper of turtles, there are plenty of similar images in Ted Geisel’s work. However, I’m not familiar with the notion that the Grinch story was based on something involving Mt. Tom specifically.

I do know that Ted had visited Mt. Tom — his senior picnic was held there on 09/23/1920. And he did have an uncanny memory for images. But I’m not aware of anything special that ever happened to him involving Mt. Tom that would be the genesis for the Grinch story.

In fact, in How the Grinch Stole Christmas! A 50th-Anniversary Retrospective (Random House, 2007), I believe that my contention was that the Grinch living on a mountain looking down on the village below was reflective of Ted Geisel living atop Mt. Soledad and looking down on the village of La Jolla down below. We know that the Grinch was modeled on Ted, himself. For example, in the book and in the 1966 cartoon, the Grinch says, “For fifty-three years I’ve put up with it now! I MUST stop this Christmas from coming! . . . But HOW?”  The book was published in 1957, when Ted, not coincidentally, was 53 years old. There are several other bits of information on this subject in my retrospective, but that should give you the idea.

That apparently satisfied my interest at the time.  But a few weeks ago, the story reasserted itself.  This time it spread rapidly on Facebook.  Suddenly, Easthamptonites wanted to celebrate.  Shortly before Christmas there was a well-attended rally on the Town Common, attended by a number of city politicians and the green fellow himself, apparently in competition with Santa Claus.

(Patrick Brough)
(Patrick Brough)

The best I can say is that it was good for local business, people were enjoying themselves, and it was probably harmless.  Why they would want the distinction of living in Whoville, I don’t know.  I’m reminded of the joy in Springfield, Vermont, a few years ago when, following a competition among several Springfields, the town was designated the model for the city of Springfield in The Simpsons.  It didn’t seem entirely complimentary . . . although I’m told that doughnut sales soared. Continue reading →

Posted in: Archivist's Bookshelf, Easthampton History, Guest Bloggers, Local History, Opinions & Rants

Critical Mass

By Wentworth Durgin '68
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Most recently Worthy Durgin headed community foundations in Greensboro and Cary, North Carolina.  Now retired, he is “immersed in spiritual quest and writing.”  A couple of years back, he sent Richard Gregory several perceptive vignettes of Williston life back in the sixties.  Dick, who has contributed several memoirs of his own, shared Worthy’s words with the Archives.  My thanks for Worth’s permission to publish this! — RT

Worth Durgin '68
Worthy Durgin ’68

The old gym was an outgrown, but proud building.  The basketball court was directly above the swimming pool.  During wrestling matches, when our senior heavyweight wrestler, who was deaf, wrestled, all the students there would jump and stomp in cadence so that he could feel our support, since he could not hear our cheers.  The void of the pool beneath the floor amplified the waves of exhortation.  (The common effect of this cacaphony, coupled with the knowledge that if this strong guy could not hear the cheers, he likely could not hear a potential injury-saving whistle either, led to many an expression of relief on opposing wrestlers’ faces, once they had been pinned.)  Often this was the deciding match in a meet.  But we could never carry the big guy off the mat on our shoulders — he was huge, and flaunting victory was not his style.

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Posted in: Alumni & Alumnae, Guest Bloggers, Memoirs, Sports History, Student Life, Williston Academy

Thanksgiving, 1885

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wardman thanksgiving 1
Thanksgiving, 1885. (Click on all images to enlarge.)

Thanksgiving, a national holiday since 1863, had special significance in Massachusetts, its state of origin.  But the tradition of a school vacation is relatively recent.  In the 19th century Williston Seminary celebrated the day, but that was all. Still, Seminary students welcomed any holiday.

George Benjamin Wardman, class of 1889, kept a scrapbook of his first two years at Williston, which he entered in the fall of 1885.  It is a fascinating collection.  Wardman saved printed memorabilia of debates, theatrical events (to which he happily journeyed significant distances), ballgames, dances, musical entertainments, the occasional restaurant meal – all in all, evidence of a student deeply committed to every aspect of school life except, perhaps, the academic program.

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Posted in: Alumni & Alumnae, Student Life, Williston Seminary

The Old Neighborhood, 1844

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campus 1841
“View of Williston Seminary, East Hampton, Mass., Showing Part of the Village, with Mount Tom in the Distance.” [Click to enlarge.]
The image above is of an 1844 lithograph by Edmund Burke Kellogg and Elijah Chapman Kellogg of Hartford, Conn.  The Kellogg brothers were prolific publishers of scenic, historical, and sentimental prints, active from 1830 until 1900, second in popularity only to the rival firm of Currier & Ives.  The print measures 18 x 14 inches, and was published in two states, the color lithograph shown here, and a monochrome version.  (Our reproduction leaves off the lengthy title for no better reason than the entire sheet would not fit on the Archives’ scanner.)

It is probably the earliest published image of Easthampton; certainly of Williston Seminary.  The vantage point is West Street, on the bluff above the Manhan River, which is visible in the middle foreground.  At this time none of the later construction—Shop Row, the Town Hall, etc.—had even been contemplated.  Open land, most of it the village common, ran right down to the riverbank.

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Posted in: Campus and Building History, Easthampton History, Local History, Williston Seminary