A00416 - William Webster, R.I.P.
I noted with great interest the passing of William Webster, the former head of both the FBI and the CIA
William Webster's passing caught my attention because, somewhere in time, i seem to recall that William Webster was a distant cousin of my beloved suitemate and classmate, Christopher Webster. I hope that Chris will correct me if I am wrong, but the Webster family is quite prominent in the history of Amherst College so I think that my memory may be correct.
What is undeniable is that William Webster was a product of Amherst College. Originally in the Class of 1945, his World War II service delayed his graduation until 1947. I will not repeat what the obituary and wikipedia article fully document. But what I will note is a rather remarkable panel discussion held in 2000 at the Amherst College Class Reunion for those whose Class Years end in 0 and 5. It was the first time I attended such a Class Reunion and one of the most remarkable panel discussions that was held that year involved William Webster, Amherst College Class of 1945, along with his classmate, Stansfield Turner, Amherst College Class of 1945,
and John Deutch, Amherst College Class of 1960,
These three men were chosen to serve on the same panel because they all were former directors of the Central Intelligence Agency.
I do not remember what was said. But I recall being overwhelmed that such a small college like Amherst College could produce three men who held the highest security post in the land.
Terras Irradient
Everett "Skip" Jenkins
Class of 1975
August 9, 2025
Comments
Post a Comment