Glenn Close’s lasting ties to the W&M community
Close's Philosophy Notebook, 1971
Glenn Close Papers, Mss. 93 C62, Acc. 2010.601
I have felt in the years since I graduated an indestructible, visceral connection to this place and its people—a connection which is vital and real and which has sustained me through good times and bad.
- Glenn Close, 1989 W&M Commencement Address
During her student years, 1970-1974, Glenn Close formed close and meaningful relationships with William & Mary’s academic and creative communities. Her notebooks and plays from that time show her to have been a serious and talented student. And the copious notes and cards she received from fellow cast and crew members of William & Mary theater productions are a good indication of the supportive community she was a part of. Ever since graduation, Close has kept her connection to the college through campus visits and by delivering the commencement address in 1989. Howard Scammon, a Department of Theater professor from 1948-1976, who directed many of Glenn Close’s performances at William & Mary, corresponded with her throughout the years, maintaining a mentoring friendship, catching her up on Williamsburg happenings and analyzing her movies, TV shows, and plays. This exhibit examines Glenn Close’s enduring connections as a member of the Tribe through primary source documents in Swem Library’s Special Collections.
Curators: Steve Bookman, University Archives Specialist and Jennie Davy, Burger Archives Specialist; Exhibit design and installation: Jennie Davy; with assistance from Carleigh Branch, Undergraduate Student Assistant, Andrew Cavell, SCRC Graphics Assistant, Anna Wallace, Undergraduate Student Assistant, and Zach Woodward, Undergradutate Student Assistant.