A Williams Life
February 10, 2021
On January 22, 2021, longtime groundskeeper Jimmy Menard retired after 36 years with Williams. If you ever watched a soccer game, attended an alumni event or sat through commencement, chances are, Menard was working behind the scenes. Among other duties with athletics, he maintained natural grass and artificial turf playing fields, smoothed the ice at Lansing Chapman Rink, cleared snow during winter storms and prepared seating for special events. He saw multiple changes throughout his time at Williams, including nine presidents, and his fondness for the college might rival that of any Eph.
Even before he started working for Williams, Menard was a part of the college. Born and raised in the Berkshires, he was mentored by Williams students as a child in the Williamstown Boys’ Club, attended events on campus as a teenager and returned to seek employment after leaving the Marine Corps. But the recent loss of one of his friends to cancer and the thr