"I think most people who attended Sewanee feel a real sense of loyalty to the University because they appreciate the friends they made and the great education they received."
If you’re looking for a good Sewanee love story, check with Larry Williams and Margo Johnson Williams, both C’81—but don’t expect a tidy Hollywood fairytale. Although the couple met as students, they didn’t start dating until 13 years after graduation. Their relationship began as a rekindled friendship, when both were working in Washington, D.C. After graduate school, Margo was living with three Sewanee friends and working for Georgetown University Medical Center. Larry moved back to the area after being employed on Capitol Hill and earning a JD from the University of Virginia. Before long, Larry started joining movie nights with Margo and her housemates. “This was back when people had to rent VHS tapes,” Larry says. “I would go to Margo’s house for movies and Chinese food. I was kind of an orphan—[Margo and her friends] took me in.” Eventually, Margo bought a townhouse down the street and their camaraderie developed into something more. “Margo invited me to come to Maine with a group of friends, and that’s where we fell in love.”
In a fitting new chapter, the Williamses recently moved to Freeport, Maine, from Alexandria, Virginia, following their retirement. Honoring their Sewanee ties, in 2023 they provided a major gift toward a scholarship endowment. “We had read about a general decline in college admissions, and that many colleges are starting to struggle,” Margo says. “We believe it’s important for Sewanee to have a strong endowment and to fund students who might not otherwise be able to attend [the University].” The Williamses also see scholarship funding as vital in bringing diverse voices and perspectives to the Mountain. “I think if you really want to provide the best possible educational environment, you need diversity,” Larry says. “And not just racial and ethnic [diversity], but also economic. You need to be able to see things from other people’s points of view.”
for a pose during their Sewanee days
At Sewanee, the Williamses say, they had plenty of friends in common but ran in different circles. As an English major, Margo says, “I took every Shakespeare class I could take.” Larry, who enrolled at Sewanee with his identical twin brother, Marc Williams, C’81, majored in political science. Before retiring, he worked for decades as a tax attorney for the federal government. Margo holds a master’s degree in health administration and served for 22 years as a manager with the American College of Physicians. The Williamses credit Sewanee with preparing them for their careers by promoting strong written and verbal expression. As a physician practice administrator, Margo says, “You have to communicate with doctors, patients, staff, hospital administrators, insurance companies, and regulators—so, good communication skills are essential.”
Larry was active in student government and pledged Phi Gamma Delta, but he jokes that he spent a good chunk of his extracurricular time sleeping in the main sitting area of Jessie Ball duPont Library. “My brother Marc slept there too,” he says. “So, people who didn’t know that we’re identical twins would see one of us and say, ‘There’s that guy who sleeps in the library all the time.’”
Margo didn’t indulge in as many naps on campus, but she could have justified an occasional midday snooze—at least during her senior year, when she and a friend hosted an early-morning radio show. “We had this whole catalog of albums, and we basically played whatever we felt like playing,” she says. She recalls that the show always ended with “Have You Seen Her?” by The Chi-Lites, as a friendly nod to the DJ who filled the next time slot. Margo also participated in Theta Pi, the canoe team, and club soccer, and she served as photo editor of The Sewanee Purple for a year. Building on photography skills she picked up from her brother, she taught herself to develop film and print photos. She also contributed her own snapshots to the paper, working alongside then-editor Andy Kegley, C’81.
Czarnetsky, C'80, caught in
conversation on campus
The Williamses both say they benefited from Sewanee’s small classes and deeply engaged professors. “The faculty were so accessible,” Larry says, adding that he especially enjoyed a calculus course with Professor of Mathematics Mac Priestley, C’62, who passed away in 2022. Larry notes Priestley authored the course’s textbook, which mixed qualitative and quantitative content. “Each chapter was a history lesson, covering where specific calculus concepts came from—primarily from the ancient Greeks. As a child, I loved history. [The textbook showed] how calculus developed and how it could be applied.”
During a dinner gathering at a professor’s house, Margo gained an unexpected Sewanee souvenir: a charming nickname. “The faculty member’s young child was there and couldn’t say ‘Margo,’” she says. “[The toddler] asked, ‘Can I call you ‘Go Go’?’ I said, ‘Sure!,’ and people picked up on it.”
The Williamses began giving back to Sewanee long before they settled into their careers. Margo says she started supporting the Sewanee Fund while she was an undergraduate, prompted by good-natured class rivalry. “When we were students, [the University] had giving competitions, and you wanted your class to win.” Larry notes that he and his brother, Marc, lived with Brent Minor, C’81, when Minor was class agent, right after graduation. “So, there was no question about whether or not I was giving.”
Jennifer Caldwell, C'11
The Williamses also describe their Sewanee philanthropy as a tribute to the connections they formed on the Mountain. Margo says she has maintained many close friendships from her Sewanee days and is currently in a Wordle group with former classmates. “We chat every morning after we finish the puzzle.” Larry observes that many Sewanee alumni feel a sense of loyalty “because they appreciate the friends they made and the great education they received. It’s easy to be loyal.”
Terri Griggs Williams, C’81, Sewanee’s associate vice president for advancement, agrees with her former classmate’s assessment. “In my experience, there’s a deep sense of fidelity among Sewanee alumni,” she says. “Giving back isn’t an obligation so much as an opportunity to make Sewanee’s magic accessible to as many students as possible. Larry and Margo’s wonderful gift will go a long way in doing just that.”
Park in December 2021
Arguably, no college experience is complete without a few hijinks, and being an identical twin offers good fodder for innocuous mischief. During their college days, Larry and Marc shared the Sewanee campus with another set of twins: Larry and Harry Cash, C’78. There was no mistaking one pair of brothers for the other. “Larry and Harry were on the basketball team and were about 6'6" or 6'7",” Williams says. “Marc and I are about 5'6".” During Marc and Larry’s freshman year, they decided to make the most of the double-twin situation. At Halloween, “Marc and I borrowed Larry and Harry’s basketball jerseys and shoes and khakis, and we dressed as Larry and Harry Cash.” The Cash brothers were amused, as Williams remembers—but they didn’t feel the need to dress as their shorter counterparts. “They had too much class,” he says. “And I don’t think they could have fit in our clothes!”
