Remembrances

Today marks a very sad anniversary, the one year anniversary of Will's passing. Although it's been awhile since our last update, this blog has served some very important purposes over the last year. We established The William Nicholas Liberi ’05 Prize for TLGBQ Activism and Scholarship, and we awarded the first prize at the Wells College Honors Convocation last Spring. We also raised nearly $2000 in funding, so we know that that prize will have funding to continue on, at least in the near future.

But, perhaps more importantly, the blog provided a space for us to grieve collectively for our friend and former classmate. It has given us a space to voice our remembrances in the company of others who knew Will well. In a way that many of our friends outside of Wells just couldn't understand.

I know that this anniversary day brings back for me a lot of the same feelings I had when I found out about Will's death almost a year ago. I hope that as those feelings come up again for others around this anniversary date that this blog can again be a space for us to share our memories and our grief.

And for people who want to do more than share their memories, there remains an opportunity to join the Advisory Board for The William Nicholas Liberi ’05 Prize for TLGBQ Activism and Scholarship, and help decide who on campus should receive the prize. And of course, there is also the opportunity to donate to the prize once again, to help make sure that Will is honored through the giving of this prize for years to come.

Let the Nominations Begin!

We are very excited to announce that the selection committee is now accepting nominations for this year's prize recipient! Nominations are being conducted via email, so please use the following description and instructions for your nominations:

The William Nicholas Liberi ’05 Prize for TLGBQ Activism and Scholarship is to be awarded annually to a current student in good academic standing who has demonstrated a commitment to transgender and queer issues, especially through hir services as an ally to the Transgender, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Queer and Allies (TLGBQA) community via activism, visibility, literary, or artistic endeavors.


To nominate an individual for this prize please send the individual’s name, along with a description of how you believe the student has demonstrated hir commitment to TLGBQ issues, and why ze should be considered for this award to Lisa Hall at lhall@wells.edu.

Please submit all nominations by April 15th, 2008.


(Selection committee members stay tuned! We will convene before April 21st to select the recipient; details to follow.)

The Prize Fund Keeps Growing

Over the last few weeks we've seen many donations come in in memory of Will, in response to the college's final approval of the prize. If you haven't donated, get your donations in. You can click on the link below the thermometer to donate, or send a check to:

Gift Accountant
Development Office
Wells College
Aurora, NY 13026

Make sure to include with the check the information that the check is meant to go to the Will Liberi '05 Memorial Prize Fund.

So far the prize has received nearly $2000 from 26 generous donors. Help us to expand the prize and to ensure that it will be available to students for years to come by making your donation now.

If you don't want to donate, but do want to be part of the prize in memory of Will, contact Carrie Elliott or Katie Fong about joining the prize's advisory board.

Well College Approves The William Nicholas Liberi '05 Memorial Prize for TLGBQ Activism and Scholarship

And the good news is in! After several months of work Wells College has accepted the terms of The William Nicholas Liberi '05 Memorial Prize for TLGBQ Activism and Scholarship. The terms of the prize are listed below, now all that's left to do is make your donation!



Wells College

Permanent Prize Record

(Income restricted – Prizes)

Fund Name: The William Nicholas Liberi '05 Memorial Prize for TLGBQ Activism and Scholarship

Contact Persons: Katie Fong '06 and Carrie Elliott '05

Date Fund Established: October, 2007 (Note: Prize details to be reviewed and updated in 2012 by the selection committee)

Sponsor(s) or Donor(s): Annually, friends and classmates of Will Liberi

Purpose of Fund: To honor Transgender, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Queer and Allies (TLGBQA) activism within the Wells College community

Description of Fund/Criteria for recipient: This prize will be awarded annually to a current student in good academic standing who has demonstrated a commitment to transgender and queer issues, especially through hir services as an ally to the Transgender, Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Queer and Allies (TLGBQA) community via activism, visibility, literary, or artistic endeavors.

Criteria for recipient: This prize may be awarded to a current student in good academic standing.

Selection of recipient: The recipient will be chosen by a group of 7 individuals in the Wells community who comprise the William Nicholas Liberi Memorial Fund Advisory Board. The Advisory Board will include a representative of the Dean of Students Office, two members of the student body (one representing Q&A*, and one representing Sex Collective*), the current faculty member assigned to instruct W401*, the previous years' recipient** of the William Nicholas Liberi '05 Memorial Prize and an alumna or alumnus of Wells College designated by the Advisory Board. Additionally, Nicklin Eldon Heap '02 will serve as a representative with the committee until 2012, with ongoing participation optional.

The amount of the prize will vary depending on funds given each year. The minimum amount will be $250.

The Prize is Growing

More donations have been coming in for the prize, so don't forget to check back regularly. We will update the fundraising totals as often as we receive updates from Pettibone. And don't forget to send us an e-mail and let us know if you want to be on the board of rotating alums and former class members of Will's who help decide the recipient of the prize each year. You can let us know to add you to the list by posting on the blog or by e-mailing us at willmemorial@gmail.com.

Will's work honored in Burlington, VT

Eliza Heppner '06 reports that a broadside printed by Will at the Wells Book Arts Center will be displayed in an art show honoring people of trans identity at Vermont's R U 1 2? Queer Community Center, where Eliza works as Resource Coordinator. The broadside, which showcases a poem by S. Bear Bergman, is on loan from Tiffany Silliman '04, who also resides in Burlington. R U 1 2? will host a Transgender Day of Remembrance event on November 17th which will include a memorial service and a keynote speaker in addition to the art show. If you'll be in the Burlington area this weekend, be sure to check it out. For more details, visit www.ru12.org.

Don't forget that if you're attending an event and would like to help spread the word about Will's prize fund, you can download our flier from here (see entry dated October 15th)--we'll have a permanent link to download the flier up shortly.

Stay tuned for more updates, we expect news about the prize description approval soon.

SU Mourns Will

Yesterday afternoon Syracuse University, where Will attended graduate school, held a memorial for him at Hendrick's Chapel organized by the university's LGBT resource center. For more information, check out this article published today in the Daily Orange.

The memorial prize we are organizing in Will's name was mentioned both in the program for the event and during the service.