Eliot Coleman Jr., Class of 1961

The term “celebrity farmer” verges on oxymoron except in regard to you. A self-described hippie, you pursued rock climbing, skiing, and mountaineering before deciding that your next adventure would be, with no training or experience, to turn a rocky, wooded tract on coastal Maine into a working farm. With a book in one hand and a tool in the other, you cleared the land, developed the fertility of the soil, and experimented, experimented, and experimented until the operation could finally live up to its name, audacious at that latitude, of Four Season Farm. You designed new hand tools and proved the power of hoop houses to expand the productivity of farms beyond the traditional growing season. In essence, you provided the model for small-scale, sustainable agriculture, based on the premise that the Earth is generous, if we treat it right. You have since spread this model through your worldwide consulting, your relentless schedule of speaking engagements, the ten years of programming produced with your wife on The Learning Channel, and your books, which are considered the Bibles of the burgeoning movement to return agriculture to its local, sustainable roots. Coleman hoop houses now grace the White House grounds. And when you arrive at a local farming conference anywhere in the world, it’s as if Beyoncé had walked into the room.

In recognition of your distinguished achievement in sustainable farming, Williams College is proud to honor you with its Bicentennial Medal.

September 17, 2016