Join the Herald and Seneca Scene as they trace one of the most altering times in America and its effect on the campus of Hobart and William Smith Colleges. Beginning in 1968 and continuing until 1972, Tommy Tongyai went to campuses all across upstate New York, riling up students and inciting violence. It wasn’t until he arrived on the HWS campus that the violence really started. Tongyai, better known as Tommy the Traveler, came during a time of Vietnam War protests and the counter-culture movement. It was a critical culture moment, one that would forever change Hobart and William Smith Colleges.
Episode 4: The Night that Sherrill Burned chronicles the fabled fire-bombing of the ROTC office in the basement of Sherrill Hall. This act was encouraged by Tommy the Traveler and was his first violent act on campus, which he recruited first-year students to carry out. It was also the first instance in which things began to get out of hand. The firebombing is the most well-known of Tommy’s acts today, but it was only the precursor to the drug aid of Superdorm five weeks later…
Listen to the first episode below and be sure to subscribe to The Seneca Scene on iTunes and on Spotify to stay updated on the Tommy the Traveler miniseries.
The Seneca Scene is the podcast for the Herald and is recorded each week on the campus of Hobart and William Smith Colleges.
That was pretty weird hearing Kathy Venturino’s voice. We lived together for almost 4 years. She was a real piece of work. I mean that in a nice way. Mostly.