MIDDLEBURY — Longtime Addison County resident and writer (and Addison Independent sports columnist) Karl Lindholm will read from his memoir, “Also Plays: Stories from a Middlebury Life” on Sunday, March 17, at 4 p.m. at the Champlain Valley Unitarian-Universalist Society (CVUUS) in Middlebury.
“Also Plays” is a collection of over 100 stories, anecdotes, vignettes from Lindholm’s nearly half century at Middlebury College, from his time as a student (1963-67) to his retirement in 2011, and then on to his 50th reunion in June 2017.
Lindholm was described as “a Master Jack-of-all-Trades,” whose roles included Dean of Students, Study Abroad Adviser, Assistant Professor of American Studies, and Dean or Faculty Head in all five residential commons at Middlebury. He retired as the Emeritus Dean of Advising. 
His classmates at his reunion in June 2017 all received a copy of this memoir. 
“I laughed, reread passages, laughed some more, and, yes, was sad too at times,” said Lindholm’s classmate Carol Collin Little, M.D. as she described “Also Plays.” 
In his Introduction to Also Plays, Middlebury College historian David Stameshkin, writes: 
“Karl’s stories range from the loving, even sentimental portraits of classmates and colleagues to very funny experiences and very sad ones as well,” writes Middlebury College historian David Stameshkin in the introduction to “Also Plays.” “These stories are indeed a ‘view from the ground.’ I had trouble putting this book down and I think you will too.”
The first story explains the title of the memoir. Lindholm was on the basketball team as a student at Middlebury. One of his teammates got his hands on a scouting report of the Middlebury team from a friend at Trinity College (Hartford). 
Next to Lindholm’s name on the scouting report was simply, “Also Plays.”
“An apt description of my career at Middlebury,” he explained.
“Also Plays” includes stories of his beloved mentors, Erica Wonnacott of Weybridge, Dean of Students from 1969-88, and former MUHS Principal and Cornwall resident, Frank Kelley, Middlebury’s first Director of Residential Life. 
Lindholm’s time in the Dean of Students Offices coincided with the College’s decision to eliminate fraternities — and they certainly did not go away quietly. So a number of entries treat the so called “fraternity wars.” 
Lindholm’s four children, Jane, David (Midd ’05), Peter (Midd ’18), and Annie, were all born in Middlebury and they too find their way into his tales. 
Math Professor and Dean of Middlebury College from 1986-94 (and Lindholm’s boss during that time), John Emerson, found “Also Plays” “profoundly moving,  exceedingly well-written,  entertaining and thought-provoking.” Adding that “this book project contributes a great deal to the history, the lore — the very essence — of Middlebury College.”
Come hear Lindholm read and discuss on Saturday at CCVUUS, located in Middlebury at 2 Duane Court, near Middlebury Union High School. The Vermont Book Shop is sponsoring the event. For more info call CVUUS at (802) 388-8080.