'A Rose (or William Weld) by Any Other Name...'

Imagine never being denied a restaurant reservation, never having to wait in line and never having to pay full price--all on account of your name.

Sound too good to be true?

Well, not if your name happens to be William Weld--William C. Weld `94, that is.

Weld, who shares a name with Massachusetts Governor William F. Weld `66, says he refuses to use his name for an unfair advantage, but does admit to having a bit of fun.

"Though I always tell them the truth in the end," Weld says.

Though he faintly resembles the Governor, the Eliot resident is not related to him.

Convincing others of this is not always so easy.

When his first-year roommate attempted to explain Weld's identity to a misguided phone caller during the 1990 election, the angry caller replied, "So this is what he's resorted to. We'll see about this," before hanging up, Weld's roommate said.

Weld also tells of an employee at registration who asks every semester whether he has visited his "uncle" recently.

"I get calls from people who claim to be relatives and want to stop by. At first I tell them to talk to my secretary, but eventually I give them the right number," Weld says.

"Basically its entertaining to see how far you can lead someone on," he says.

All kidding aside, mistaken identity has its perks.

"Now that Weld is governor, I'm able to get reservations at restaurants a lot more easily," Weld says.

He recalls one incident in particular when, after leaving his name and American Express number at a sold out jazz club, he received a phone-call minutes later offering him a VIP table at his desired time.

"They were kind of upset when I told them," Weld says. But the restaurant honored his reservation nonetheless.

Surprisingly, though coincidences of this sort are aberrations, they may run in the Weld family. His father, William N. Weld `66, was a classmate of the Governor.

The governor was unavailable for comment as to whether he gets calls for the Harvard senior.