The Great Dartmouth
Class of 1956 Internet Home Page
the very first Dartmouth Class home page on the Internet [originating in 1995]
Updated 1/6/2009 at 1700 hours Nantucket time (EST)
From our ALUMNI FUND HEAD AGENT: Don DAVIDOFF (ddavidof@nycap.rr.com; 518-765-3041)
A very happy and joyous Holiday season to you and yours!
The 09 Annual fund is underway, and many of you have already sent in your gifts, for which I thank you. The College, more than ever, needs our support this time. The economy has diminished our still substantial Endowment, resulting in a series of prudent management decision, while at the same time honoring the promise to provide appropriate support for our students. It is interesting to note that, so far, the number of donors is ahead of last year, but the dollar amounts are down slightly. Our primary objective, following our very successful 50th, has been and will continue to be participation. I hope that you will pitch in to help us, and the College.
Here’s my prayer: May the coming year be one of hope and good health for you and yours! Thanks! - Don
Dartmouth Alumni Leadership Proposes to Simplify Trustee Elections
November 10, 2008
Dear Dartmouth Alumnus/a:
The number of members of the Board of Trustees nominated through alumni elections and the manner in which elections are conducted are matters of great importance to all concerned. Working together over the past several months, the combined leadership of the Association of Alumni and the Alumni Council has developed a proposed amendment to the constitution of the Association of Alumni. We sincerely believe the amendment will both (1) simplify, clarify, and strengthen the election process; and (2) help to advance our continuing discussions with the Board of Trustees about the prospect of increasing the number of alumni-nominated trustees.
The amendment we are proposing will:
* simplify voting by adopting a one person/one vote procedure * preserve unchanged the ability of petitioners to run in alumni trustee elections * assure that the winner receives a majority of the total votes cast
With this amendment, the Alumni Council will first nominate either one or two candidates for each vacancy. Assuming, based on consistent recent history, that at least one petition candidate will thereafter also be nominated, we expect that this procedure will promote head to head elections. Alumni will cast only one vote for each vacancy according to the familiar, well-understood one person/one vote procedure. If there are three or more candidates for any one vacancy and no one receives an absolute majority of the votes cast, there will be a runoff election between the top two vote getters, thereby assuring that the winner will receive a majority of the votes cast.
Visit www.alumni.dartmouth.edu/aoa/proposedamendment to view a full copy of the amendment.
In recent trustee elections, only 28 percent of alumni have voted. We believe that by simplifying and clarifying election procedures so that everyone understands them, we can achieve a broader participation in these vitally important elections.
Your Alumni Council representatives will be happy to respond to any questions or comments you may have about this proposal. Find your representatives online at www.alumni.dartmouth.edu/councilrep. (The Council will discuss the amendment at its December 4, 2008, biannual meeting.)
It is our goal to promote an atmosphere of collegiality and mutual respect among all of us who want to see Dartmouth endure and prosper. We believe that our proposed amendment will advance this worthy objective. The amendment will appear on the Association of Alumni ballot in the spring of 2009.
We would be grateful for your consideration and support.
Sincerely,
John H. Mathias Jr. '69
President, Dartmouth Association of Alumni
John B. Daukas Jr. '84
President, Dartmouth Alumni Council
FLASH NEWS:
Class Meeting Friday 1/30/09, 4 to 6 PM Yale Club NYC, either 17th or 18th floor, ask. Cocktails after, cash bar, and dinner in the Tap Room. Need a count for dinner reservations so email Roger Schumacher rsschu@verizon.net or call 609 291-8688 by 1/15/09.
The Yale Club is unfortunately sold out that weekend, even to its short-sized Dartmouth members, so we can't stay the night there. Hon. Ed. has booked two nights for himself and his wife 4 blocks away at THE BARCLAY NEW YORK, 111 EAST 48TH ST • NEW YORK CITY, NY, 10017-1297; Front Desk: +1-212-7555900 • Fax: +1-212-6440079; Internet bookings: http://tinyurl.com/6l72vg. You might wish to do the same there or at some other hotel more posh than the aging Yale Club.
If enough people are interested Rosie will make arrangements for a show on Saturday, 1/31/09 at a Shubert Theater. Need to get your info on that by the end of the year. Again, if we get enough people, one of our Classmates has offered to host a Sunday Brunch for the group, so let me know if you wish to attend that by the end of the year also. Looking forward to a good turnout. Roger Schu
PS: Ask me about our Morocco trip!
Click here to return to Dartmouth
Submissions are now being accepted for the February 2009 WWW. Send historic Class photos, news releases, or personal postings to Hon. Ed. at flintr@denby.com. Deadline is January 2, 2009 or before.
President Clem's PROPOSAL FOR SUPPORT OF VETERANS AT DARTMOUTH
In October 2007, at Homecoming, the Class of 1956 invited three wounded Marine veterans who had entered Dartmouth College in September 2007 to join the Class as our guests for dinner. Our initiative was prompted by President James Wright’s personal concern that many returning veterans were not taking steps to continue their education. He focused his initial efforts on wounded Marines returning from Iraq, an initiative that has received national recognition and support from other colleges and universities.
Following our very positive experience at Homecoming, the Class of 1956 “adopted” the three Marines at Dartmouth, offering them financial and other support as they continued at Dartmouth. They are now in a position to offer some real value to the College as the Dartmouth Undergraduate Veterans Association (DUVA), with the help of other veterans already at Dartmouth as well as another six or more veterans expected to enter the College in September 2008. With the support of the Class of 1956 Executive Committee, we have already offered $1,000 in seed money to launch DUVA.
One of our veteran guests at Homecoming 2007, Sam Crist, has assumed the leadership role in DUVA. In our exchanges with him, he has set forth a number of goals for DUVA. He believes, as many of us do, that veterans at Dartmouth can offer real value to the Dartmouth community and the Upper Valley by sharing their experiences while on active duty and during their reintegration into academic life. Undergraduates at Dartmouth who have not served in the military will benefit from having classmates who have served. Further, DUVA can be a spokesman with the College Administration, advising on issues of importance to veterans as they rejoin or commence higher education. A third goal, articulated by Sam, was the need for veterans to support each other. Among other needs DUVA will organize and support tutorial assistance as veterans are reintroduced to the challenges of higher education.
It is this last goal that we in the Class of 1956 can provide real support, by contributing to the cost of tutors and urging other campus organizations, such as fraternities and other service groups, and the administration to recognize that non-veteran students have unique opportunities to help veterans and at the same time learn from them. What is proposed is that the Class of 1956 contribute $5,000 from its current treasury funds to the tutorial effort to get it jump started. We also might consider reorienting our Class of 1956 Scholarship Funds to support veterans. (It is not yet clear the extent of the impact of the most recent GI Bill will be, but college costs are going up, and the “marker” for Government support of tuition will be State Universities.)
In order to offer continuing support to DUVA, the Class of 1956 needs a group of men willing to maintain continuing contact with DUVA and its leaders. We need at least two men who are resident in the Hanover area (Stew Wood, Tex Fridlund), others on the East Coast who have demonstrated real interest (Tiny Strong, Linc Spaulding, Ab Oakes), others who are interested (Jack Crowley, already involved in a similar effort in the Seattle area).
We are also considering inviting the other Classes of the 1950s to join us in providing financial support to DUVA as it develops its role and program within the College.
We invite your comments and ideas and offers of help and support. Please contact Clem Malin (203) 226 4986, or cbmalin@optonline.net.
Thank you for your consideration of this proposal. - Clem
Check your name on the Class email list to see if we have your correct address by clicking on '56ers on the Internet.
If it is incorrect, please email corrections to Hon. Ed. at flintr@denby.com.
Click here for the Honor Roll of Class participation in the Alumni Fund
Click here for Dartmouth's VAN (VOX Alumni Network), to check your own record or search for other Classmates
TWO DISTINGUISHED '56 GRADUATES HAVE RECEIVED THE 2007-2008 ALUMNI AND YOUNG ALUMNI awards from Dartmouth’s Alumni Council:
Donald DAVIDOFF '56, Albany, New York – Retired. He earned a law degree from Albany Law School in 1959, then began a 32-year career with New York state government in the field of public health. His final position was director of Field Operations. From 1991 to 2001, he was executive director of Congregation Beth Emeth, then served as interim executive director of the United Jewish Federation in the Albany area. Davidoff has been a very active Dartmouth volunteer. He’s held every position there is to hold in the Dartmouth Alumni Club of Eastern New York, including two terms as president, and was the first Book Award Chairman. He has served on the Alumni Council, been an alumni interviewer since the mid-1960s, and been a district enrollment director since the mid-1980s. He was named District Enrollment Director of the Year in 1997. His regional admissions officer said of Don, “He truly cares about students, and stays in touch with kids and their parents through the process. He also makes sure that they’re doing OK once they get to Dartmouth.” During his 50th reunion he was appointed Head Class Agent. As an undergraduate, Davidoff began refereeing intramural and inter-fraternity basketball games. He became a certified basketball official after graduating and refereed high school and college basketball for 25 years. He has been vice chairman of Albany Community Hospice for 10 years, and served on the boards of the New York State Special Olympics, B’nai B’rith Senior Citizens Housing, two nursing homes, and was a trustee of Albany Academy. He and his wife, Joanne, have two sons who are Dartmouth graduates, Scott ‘82 and Jeffrey '85.
“I thoroughly enjoyed my four years in Hanover, and was aware of the local alumni because they were helpful to me during the interview process. They were such nice folks that I thought it would be a good idea to get involved, and I did. Over time, my motivation for volunteering has become more intense. That’s because I began to see the quality of the students we were able to recruit and send to Hanover. It gives me a great deal of pleasure to know that the College has continued to adhere to old traditions, yet strives to evolve where necessary.”
Leo McKENNA '56 '57Tu, Windsor, Vermont – Financial Consultant. In 1973, McKenna left Lombard, Vitalis and Paganucci, Inc., investment bankers, to become a self-employed financial consultant in New York City. He was also director and consultant to Reliable Electric. McKenna subsequently relocated his business to Hanover, New Hampshire. His service to Dartmouth includes membership on the Campaign for Dartmouth Leadership Committee, the Dartmouth College Alumni College National Committee, the Alumni Council Executive Committee, the Athletics Committee, and the Honorary Degrees Committee. Other interests include the Catholic Student Center at Dartmouth College, where he was an overseer and a member of the Finance Committee, director and treasurer of the John Brown Cook Foundation, and founding director and member of the Trust Committee at Ledyard National Bank.
“I knew when I graduated from Dartmouth that I would never be able to repay the debt I owed it. That’s why I became a volunteer. I came to Dartmouth on a scholarship, the fourth child of a six-child family. I find it satisfying to know that I’m helping young people whose situations are similar to mine 51 years ago – young people who wouldn’t have the financial ability to come without the help of the College and the alumni. I can never repay Dartmouth for what it did for me while I was there, and for what subsequently happened in my life, as a result of my Dartmouth education.”
Our Great Class has two ListServs (email lists) on the Dartmouth College computers. One is for official Class and College notices (the Announce list); the other is for Classmate communications and chat on any subject back and forth (the Chat list). To sign up and to learn how to e-mail all of your Classmates, click here: 56ListServer
CLASS OFFICERS (2006-2011)
1956 CLASS PRESIDENT: Clem MALIN (cbmalin@optonline.net; 203-226-4986)
VICE PRESIDENT: Elliott G. WEINSTEIN (Eweinz@aol.com; 914-591-6186)
SECRETARY: Rt. Rev. R. Stewart WOOD, Jr. (stewwood@aol.com; 802-295-8912)
TREASURER: Bob (the other) FAULKNER (robert.faulkner@ubs.com; 401-245-1934)
ALUMNI FUND HEAD AGENT: Don DAVIDOFF (ddavidof@nycap.rr.com; 518-489-2135)
ALUMNI COUNCILLOR: Elliott G. WEINSTEIN (Eweinz@aol.com; 914-591-6186)
PLANNED GIVING & REGIONAL VP (NE): Jon STRONG (j.jonathanstrong@comcast.net; 508-358-4623)
MIDATLANTIC VICE PRESIDENT & CO-CHAIR 55th REUNION: Tom HARPER (harpoon1@bellsouth.net; 336-227-1153)
CO-CHAIR 55th REUNION: Tom ROSENWALD (tomrosenwald@msn.com; 212 -734-6764)
SECURITY & SPECIAL OPS: Col. Fritz SIMMS (rnsimms5456@aol.com; 570-587-2574)
TRAVEL & CO-REGIONAL VP (NE): Roger SCHUMACHER (rsschu@verizon.net; 609-291-8688)
CO-REGIONAL VP (Mid-Atlantic): Dick WHITNEY (rewuncas@aol.com; 919-370-9435)
CO-REGIONAL VP (SE): John HIGGS (higgscom@comcast.net; 772-231-8700)
CO-REGIONAL VP (SE): Howard SODOKOFF (hosodie@comcast.net; 772-336-4447)
REGIONAL VP (Midwest): Bob SLATER (rslater3@wi.rr.com; 414-332-5654)
CO-REGIONAL VP (West): Les REID (larmer@mindspring.com; 253-756-5460)
WOMEN OF '56 ASSOCIATION: Karen MERRELS (kmerrels@sbcglobal.net; 419-861-7422)
[Women of '56 are invited to all Class functions as voters]
NEWSLETTER EDITOR and CLASS WEBSTER: H. Flint RANNEY (flintr@denby.com; PO Box 597, Nantucket, MA 02554-0597; 508-228-4236; fax: 508-228-3710)
ALUMNI RELATIONS OFFICE: has a FREE telephone number: 888-228-6068
Class of 1956 Highlights:
Wah, Who? Whispers! [Class newsletters, all in .pdf format]: