Dear Members of the Class of 1961,

We were so very pleased to welcome you back to Hanover for your 50th reunion in June. As you know, a highlight of that reunion weekend was the presentation of the Dartmouth Alumni Award to your classmate, Pete Bleyler. Each year a few alumni are selected to receive the College's prestigious Alumni Award. The Alumni Council established the award in 1954 to honor outstanding alumni and the first Alumni Award was presented to President-Emeritus Ernest Martin Hopkins, Class of 1901. There are specific criteria that the Alumni Awards Committee uses in selecting award recipients. The primary qualification is long-standing and meritorious service to Dartmouth, with career achievement and community service as additional important dimensions.

Pete was joined by several members of his family and his close friends. Unfortunately, there were some problems with the acoustics that evening making it difficult for the attendees to hear the presentation. We want to apologize for this logistical issue and would like to share Pete's award citation listing his extraordinary accomplishments with you. The text of the citation and a photo of Vic Rich '61 making the award presentation are posted online.

I hope that you enjoy this tribute as we extend our deepest appreciation and congratulations to Pete Bleyler.

Best regards,
Martha Beattie '76

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