Class Web Site: http://www.dartmouth.org/classes/61/
Go Directly to:
1961-2011 Connections ,
Class Officers Meeting,
--Connections
--2007 Fall Mini-Reunion
--70th Birthday Party
--2008 Winter/Spring Mini Reunion
--DCare
--Communications
--Robert Frost
--Head Agent
--Outstanding Class
Class Forum ,
Legacy
Bleyer,
New Alumni Council Representative ,
2008 Fall Mini-Reunion,
As stated in that last issue, there’s a plethora of class business demanding to be addressed; so w/o further ado:
In our tradition of promoting programs to enhance life in Hanover , we have embarked upon an effort to establish/maintain liaison with the class of 2011, those youngsters who will graduate as we celebrate our 50th. Some may recall that the class of 1911 was present as we strode across the Commencement stage back in June of 1961, although the general consensus seemed to be puzzlement at the ancient relics we saw from our smug [grossly naive] perspective of presumed eternal youth/immortality. Thus we hope to become more of a presence, if not an influence, for this select group of young adults who so recently matriculated to our old school. Pete Bleyler <Pete.Bleyler**valley.net> heads up a committee of about a dozen ‘61 volunteers who are getting the Connections Program (you recall the 1961<—>2011 logo from a few issues back?) off and running. His suggested verbiage participating ‘61s would use at Matriculation events went like this:
Welcoming Statement to the Class of 2011
“Good Morning (Afternoon). The Dartmouth Class of 1961 adds our Welcome to the terrific Class of 2011. In June of 2011, our two classes will march together in your graduation procession, which is the time of our 50th Reunion . That date probably seems far away as you begin your years at Dartmouth , but it will come faster than you know.
50 years ago this week, at our matriculation, we shook hands with President John Sloan Dickey on the second floor of Baker Library. In June of 1961, we followed the Class of 1911 at our graduation procession.
In the past 3 or 4 years, the College and Alumni have attempted to increase the involvement between the incoming class and the 50th reunion class. We call this the “Connections Program,” and our goal is to support you and join with you in events from time to time. Perhaps you read the article about this Program in the Daily Dartmouth’s special Freshman issue, which you received in August. We also had an ad in that edition speaking about the program.
Over the next several weeks, you will be starting classes, getting to know your roommates and other classmates, and planning for building the bonfire on Dartmouth Night on October 19. At some point this term, you also will elect your class officers and executive committee. Soon after, a few of us from the ‘61s would like to meet with them to begin planning activities for our two classes.
You may be wondering how Dartmouth was different during our undergraduate years from what is now [your] Dartmouth . Perhaps the biggest difference is Women! Dartmouth was an all-male institution during our days, and it was a welcome change when women were admitted in the ‘70s. Your class is 50.1% male and 49.9% female. (As a father of three daughters, I was very eager for Dartmouth to become co-ed. And, fortunately, one of my daughters did attend Dartmouth with the class of ’87.)
During our Freshmen year, Dartmouth was on the semester system. It was at the beginning of our sophomore year that Dartmouth went to the quarter system. Actually, we should say we went to the trimester system, since the College didn’t have a Summer Term in those days.
The Summer Term was added when the College went co-ed in 1972. At that same time, Dartmouth increased undergraduate enrollment from around 750 males per class, to approximately 1,000 men and women. Adding the Summer Term reduced the pressure on student housing with this big increase in enrollment.
A year or so before our class matriculated, the student body voted to prohibit any fraternity from having a restrictive clause regarding membership. As a result, a number of national fraternities became locals. And, most of them are still active on campus today.
Another difference between Dartmouth Now and Dartmouth 50 years ago, is diversity. Your class of 2011 is the most diverse class in Dartmouth ’s history, with students of color and international students comprising approximately 40% of the incoming students. I don’t know what the corresponding percentage was in our days, but it probably was less than 5 or 10%.
Dartmouth ’s campus has changed dramatically over the years. Many buildings have been erected over the past 50 years, including dormitories, libraries, and other academic buildings. When our class was studying for final exams just prior to graduation, we were kept awake by the pile drivers starting the construction of Hopkins Center . Also, some buildings that were constructed after our graduation have now been demolished for newer, better buildings.
Over the next 4 years, we will do our best to get to know you before we march together at your graduation from this magical college.
The Class of 1961 wishes you well!”
Pete’s report on that Matriculation weekend in September is as follows:
“Saturday night was the dinner at the Bema for all 1,116 members of the Class of 2011 and alumni. There were about 110 alumni who came, and they put one alum (or one alum plus spouse) at a table with 8 or 9 students. It was a beautiful late summer/early fall evening. There were two things that let us know that the dinner was primarily for 18 year olds and not for 68 year olds: First, there was no coffee. Second, there were no portable toilets. 
“Sunday morning the matriculation process started promptly at 9:00 AM . On the front lawn of Parkhurst to the left of the entrance were 40 or 50 chairs, which was the staging area for each group of '11s. The first group walked into Parkhurst to get their matriculation certificates and shake Pres. Jim Wright's hand, while the next group came to the staging area. When the first group came out of Parkhurst, they were herded to the tent on the right side of the entrance, where the '61s and spouses were waiting to pass out their class pins, a gift of the Class of 61. Dartmouth Dining had donuts, coffee, juice, etc. for light refreshments, and then one of us old guys gave the welcoming remarks. This process continued uninterrupted for three hours, before breaking for lunch 
Henry Eberhardt Greets '11s at Matriculation for Conversation with '61s
More Matriculation Photos
“We were primarily in two shifts, one morning and one in the afternoon. The morning shift consisted of Rog McArt, John Damon, Henry & Laurie Eberhardt, and Pete & Ruth Bleyler. The afternoon shift had Maynard Wheeler, Al Rozycki & Diane Kittredge, Dan Paradis, and Bruce & Marsha Johnson. The matriculation process was finally over at 4:00 , and Jim Wright came down to thank everyone (the morning shift had gone by then). We don't know whether he had to go home and soak his hand or not.
“In our welcoming remarks, we compared the major changes between Dartmouth Now and Dartmouth 50 years ago. We talked about:
•co-education
•semester system to trimester system to full quarter system
•getting rid of discriminatory clauses in the fraternities
•diversity
•technology
•buildings
•Saturday classes
•Animal House
•one dingy old computer on campus when we arrived (less memory than an iPod)
•one pay telephone per dorm
•the sandwich guy coming by at 10:00 PM ringing his bell
•most of us with crew cuts, mostly white, and all of us male
•traveling to Smith, Holyoke , Wellesley , and Skidmore on weekends
•doing term papers in long hand or on typewriters with carbon paper
“The '11s are the 2nd largest class in Dartmouth history and the most diverse. Approximately 40% of them are persons of color or International. I personally met students from Norway , Kenya , Zimbabwe , Jamaica , and South Korea . There are 49 states represented by this class, and we were trying to figure out which state is missing. I met guys from North Dakota and Alabama and gals from Wyoming and Arkansas . There were also several students from Hawaii and Alaska . So, we're still trying to figure it out.
“Later this fall, after they elect their class officers and class council, we will meet with them to start planning joint activities.”
As you can see, this is an ambitious effort, and has been kicked off in splendid fashion. It is incumbent upon us to continue the momentum such that, in four [extremely] short years, we can truly consider ourselves part of ‘2011’s graduation, thus active participants in the continuum that is Dartmouth . [And can then trudge up to the Frost statue for a well-earned cold one, or several...]
Mind you, this is not going to be a cakewalk. Experience reminds us that these kids did not come to Hanover expressly to bond with a bunch of geezers half a century their senior. And the frantic pace of today’s society/campus is not exactly parallel to those more, uh, languid times in the early ‘60s. Nor are today’s young people possessed of the same antique values as were we. If this endeavor is to succeed, the onus is on us to reach out. As Maynard says, “It seems like a possible way to put our ball in the students' court is to prepare a list of those of us who would like to offer our expertise that they can connect with if they would like. The list might include our profession, school where we trained and where we have been during our careers geographically. This could be put on our web site and then each quarter send a blitz email to the whole class reminding them that it is there with the link. We cannot lead them to the trough but we can try to make it easy for those who want to drink!...such a project should include our wives and significant others whose career experience would be helpful as well...Although the 2011s are not exactly thinking about graduation or marching with us, they kept asking my wife what D was like when she was here as a student; many seemed to enjoy talking with us, especially the Roz. He has already emailed some he met, especially those from Croatia , Vietnam , etc. At the Bema dinner the night before matriculation they tried to have alums from the area at all tables of 10. One, just off the boat from Kenya , grabbed me halfway through dinner because his table did not have an alum, leaving Sandy to carry on with the first table. So maybe we don't look like we have one foot down under the way the Class of 1911 looked to us - or maybe these kids are just nicer, or trying to impress their fairer [complexioned] classmates.”
Since there really is no manual for operating a Connections program, we are doing a bit of pioneering; some ideas may not pan out as well as others, some of which may serendipitously present themselves of their own genesis.
Pete : “Going forward, Maynard and I will be meeting with the newly elected Class of 2011 executive council this coming Thursday. This will be an opportunity to get to know some in the class and start planning joint projects for the months and years ahead.
“One of my ideas has been to include a short article on one member of the class of 2011 in each newsletter. We could include basic data such as where they're from, what activities did they do in high school, what are they involved in at Dartmouth, what will they major in (if they know), etc. Perhaps it should be done in the form of an interview.”
[Later] “Maynard and I met for breakfast yesterday, with three students from the class of '11 plus Rex Morey and Chris Coleman from Alumni Affairs. All four members of the executive committee were invited, but two of them had classes. The third student is one of two students who are appointed as class liaisons to alumni affairs. The students attending were:
-- Neel Joshi , VP
--
Lauren Bowman , Secretary
--
Derek Summerville, alumni relations liaison
Missing were:
--
Alexandra Maceda , President
--
Daniel Kim , Treasurer
--
Karen Doster , alumni relations liaison
We had a great session, and found the students to be very enthusiastic about the Connections program. After our discussion, we agreed on four specific action items:
1. We will do write-ups on students for the Class of 61 newsletter. (Perhaps we should also put them on the Website.) [They’re there – copy-and-paste or click on: http://www.dartmouth.org/classes/61/Class%20News%20Connections-Student%20Highlights.htm ]
2. The '11s had held a brainstorming session prior to meeting with us, and came up with the idea of making posters to be placed in dorms and other places around campus. These posters would compare Dartmouth in 2007 with Dartmouth in 1957. [Bob Conn suggests: “For the posters, there are dozens of photos from our years in Rauner. Photos of Sanborn-Baker-Webster or Dartmouth Row from across the Green from our day with the headline: "Views that haven't changed in 50 years."...And, of course, they need to see our beanies and photos of our slave labor, both old traditions that have disappeared.”] We're waiting to get, from them, more specifics on what they have in mind.
3. In early January at the beginning of the Winter term, there'd be an informal gathering—probably in a common room of one of the dorms. Jere Daniel, class of 55 and recently retired History professor, would talk about traditions at Dartmouth , and particularly first year traditions. Then we'd have a handful of '61s talk about specific experiences we remember about our early years at Dartmouth . They'd serve refreshments.
4. The ‘61s would hold a mini-reunion in the spring—perhaps on a weekend when the College will be holding its "Alumni Recognition" week. We'd combine a Legacy celebration with some Connections activities. For example, we'd include an evening at a Hop performance and do some things with the '11s (e.g., reception, career panel).
We decided that Neel Joshi would be the first student to be interviewed for our newsletter. Why? He told us that, as a member of the lightweight crew team, during conditioning they were required to run from the boat house to the Frost statue and return! We thought that would have great appeal to the '61s!
Neel came to Dartmouth from Los Angeles . Neel was recently elected Vice President of his class, and came to Dartmouth because, he says, “This is the only school that has a perfect blend between a liberal arts college and a large research university.” He found that he would have access to a wide range of opportunities, while not losing the intimate nature of a small college. So far he’s found the students here friendly and very accomplished. However, rather than being in competition with them, he says he learns from them.
Since he was not much of a hiker in the LA area, he opted for “moderate hiking” on the Outing Club’s freshmen trip. Neel was initially intimidated by the trip leader’s gusto, but he had a terrific experience, made some very close friends, and was struck by the beauty of the New Hampshire mountains.
He is living in the McLaughlin Cluster, a new group of dorms situated at the north end of campus. He reports that the dorms are stunning, they have elevators and lounges throughout, and a huge common area in the lobby. He is rooming with a pitcher on the baseball team from Upstate New York. They have two game systems set up in the room, and quite frequently hold “The Office” parties.
A swimmer in high school, Neel wanted to try crew, and is on the freshmen rowing team. During conditioning twice a week, the entire team had to run from the boathouse on the river to the Frost statue, touch Robert on the head and read the inscription, before running back to the boathouse. [ Bro. Conn : “Maybe we should add a water fountain to the Frost statue area for the athletes to use when they run there!”]
He will likely major in Economics, as he is fascinated by how frequently economics drives human behavior. But he’s also interested in taking a minor in history, biology, or philosophy.
Besides crew, Neel is involved with MILAN , the South Asian social and culture club at Dartmouth , and the Dartmouth Society of Investment and Economics.
We invite your comments, observations, and suggestions. This is our own project, gents, and its success or failure depends on what we ourselves do with it. Especially valuable should be input from those of you directly involved with today’s young people (as teachers, advisors, counselors, coaches, etc.). We once referred to this endeavor as an “intimation of immortality,” which it well may be in a sense. If nothing else, it should serve as a means to keep connected to the college, in the most meaningful way possible—through the sons and daughters of Dartmouth , as they themselves take on that mantle.
Next up is a report on the meeting of ‘61 officers that took place at Class Officers Weekend in Hanover Oct. 13. These notes were taken by Bob Conn, reviewed by Roger McArt, and paraphrased below:
Meeting of Class Officers, Oct. 13, 2007 , 4 p.m. , Blunt Alumni Center
Roger McArt , president, presiding. Others in attendance: Mike Murphy, Vic Rich, Ivar Jozus, Bob Conn, Don O’Neill, Maynard Wheeler, Pete Palin, Dave Prewitt, Denny Denniston, Tom Conger [see WWW masthead for respective offices].
61-11 Connections program. Roger and Maynard: T-shirts are on sale both to raise awareness among 61s and 2011s and to raise money to pay for the program. At matriculation, students went in groups of 40 for matriculation. We greeted them afterward and made brief presentations. Participants from our class rated it as a great experience. There were 1116 students in the incoming class. We had 5 people in morning portion, 4 in the afternoon
Mini-reunion on Penn weekend. Maynard: None of the usual Friday afternoon activities, but there was a Friday dinner. Saturday morning, presentations by the academic and arts students. Students came also to the Saturday dinner, where there was a good faculty speaker. We are looking for a new venue for Saturday night; the one we used this year was too expensive. We plan to have our mini-reunion on homecoming weekend about once every five years. Otherwise, we’re exploring other football weekends. Maynard will look at several weekend alternatives before it gets cold. Back to Top
70th birthday party in Scottsdale/Phoenix. Dave Prewitt: Len DiSavino will be chair. It will be in 2009 probably late April or early May. Goal is to have a firm date soon. In addition to Phoenix area guys, Oscar Arslanian and Duane Cox (who both have chaired mini-reunions) have offered their assistance to Lenny. Have other classes used Phoenix ? We will try to find out their experiences. Back to Top
2008 mini-reunion . Dave said we will be trying to do late winter/spring in southwest Florida in 2008. There are a number of classmates in the area, including Stu Sheldon and Bob Naegele, who could form the core of the committee. 2010 is still up in the air with Annapolis , MD , or Philadelphia as leading possibilities. Vic noted that we need to carefully record other mini-reunions, such as those in Vail run almost every year by Art Kelton and Pete Bleyler’s trips to Europe to be reflected on the class annual reports. There were discussions of other possible overseas mini-reunions: Mexico , Costa Rica (Bleyler), and others. There was a general suggestion that travel agents be used to simplify work by our classmate chair, especially for out of country reunions. Back to Top
Alcohol Curriculum DCare. Roger: Hartley Webster again has asked for class support for DCare, which now is officially listed in the course bulletin. Discussion opened with general support for the program. Ivar raised the budget question. We have the requested $1000 this year, but Ivar questioned continuing support beyond our support of students—academic student, athletic student, and art student. Ongoing support of DCare is a major issue. One possible solution: In this year’s dues solicitation, we are soliciting contributions to the 61-11 program. Proposal: next year could add a line for donations for DCare. Passed. Back to Top
Maynard noted that the academic and arts students have been getting $1500 apiece the last several years.
Communication about college issues. Mike, Bob et al.: There was consensus that the ExecComm listserv be kept for class business, but there was also general agreement that we need to offer a way for classmates to communicate about both the college and alumni governance issues. There was also general agreement that there would be no official class position and no indication of support for any stance. Several possibilities were discussed. A second listserv, or even two listservs on the governance issues. In the wide-ranging discussion that followed, we discussed: opt-in or opt-out mechanisms, perhaps a blog instead of a listserv. We discussed whether the listserv or blog should be moderated, or whether it should have a gatekeeper? Open ended. Monitor the tone, not the content. No one could or should try to determine the “facts”... The general consensus is that we would try to establish a password protect blog. Back to Top
Robert Frost statue. Roger: Class of ‘53 is excited about our Frost statue and want to be helpful in any way they can. They are going to pay for the proposed new Commons on North Campus, so they have a lot of leverage with the college right now. They believe the statue ought to be in front of Sanborn, or perhaps in front of north campus commons. But in the discussion that followed, Mike Murphy allowed that he had grown to love the current site, and others concurred (besides, we couldn’t have our traditional keg and/or bucket of beer bottles on North campus). But we would like to get better signage, perhaps a path made of the same crushed stone as the paths across the Green, and perhaps a standard College bench up there. The statue also is in need of regular cleaning, especially from bird deposits. The statue is now on most campus tours, so we feel it ought to be well-displayed. Murphy and McArt will confirm the interests of the 53s. Mike also will check on whether Lundeen had done a statue of David McLaughlin for the north campus. Back to Top
Head Agent. At Don O’Neill’s request, the officers unanimously confirmed Denny Denniston as co-head agent. Don made an extensive presentation on class fundraising and mission/vision statement, and how to dovetail completion of the Arts Legacy to $1million at the same time as we raised funds for our 50th reunion gift. At the moment, about. $650,000 is in the Legacy endowment, leaving about $350,000 to be raised. See O'Neill report: $259,000 raised, 73.5 percent participation, 394 donors, and we beat Princeton . Don is soliciting new volunteers and wants to greatly expand the team and build a new organization, top to bottom. He sees it as doable. To make it work, he needs total support and buy-in from the officers and executive committee. We need to sign up 30 more classmates to be solicitors this year to call assigned classmates and get a contribution. We agreed that Class Officers and Executive Committee members will recruit solicitors. Denny will send out a list of candidates to become callers/solicitors with a primary focus on participation. Each Executive Committee member will advise Denny who he wants to recruit and will make calls until he recruits 5 solicitors, each of whom will be assigned about 10 classmates to solicit. Focus fundraising dollars for scholarships and on the Princeton challenge. Don would like a 2008 goal of $287K, with 80 percent participation.
The plan: Oct-Jan will be set aside for Legacy campaign each of the next three years, with February and later for the DCF campaign. Do Legacy over next three years and finish by January 2010. No conflict between Legacy and DCF. Focus on marketing. Back to Top
Outstanding Class Award. Vic Rich: Having just served in the Class Officers Association exec committee, which determines Class of the Year, Vic believes that we should be able to win Class of the Year award. It is a marketing project. Not fluff. Parcel out responsibility for portions of the report to officer group. Make sure we take credit for all the mini-reunions that take placed over the course of the year. Write positively about our many class accomplishments. Back to Top
Meeting concluded at 6:30 p.m.
'61 Class Officers Dine Sumptuously at Bistro Nouveau.
Front (LtoR): O'Neill, McArt, Prewitt, Rich.
Back (LtoR): Wheeler, Palin, Jozus, Denniston, Conn, Murphy. Rear: Santa...
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Class of 1961 Forum
A lot of ground was covered in that meeting, and we welcome your views on any/all topics which interest you. One item which has continued to be developed since then is an appropriate internet forum for ‘61 input on college issues. In an effort to avoid weighing the existing ExComm ListServ down with passionate personal opinions, much discussion kicked off with this basic statement from Harris McKee <h4mmckee**SBCGLOBAL.NET>:
“A number of classmates have asked for the opportunity to exchange views on both Dartmouth governance–i.e., the decision to expand the board of trustees without increasing the number of elected alumni–and alumni governance, the 6 to 5 vote of the board of the Association of Alumni to sue the college and now difficult relations between the Association and the Alumni Council. Your class officers, meeting during Class Officers Weekend, decided to offer this forum for the discussion. This forum also will allow discussion of related money issues. We've created a forum in a group on Dartmouth inCircle called: Class of '61 #1 . If you would like to participate in this forum go to: http://alumni.dartmouth.edu/default.aspx?id=313 and log in. If you don't see the Class group, click on Find Group and then choose Class and click on our group. As a control, we've made this a restricted group. The restriction limits the participation to members of our class but it does mean that you will need to request admission to the group and your use of the forum will be delayed until I accept your application. Let me know if you have any questions.”
A primer, or User’s Guide to Dartmouth inCircle has been created by, among others, Mike Murphy, Harris McKee, Bob Conn, and Roger McArt, and is available on the class website. This should be the final authority on any details involving use of inCircle.
Now, the main thrust for all this is to be able to exchange views between classmates, reaching all interested parties simultaneously without taking over the Executive Committee ListServ—and without creating a false impression that the class of ‘61 ExComm has taken any kind of stance on any of these issues. Recent developments regarding college governance and functions of the Association of Alumni have engendered marked differences of opinion among concerned alumni ‘round the girdled earth. Naturally, we are editorially loath to offer any personal considerations on the matter(s), but that has not prevented the Executive Committee of the AofA from filing a lawsuit against the college to restrain the trustees from seating any more than the existing board. At present, the college has announced it will delay implementation of the new governance changes until February 2008.
We are hearing opposing takes regarding the trustees’ decisions from just within the class of ‘61 alone—no wonder there are sides being taken throughout the entire alumni body. We would hope that voicing your views on the inCircle medium will allow for a greater understanding of these vital issues among our classmates. Further, as Glenn Gemelli so aptly put it, there seems no reason a group of educated men with a meaningful connection can’t share and discuss differing points of view without harming class unity—which has now been over a half-century in the making. Who we are, and the bonds we have miraculously builded in our hearts, is bigger than whatever changes may be enacted by a small body of select persons with whom we may or may not have personal contact.
To make this thing function properly, we need you to join inCircle. There may sometimes be a few minor glitches getting started, but once you’re signed up, it’s a piece o’ cake. Roger McArt provides this analysis: “I have found inCircle very easy to use and to access when I want to, without having to sort back through my emails to find the last person who commented. I know it is not as simple to get signed up as it would be for the listserv, but I like having the filing done for me since this is a weak part of my internet skills. Also the emails don't pile up in my mailbox until I can go back and take a look at them. I suspect that neither approach is perfect and will satisfy everybody, so we should work with this for a while and then decide if it would just be simpler and would generate more participation to have another listserv or two.”
Mike Murphy offers this closing appeal: “Right now, our Dartmouth inCircle group is the only forum we have for sharing class-wide opinions. The officers (at our meeting last month in Hanover ) agreed to keep the Exec Com ListServ restricted for official class business, and not to be used for opinion sharing, etc. Everyone agreed we needed some kind of class-wide discussion mechanism, though, and so we went back and forth for a long time between considering a second ListServ (which some classes do—some even have four or five, for different topics) vs. a blog type of forum like Dartmouth inCircle.
I argued strongly against a web-based, blog-type of communications forum; a lot of guys don't want to go to the trouble of logging in, etc. I felt that we should create a second ListServ, so that messages would show up in everybody's email (anyone who didn't want to participate could "opt out" of that ListServ with just a click). Harris (who was the only officer not at our meeting) read the somewhat ambiguous minutes about this discussion to say that we had agreed on inCircle, and he immediately went about setting it up...On the theory that ‘it's better to light a candle than to curse the darkness,’ I helped Harris write a ‘User's Guide’ to the Dartmouth inCircle system so that even the most elementally trained computer person can see how to get into the group and use the system.
I would [now] like to second Roger's request to give inCircle a little more time. It really does have some technical advantages over using another ListServ, even if it's not quite so convenient. This is coming from the guy who argued the strongest at our officers' meeting in Hanover to go with another Listserv!
I, too, sometimes get the security message that John Wilkins described.
Since I trust all the Dartmouth web sites without question, I just click proceed to the site anyway.’ (This is probably related to our personal computer security settings, but I hope Harris can discover more from the gurus in Hanover .)
Ivar , have you tried the ‘Auto Complete’ function that is described on the second page of the Users Guide? Once you have set this up, all you do to log in is type just a single letter, select and click—YOU DO NOT have to type in your entire User's Name and Password.
John Henry ,...please know that the eleven officers who met for 2-1/2 hours in Hanover last month debated this issue thoroughly. I can't say that we came to a clear decision, but the preponderance of the opinions leaned toward trying something like Dartmouth inCircle. We had to start somewhere, so Harris went on to set up our Group.
This issue, IMHO, will be settled by usage—if we never get more than a handful of classmates to register in our inCircle Group, then we'll only have a very small number of guys talking to one another— you can't read the posts if you're not in the Group . But, once again, I hope everyone will accept Roger's request to give inCircle a try, use the time-saving steps described in the Users Guide, and see if it feels more user-friendly after a while. Thanks, Mike”
This WWW is getting pretty long/heavy. Couple more brief topics and we’ll close for now.
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The Class of 1961 Legacy
Legacy Chair Emeritus David Birney submits these glad tidings:
The Class of 1961 Legacy and Branford Marsalis kick off the Hopkins Center 2007-08 season. Our Thanksgiving gift to the College and the community.
“Marsalis entertains crowd with jazz stylings and wit”
An Evening withBranford Marsalis, Multiple Grammy-winning saxophonist, composer and band leader, with his quartet in live performance of Braggtown, his latest release. Spaulding Auditorium. August 8, 2007
“The Branford Marsalis Quartet wowed its nearly 900 person audience with an assortment of jazz standards and originals...The group’s dynamic five song set, during which Marsalis switched between tenor and soprano saxophones, left (the audience)...in a toe-tapping frenzy for one and a half hours...Drummer Jeff “Tain” Watts and bassist Eric Revis led off with a piece written by Watts, during which the drummer captivated his listeners with a scintillating solo that Meredith Gringer ‘09 described as ‘mind-blowing...The concert was great. Branford Marsalis had great energy and his anecdotes were really funny!’...The set ended to standing applause, which brought the group back on stage for a rousing version of the Duke Ellington classic ‘It Don’t Mean a Thing,’ again bringing the audience to its feet...‘It’s my favorite show I’ve seen at the (Hop), and I’ve seen a lot of shows!’ Rembert Browne ‘09 said.” The Dartmouth, Tuesday, Aug. 14, 2007
Capitol Steps brings its witty take on politics to the Hop, Friday, 10/26
The Hop writes: “This show was so popular that we needed to add an additional performance to meet the demand...the show has been sold out since tickets went on sale in September...following the show’s debut we received nothing but positive feedback from both students and community members.
“For more than 25 years, the Capitol Steps have stepped up to the difficult challenge of trying to be more ridiculous than whatever’s in the news, and they’ve beaten the odds!” The Herald of Randolph, Oct. 18, 2007
“...[The] impression of George W. Bush’s laugh ...drew huge laughs from the audience...There was a particularly witty parody of Don McLean’s ‘American Pie’ about the outsourcing of American jobs to China (‘When you buy an American pie, your grandma didn’t make it, it was made in Shanghai.’) A rapping and break dancing turn by actors playing Bush and Cheney in ‘I like Big Cuts and I Cannot Lie’ elicited an enthusiastic response from the audience...the most laugh-out loud moment of the night also involved a choreographed song-and-dance routine...A lively rendition of ‘Stayin’ Alive’ by the BeeGees performed by actors portraying the four ‘liberal’ Supreme court Justices—Ginsberg, Stevens, Souter and Breyer—with painful grunts and dying groans taking the place of the repetitive chanting of the chorus...Perhaps...the best moment of the show was... specially tailored to Dartmouth. C. Everett Koop ‘37, former Surgeon General of the United States under President Reagan and current holder of three professorships at the college, was brought up on stage to perform a brief skit on HMOs. Koop’s last line—‘Remember, laughter is the best medicine. And that’s a pretty good thing, because most HMOs are a joke’—triggered a standing ovation for the honored professor...Koop’s cameo performance was the highlight of the night.” The Dartmouth, Monday, October 29, 2007
These events were made possible through the generosity of the Class. And Jeff James, Director of the Hopkins Center sends own thanks on behalf of Dartmouth:“...we.. are enormously grateful for your passion in supporting the arts at Dartmouth, and in helping to create vibrant moments of
artistic excellence for our students and the wider community. We constantly strive to enhance our artistic programming, and The Legacy is a significant resource in ...achieving that goal.”
Gifts toThe Class of 1961 Legacy
Attention: Janis M. Murcic
Assistant to the Director/Donor Relations
Hopkins Center
DARTMOUTH COLLEGE
6041 Lower Level Wilson Hall
Hanover, NH 03755
(Voice) 603-646-2005
(Fax) 603-646-3911
(E-mail) Janis.M.Murcic@dartmouth.edu
hop.dartmouth.edu
New Alumni Council Rep for ‘61 & ‘62
Busy Pete Bleyler has stepped forward to fill a vacancy on the Alumni Council, and submits this report:
Dear Members of the Classes of '61 and '62,
I have recently joined the Alumni Council and will be attending my first meeting this week, November 29–December 1. Representing both classes, I have replaced my friend and neighbor from across the Connecticut River , Bill Pierce '62, who stepped down after the May meeting.
As your class representative, my responsibilities include:
1. Bringing your ideas and concerns to the attention of the Council and the College, and
2. Reporting back to you on the above matters and any other affairs of alumni interest
So, if you have any items or concerns that you would like me to bring to the Council meeting, please respond by email or call me at 603-795-9912 .
At its May '07 meeting, the Alumni Council approved a new mission statement for the Council, which is: "To sustain a fully informed, representative, and engaged exchange of information and sentiment between alumni and their College, and to enhance and inspire alumni involvement that furthers the mission of the College."
For some time, an ad hoc Committee on Council Structure has been studying the constitution of the Alumni Council to determine what amendments might be needed to improve the overall effectiveness of the Council. The Committee has developed a set of proposed amendments which we will discuss and vote on at this upcoming meeting. The changes include having one representative for each class through 55 years, rather than one rep. for every two classes, as we currently have. If you're interested in more details on the proposed amendments or the overall Council agenda, please go to the College website, click on "Alumni" and then "Office of Alumni Relations."
Some of you may also be wondering what's the difference between this constitution that Alumni Councilors will vote on this week, and the proposed constitution that was defeated two years ago in an all-alumni vote. The latter document would have combined the existing Association of Alumni constitution and the Alumni Council constitution into one comprehensive document. Any changes to the Association of Alumni constitution requires a two-thirds vote of all alumni, whereas the Alumni Council's constitution can be amended by a two-thirds vote of Alumni Councilors.
I'm sure all of you are aware of the changes the Board of Trustees approved at its September meeting, including the increase in the total number of trustees, but no change in the number of "alumni trustees." You're probably also aware that six members of the 11-member executive committee of the Association of Alumni, voted to sue the College and the Trustees regarding this action. The College has asked the Court to dismiss the lawsuit and the Alumni Council filed an amicus curiae brief in support of the College's motion to dismiss. The key points of this brief are:
1. The Alumni Council is the principal spokesperson for the alumni; whereas the Executive Committee of the Association of Alumni is a vestigial and traditionally ceremonial body with very limited responsibilities and powers.
2. The Association of Alumni Executive Committee lacks standing to bring suit on behalf of Dartmouth 's alumni.
3. The lawsuit should be dismissed because it is contrary to the interests of Dartmouth College and her alumni.
Each of these three points is developed in the discussion submitted to the Court.
I will be reporting back to you soon after the Alumni Council meeting.
Pete Bleyer
* * * * *
We wish Pete godspeed, and hope for peaceful, equitable, just and sensible resolutions to the issues the college has brought upon itself in recent months.
We extend sincere thanks to all classmates who have worked so hard on behalf of the class itself these past months, and to those who submitted news items which we’ll present in the next issue.
Keep in touch.
Aloha,
tc
PS - this just in from Maynard: "Mark your calendars: Fall Reunion with Bonfire October 17 - 19, 2008 . By popular request we will return to Homecoming Weekend (Holy Cross football game) and the First Year Class bonfire. We will plan an early dinner at the Hanover Inn Friday to be near the Homecoming activities. Saturday we will meet with "our" students, the ones we support financially, and will try to add in some 2011s as part of our "Connections Program." After the game and a visit with Robert Frost we will have cocktails and dinner with students and a faculty speaker. More details to follow." [for those of you stuck in the world we grew up in, “First Year Class” refers to Freshmen... ed.]
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