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Dartmouth Class of 1961 |
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Dartmouth Class of 1961 Letters: January 2010 November 2009 April 2008 May 2007 June 2006 April 28, 2010 The combination of emailed returns, snail mailed returns and in-person voting at the meeting gave us enough votes to approve our amended class constitution, and the Alumni Council Representative-elect is Al Orschel. Al will take over from Pete Bleyler in June and serve a three-year term ending in 2013.
Thanks to all of you who voted and thanks to both Al and Jim Baum for participating as candidates. It
was a close race.
Everyone please keep your eye on a year from this June for our 50th reunion (June 10-13 or 14). Don't let anyone in your family plan a wedding or have anyone graduating that weekend. We have set a goal of achieving 61% of the class in attendance. If we can achieve it that would set a College record. Start now thinking about who you would really like to see and start calling them. Also don't forget our Fall reunion on homecoming weekend this Fall - October 29-31. Bring a costume!
My best to all and thank you for your support of our new election process. We'll do it again in June, 2011.
Roger McArt, President
Class of 1961
I want to wish you a happy and busy 2010 as we build energy and enthusiasm for our 50th reunion in
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The election of our new Class Alumni Council Representative to succeed Pete Bleyler in July, 2010.
Roger McArt, President, Class of 1961 2009 Alumni Councilor - Job Description 1. The Alumni Councilor represents alumni by: a. Bringing the ideas and concerns of alumni to the attention of the Council and the College, b. Reporting back to alumni on these matters and any other affairs of alumni interest, and c. Particularly acting on behalf of his alumni constituency, including the responsibilities above described. 2. The Alumni Councilor makes at least four formal reports to his constituency annually, forwarding all feedback to the Alumni Liaison Committee at ALC@alum.dartmouth.org 3. The Alumni Councilor serves usually on one Council Committee. 4. An Alumni Council class representative serves as an ex-officio member of his Class Executive Committee and performs the following: a. Attends annual class executive committee meetings when possible; b. Contributes information on current events at the College and Council news to the Class Newsletter; c. Answers questions of alumni; d. Brings ideas, problems and comments of alumni to the Council; e. Serves as an official College representative at important Class functions (reunions, seminars, etc.). 5. The Alumni Councilor serves on special committees, by appointment of the Council President and Executive Committee, formed to undertake College projects (these committees may include representatives from the faculty, student body, administration, and alumni). 6. The Alumni Councilor also thinks independently and deeply and works with the Trustees, faculty, students, and administration in a common effort to preserve the College's strengths and build her future. Fellow ‘61 Classmates,
Our 50 th Reunion in Hanover is a bit more than a year and a half away, the weekend of June 10-12th, 2011, and planning is well underway for a meaningful, rewarding, and fun event. Mark your calendars now, and make sure you tell your relatives as well so they don’t plan any weddings that weekend! This will be commencement weekend, and by tradition we will march in as a class along with the 2011 graduating class so let’s make a good showing.
Maynard Wheeler is our Reunion Chairman and is assembling his committee. Jim Baum and Frank Ginn are spearheading the effort on the Reunion Book with strong support from Tom Conger, Marshall Ledger and Alan Orschel. Please be responsive when they contact you for your individual input. In order to show the spirit of the Class of “61, we have set an objective of getting over 60% of us back, which would be the highest turnout of a class for their 50 th.
For those who haven’t visited Hanover in the last five to ten years, The Hanover Inn corner and the views across the Green look much the same, but there is a great difference when you peel back the onion and go beyond Baker library, down Tuck Mall, to the North Campus, and to the Field House and the athletic fields. Be sure you make time for a tour of the campus during your time in Hanover. To make this reunion really rewarding, contact the members of your club, fraternity, sports team, senior society or other affinity group and plan a time to get that group together over the weekend. This is an occasion you don’t want to miss. It’s an opportunity to connect with those with whom we shared an important period in our lives.
I want to commend Vic Rich, Tom Conger, Bob Conn and Harris McKee for their outstanding contributions to our class communications via the Alumni Magazine, our Class Newsletter, and the class website. If you haven’t provided your email address to Harris and Bob so they can notify you of events, newsletter releases, classmates in the news and other happenings, send Harris an email at h4mmckee***sbcglobal.net and get it on our class list. Our class again received recognition at Class Officers Weekend for our accomplishments in using the internet for communicating to the class and for facilitating classmate’s communications with each other. Harris is in the process of setting up a Class of ‘61 Group on Facebook – Look for more on this.
In keeping with our class mission of being a recognized outstanding class in supporting our classmates and the College, we have continued to build this reputation during a tough period in the economy. Our Legacy endowment has taken a hit, as have all endowments, but it remains an important part of the support for performing arts at the Hop and we are continuing to contribute new funding. Also in a year when participation was down overall in the Dartmouth College Fund, tour participation increased. Thanks to each of you who contributed in 2008-09. One of our class goals is to continue to increase participation as we approach our 50 th Reunion year. Let’s keep it going.
One last note; don’t forget the mini-reunion this spring in Philadelphia on April 22-25. Details are posted on the class website.
Best to all, Roger McArt, President
Fellow Classmates: Spring seems to be making its appearance in earnest in the Northeast, and this weekend we will be having our third “Class Connections” event involving the Class of 2011. Pete Bleyler and Maynard Wheeler have fashioned an interesting weekend around the appearance of the Brad Mehldau Trio at the Hop including a dinner with members of the leadership of the Class of 2011. Our interactions with ‘11s thus far have been interesting and rewarding for all of us who have been involved to date. We will be exploring ways to get a broader involvement of our classes as we proceed to their commencement and our 50th reunion. All of you have been receiving information from the College and from the involved constituencies relative to the election of the Association of Alumni leadership that begins on April 28th. The primary issue on which the competing slates of candidates are running is the lawsuit that the majority of the Association board has undertaken against the College. The plaintiffs contend that the Trustee action would do away with the long-standing parity between Trustee-appointed (charter) and Alumni-elected trustees. One slate of candidates has pledged to terminate the lawsuit and one slate has pledged to continue it. I am sure you have noted that our classmate, Mike Murphy, is heading up one of these slates. This is an important election in which all of us should participate, whichever side of this issue and debate you are on. I am not advocating either position or any particular slate or candidate, but am encouraging everyone in the class to become informed over the next several weeks and cast your vote (you have until June 5th). You will receive ample instructions from the College on how to do this. A very good source of information on both sides of the issues involved is our Class of ’61 Discussion Group on the Dartmouth inCircle website. We have 38 participants in the group at this point, and the information posted as well as the comments that have been made are valuable sources of input on these issues. I encourage you to go to the Dartmouth inCircle Website> log-in and make a request to Harris McKee to join the Class of '61 #1 group. InCircle is part of the College VOX network and the same password applies to both. If you never set up a password with the College, follow the steps shown or send an email to Harris at h4mmckee***sbcglobal.net and he can guide you through the process. Also, THINK SCOTTSDALE – 09. Len DiSavino and the 70th Birthday Reunion Committee have outlined a superb program and have given us a year’s advance planning horizon! Reserve it on your calendars now. My Best to All, Roger McArt; President, Class of ‘61 ---------------------------------Back to Top Hello ‘61 Classmates:
We are entering the late stages of the 2007 Dartmouth Alumni Fund Campaign (DCF), and we are closing in on our goals of $207,000 in contributions and 70% class participation, but we are not there yet. Thanks so much if you have already contributed. If you haven’t yet contributed or can give some more, we need your help. I’m writing this rather long letter to remind you of what your contributions make possible and to point out how the Class of ’61 contributions support students directly.
The annual DCF contributions are critical to Dartmouth’s ability to finance the outstanding education that the College provides its students. Last year in our 45 th reunion year we had an outstanding response from the class and raised over $800,000. While this year’s non-reunion year goal, as expected, is less, we need to keep our focus on achieving it.
Many of us contribute to the College in different ways: the Alumni Fund (or DCF), The Class of ’61 Legacy in support of the Performing Arts, The Campaign for Dartmouth, bequests to the College, and athletic and other special support groups, to name several. As David Birney has pointed out in his letter published in the WWW, there are no conflicts in objectives of these giving programs, however there are differences in the way the contributions are used, and they are all essential to the financial success of the College.
The DCF provides substantial essential support to meeting annual operating costs for the College. The DCF contributions are needed every year to meet the expenses of providing the Dartmouth educational experience to students. The Class of ’61 Legacy is building an endowment that provides annual funding to support performing arts presentations at the Hopkins Center. . Contributions to the Campaign for Dartmouth build up funding for capital projects. Contributions to specific groups on campus help them achieve their programs and meet their budgets.
The College needs and benefits from all these sources of contributions, but one does not replace or displace the other. As a class we have accomplished (and continue to augment) an extraordinary endowment for the Performing Arts through our Class of ‘61 Legacy. We also have a continuing responsibility to help finance students’ educations each year, as Alumni did for us, through the DCF. It is not an either/or proposition. By taking on the Legacy as our Class Project, we decided to do both and to provide an additional important channel to support the Dartmouth experience. And we have been doing well at both. Last year, through our DCF contributions, we financed over 40 student scholarships at $20,000 each. Here are the names and profiles of two of these 40:
Hannah Burzynski ’07 majors in English with a minor in Human Development and Education. A Rufus Choate Scholar, she is in the top 5% of her class and is a Presidential Scholar Research Assistant. Hannah’s most influential class so far has been Teaching and Learning in the Elementary School. She says “I liked that we learned by doing, rather than through lectures.”
Srikanth Batchu ’07 majors in Economics with a double minor in French and Biochemistry. He also is in the top 5% of his class and a Presidential Scholar Research Assistant. Batchu says that global health and wellness is an issue that is close to his heart.
This year we have the opportunity to support 8 to 10 students if we meet our objective. Let’s all remember that beyond the faculty and administration, beyond the bricks and mortar, are the students, and they are the legacy that is Dartmouth. Hey, look at us! Let’s all participate to whatever extent we can in supporting these students through the DCF. Let’s achieve our 70% participation goal, and if we do, I am confidant we will surpass our dollar objective.
Contributions to this year’s DCF must be received by the College this summer by the end of June.
Thanks to all,
Roger McArt, Class President
The Fund accepts MasterCard, Visa, American Express, and Discover cards on a secure website, www.dartmouthcollegefund.org. Click on the link to the online gift form. Your gift will be credited the day we process your credit card information. --------------------------------------Back to Top Dear Fellow ‘61s,
As your new Class President, I want to welcome all 1961s to our class website and encourage you to continue to visit this site for communications on class activities and projects, general class news and information on individual classmates’ interests and accomplishments. This website is ours to organize and use and make it what we would like it to be, so visit the “Our WWW” menu heading and give Harris McKee and Bob Conn your thoughts.
I want to say that I appreciate the confidence that the Class has placed in me and the other Class Officers to lead us over the next 5 years to our milestone 50 th reunion. Over the next few months we and the Executive Committee will be establishing some objectives that we would like to achieve as a class as we progress to 2011.
For the present, we will be continuing our support this year of three students, one in Academics, one in the Arts through the Arts Initiative Fund, and one athlete through the Athletic Sponsor Program. As a class we contribute $1,500 to support each student’s independent study project and $1,000 to provide transportation and pay expenses for an athlete to visit Hanover during the recruiting process.
This year the athlete that we sponsored is Leigh Rorick, a field hockey player from Ottawa Hills, Ohio who was admitted as an early decision candidate and will become a member of the class of 2010 this fall.
Our 45th reunion this past June was a great success, though we would always enjoy having even more classmates attend. Take a look at the pictures posted here on the website and start making your commitment now to be in Hanover for the 50 th when we will be marching with the graduating class at Commencement!
In the meantime, let me know any of your thoughts or feedback on what you would like to see us accomplish as a class over the next five years.
My best regards to all of you,
Roger |
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