Dear ‘61s and families:

            Your “stealth” newsletter editor is back in print as of this issue.  Vic Rich caught me by surprise last spring by asking if I’d accept a nomination to continue as co-editor with Tom Conger.  Vic’s one stipulation was that I actually write newsletters for a change.  

            Top reason for not writing in the past: TC has been doing a sensational job as newsletter editor.  A raft of other reasons also prevailed, topped by the thought that the more TC wrote, the better my chances of learning a second language, i.e. “Mahalo,” etc.  When exam time rolls around, the definition of “haole” will be a snap.  In case you didn’t know, it’s the Hawaiian word for foreigner, currently construed to mean pink people only.  It’s not meant as a compliment.  Although, TC tells me that when he was growing up, the highest form of praise was, “Congah, you not bad – for haole …”

            TC has forwarded your most recent Take-A-Minute green cards to me for this letter.  As TC will be writing to you next, the enclosed TAM green cards are addressed to him.  Our plan is to alternate writing to you with an objective of publishing eight newsletters a year.  In view of the relative proximity of my Long Island home to Hanover compared to TC’s island abode way off yonder (a 16-day trip for his recent mailing to me!), I’m the obvious candidate to give you firsthand reports of Big Green happenings.

                        Homecoming Weekend & ’61 Mini-Reunion -- October 19 – 21, 2001

            Picture a warm sunny autumn weekend in Hanover with golden foliage still in the trees, and you’ve got a sense of the ambiance that pleasured all of us who returned for our recent mini-reunion.  Hats off to Art Johnson and Ellie Rittman, as well as their helpers, who’ve made these annual get-togethers extra special for several years now.  From beginning to end -- the Friday night torchlight parade and bonfire on the Green  … the Saturday morning ’61 brunch … the football game … the post-game tall cold frosties beside the Robert Frost stature … the Saturday night banquet at the Sumner Mansion … the ample opportunities to converse with classmates – these mini-reunion weekends speed by most enjoyably as if they had occurred in the blink of an eye.

            This year’s attendees included: Art Johnson and Ellie Rittman … Tom and Isabel Hickey … Art Kelton … Pete Bleyler … Bob and Karen Fuller … Jim and Danielle Naylor with their son Ed and his wife … Dick Spencer and Nancy Meng … Bob Conn … Roger and Sandy McArt … George Breed … Ivar and Carol Jozus … Terry and Jo Ortwein … Henry and Laurie Eberhardt … Pete Palin … Tom Theodore and date … Pete Synnott … Ron and Joan Wybranowski … Dave and Joan Prewitt … Bert and Pam Rowley.  Thanks to Laurie Eberhardt for loaning me Henry’s camera, photographs of many of the attendees appear in this issue as well as on the class web site.  See the photos in color as well as to read the minutes from the ’61 Executive/Class Meetings.

            To say the least, this wasn’t a brag-about season for the Big Green football team (1-8).  However, the Dartmouth (20) – Columbia (27) game was a cliffhanger.  We were in the game all the way despite a number of mistakes: fumbling the ball away on first-and-goal at the 2 on the first drive of the third quarter … suffering back-to-back interceptions of passes in the fourth quarter … and more.  Yet we were always so close and given the beautiful sunny afternoon, the stands remained filled until the final whistle. 

                                             Class of ’61 Sponsored Students and Banquet Guests

An additional photo in this issue features Hannah Yu, a ’61 sponsored student, and three sophomore Undergraduate Advisors (UGAs) from the Fayerweathers where we hold our annual pre-game brunches.  All four joined us at the Saturday evening banquet and gave well-received talks about their Dartmouth experiences.  Hannah is an Honors-thesis student who majors in Biochemistry and minors in Psychology. The subject of her thesis is Circadian Rhythms, and she has been awarded $1,000 by our class to help fund her research.  Our Class of ‘61 Student Athlete, Nicholas Peay, a right-handed baseball pitcher, couldn’t attend the banquet.  And our Arts Initiative Fund student had yet to be named.

            Pete Synnott comments that our student guests were genuinely pleased by the opportunity to meet and interact with us.  One student told Pete about work accomplished with a Global Positioning Satellite System.  And, that prompted Pete to tell the students at hand that when he was an undergraduate and was lost after consuming a few frosties, he’d simply phone information and ask the operator to … “trace this call and tell me where I am.”  Pete adds that the group finally figured out that he was joking.  (Really?)

            Take-A-Minute green cards distributed during the banquet yielded the news that follows.  Roger McArt: “… still working – hope to continue for at least a few years.  Not grandparents yet – both boys (27 & 37) are finally (if that is ever final) years out on their own.  We are enjoying weekends in the summer at our cottage on Martha’s Vineyard.”  Tom Hickey: “Isabel (Boots) and I continue to move forward as we have during the last 40 years, i.e. watching me work.  This is in spite of the brain washing effort recently received at our 40^th reunion wherein it was clear that we all should be retired, giving ‘big time’ to The College, and selecting appropriate spots for our remains!  We did enjoy the reunion very much.” 

        Tom Theodore:  “Nice to be back for a Homecoming Mini-Reunion.  Was back for the 40^th and nice to reconnect with old friends.  Will return.”  Bob Fuller handed in a green card with his name and address only – suggesting, perhaps, that I’d recall our cocktail-hour conversation and fill in the blank space.  Sorry, Bob; my mind goes south after the first Dewars on the rocks.

            Bob Conn: “Amazing freedom not having to worry about class columns after 24 years.  Still staying busy as a class officer, with chairing the Constitution Committee and Web Editorial Committee and participating in the mini reunion and Dartmouth Fund Committee.  Personally looking ahead 3-4 years to not going to work every day, and maybe re-launching my freelance business.”  Dave & Joan Prewitt: “Let’s do the class 65^th birthday celebration in Philadelphia.  Our great friends did a 5-day deal for Yale.  They did all the research, and we have the ‘comments’ from the participants.  Glad to help!”

                                             Plans for Out-of-Hanover Mini-Reunions

During the 10/19 Executive Committee meeting, a number of locations were suggested for Out-of- Hanover mini-reunions, including the west coast of Florida, Philadelphia, Lake Tahoe, London, the Northwest, and Costa Rico.  It was suggested that we try to have at least one of these off-campus mini-reunions per year -- and that we aim for the “biggest” mini-reunion for our 65^th birthday in 2004.  Your suggestions of locations for future mini-reunions are welcome.  We also discussed encouraging local concentrations of ‘61s to hold “micro-reunions.”  Ivar Jozus reported that in the past, we’ve indicated that we could help out with certain expenses, such as mailings.  

Micro-reunion news: Jim and Danielle Naylor, and Pete and Ruth Bleyler drove to Springfield, MA to see David Birney perform in Mark Twain’s The Diaries of Adam and Eve.  This two-person show was adapted for the stage and was directed by David.  The five all had dinner after the Sunday afternoon matinee.  And, while I’m thinking of it, Oscar Arslanian reports that Denny Engelman has been named Vice Chairman of the Chicago Stock Exchange.  Congratulations, Denny!

’61 Fall Mini-Reunion Weekend Dates for 2002 Changed

Next year, the official Homecoming weekend and Dartmouth Night will be held the first weekend in November.  Because the prospects for good weather are pretty slim at that time of year, the Executive Committee approved a recommendation to move our mini-reunion to October 11-13-02.  The football team will host Yale on Saturday, and the fall colors should be at or near peak.  The classes of 1959 and 1960 have also decided to move their mini-reunions to that weekend, and we’re planning some joint activities for the three classes.  We will continue to have our own class dinner on Saturday evening.  Please mark your calendars and plan to attend a warm and colorful mini-reunion in Hanover.

Bonus Mini-Reunion: April 20, 2002

The Class of ‘61 Arts Legacy endowment will be sponsoring the Izthak Perlman concert at the Hopkins Center on April 20, 2002.  We are planning a mini-reunion around the concert, starting with dinner at the Norwich Inn, Friday night.  On Saturday, we’ll have some activities that are related to the arts.  Then we’ll have dinner at the Haywood Lounge in the Hanover Inn before the concert.  Although the concert was sold out the day tickets went on sale in September, Lewis Crickard set aside 30 tickets for our class (at $50 each).  Some people have already expressed interest in attending the concert and mini-reunion, so it’s expected that we’ll use all 30 tickets.  If you’re interested in attending the mini-reunion and concert, send an e-mail message to Pete Bleyler (pete.bleyler@valley.net).  More information on the weekend will be mailed after the first of the year.   

Class Bench By The Robert Frost Statue

Progress is being made on funding a class bench in the area of the Robert Frost statue.  The bench  will be cut from the rock outcroppings in the area and developed to be unobtrusive within the context of  the natural surroundings.  Pete Bleyler met with the college architect, an outside architect, and a stone mason recently, to look at the various options.  Two specific areas appear to be the best, and the architects are working up some drawings to be presented to a college planning committee.  Once we have more specifics, they’ll be posted on the class web site for everyone to view and provide input.

The Executive Committee approved the motion to go ahead with the class bench project at the Robert Frost statue with a “working budget” of $7,500.  The final total could be slightly more or less.  The initial funding will come from the class treasury, but we’re asking classmates to make tax-deductible contributions to fully fund the bench.  Please send your check, made payable to “Dartmouth 1961” to Ivar Jozus, 73 Main Street, Middletown, CT 06457.

            Ivar Jozus also welcomes your payments of class dues for 2001-02.  He says that your

payments are tax deductible because they contribute to the well being of The College. 

            Take advantage: send in your dues and claim a tax deduction.

_____________________________________________________________________________________

                                                                           TC’s Mailbag

            Here’s our latest news, culled from Take-A-Minute green cards forwarded to me by TC.

            Bob Wendell: “Kathleen and I are doing fine and enjoying our total retirement together.  Finally, after 8 months of temporary quarters, we will be moving to our new home in the next several weeks.  It’s been a long process, but an enjoyable one.  The September (WWW issue) photos rekindled great memories of our June reunion.”  Tony Horan: “I have had two papers accepted in Techniques in Urology.  One describes how to detect the exact cause of failing erections, and one describes a ‘2’ plasty for the non-retractable prepuce, a way to preserve the sexually sensitive skin.  This summer we did our usual nine-day hike in the Sierras.  For three of those days, we saw no other human beings.”

            David Osterhout: “Like forty years ago, it was a brief, sweet, fleeting moment (the reunion).  Our mission from now on is to stay vertical, unlike our goal those many years ago, which was to get horizontal.  It is amazing what age can do to your perspectives on life and sense of direction.”  Bob Jackson: “Under corrections and additions – Thanks for the great (as usual) newsletter!  My “hand thing” was the result of a burn, hence the salve and a glove.  Was nice to have all those ’61 Docs to give their opinions (no bills yet!).  Nothing could have helped my golf, so all excuses apply (just ask Dick Noel).” 

            Bill Blue: “I enjoy each newsletter with pictures and regret not being able to attend this past June.  The reason was a new position in corporate America and a great new challenge in my professional life.  I am helping a friend of 25 years, who is president of Churchill Management Group, to expand his clientele.  Churchill was one of the very few investment advisors to pull all of their clients out of the market in February 2000 and have consistently made money for their clients in both bear and bull markets.  Thanks for your continuing excellent efforts.”

            *****               *****               *****               *****               *****               ******

            As I wrap up this newsletter, I’m more appreciative than ever of the big, big job TC has been doing as our prolific class wordmeister from Kula, HI.  I’m appreciative of TC’s help with this newsletter as well, and I’d also like to thank Art Johnson, Pete Bleyler, and Henry and Laurie Eberhardt for their contributions to content.  Just a few months ago, I thought I might have to resort to filling these pages by starting to write my memoirs.  You’ve been spared.

            Here’s wishing you and yours a Joyous Holiday Season and a Happy, Healthy New Year!

                                                                                    Best regards,

                                                                                    Bert Rowley 

P.S.  This just in from Richard Wright: “After 25 years of teaching at McGill University in Montreal, mainly as Director of International Business Studies, I have accepted a new appointment as the E. Claiborne Robins Distinguished University Chair in the Robins School of Business, University of Richmond.  My family and I moved to Richmond in early September.  I look forward to meeting any Dartmouth alumni who might be in the area.  Home phone: (804) 364-1794.”  Congratulations on the appointment, Richard.  Wish you and Ursula could have returned for Homecoming again this year.