Dartmouth 1979

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Dartmouth College Class of 1979 - 2009 Class of the Year

“Oh, the places you’ll go!”—Dr. Seuss

And oh, the places you went!

The Class of 1979 sets lofty goals and puts in an “all hands on deck” effort to meet and exceed them. Its overall aim is nothing less than “to distinguish [itself] and to be an outstanding class in all respects . . . to have a positive impact on class activities and alumni relations in general, and to serve as a role model for younger classes.”

And what an inspiration it is! This year, the class strove to create a 30th Reunion that would be outstanding and achieve high participation in terms of both attendance and contributions to the Dartmouth College Fund. And not only did the class set a new 30th Reunion attendance record, it also broke the record for DCF participation (71 percent) and donations, at $3.5 million!

How did they do it? For starters, the foundation for all Class of 1979 activities is a strong and commonly felt set of values: community, engagement, and excellence. This class bond, already powerful, was enhanced by an excellent and integrated communications plan focused on Reunion and participation: three 12-page newsletters, emailed in color to over 700 classmates and posted on the class Web site; six columns in the Dartmouth Alumni Magazine celebrating individual accomplishments and beating the Reunion drum; 26 letters—some sent by mail but most by email; a phone tree; and, last but not least, a redesign of the class Web site to give it a fresh look, new features, and easy online Reunion registration. The DCF drive was especially innovative and effective, with personalized notes, catchy cartoon emails, tireless phone calls, and a short video with Reunion photos and music as part of a last-minute appeal.

Special outreach efforts were created to increase class engagement opportunities. The class vice president held a series of supper clubs at his home for legacy students; a class steward was appointed to send classmates both congratulatory notes and condolence cards, increasing class connections; and the ’79s hosted a singles event at Reunion—the first ever and a model for future classes.

Leading up to their 30th Reunion, the ‘79s organized eight mini-reunions, one of which, held in conjunction with the celebration of the 1978 Dartmouth Ivy League Championship football team, raised $100,000 for FRIENDS OF FOOTBALL??? Stealing a page from another successful class, the ‘79s hosted “79th Day of the Year” mini-reunions in nine cities. A strong class dues program, in which 46 percent of the class participated, enabled the ’79s to contribute $9,000 to its number one project, Dartmouth Partners in Community Service.

Undergirding all of these efforts were a strong and active president and a team of hard-working officers. The executive committee held meetings by phone seven times over ten months, keeping each member on task and focused on the Reunion.

And boy, did it pay off. With record attendance and within budget, the Class of 1979 Reunion featured a classmate panel titled “Reinvention,” with open discussion about personal and professional transformations, and an emotional memorial service on Biondi Field at Red Rolfe Park. “It was wonderful to catch up with old friends, and magical to get to know people who we didn’t know then and will now be lifelong friends,” say members of the class.

Community, engagement, and excellence. This says it all about this distinguished class, and is much more than reason enough to bestow the 2009 Class of the Year Award on the great Class of 1979.