1939 Alumni Fund

ALL RECORDS for number and percentage of contributors went into the discard when the final results of the 1939 Alumni Fund campaign were tabulated during the summer. The 9,448 alumni who contributed $114,709.64 to the Fund numbered 666 more than the previous high total of last year, while the proportion of contributors to graduates of the College was 79%, the highest percentage since the present Fund started in 1915 and 3% higher than the record of last year. The amount contributed during the 1939 campaign represented 104% of the objective of $110,000 set by the Fund Committee, and was the fourth largest total in the 25-year history of the Fund.

After the deduction of campaign expenses and the addition of income from the Tucker Loan Fund and the General Fund, $108,052.94 was available to the Alumni Council for distribution. This sum prevented a College deficit of $81,371.23 for the fiscal year 1938-39 arid also provided $24,009.47 toward the financing of the Dartmouth Hall reconstruction. Under the terms of the consolidation of the Robert Fletcher Fund with the Alumni Fund, $2,400 was allocated to Thayer School as a proportion of the gifts of Thayer School men; and in accordance with special arrangements approved by the Alumni Council, the sum of $372.24 was applied to the Class of 1914 Memorial Fund. The latter sum represented the contributions of 1914 men in excess of the class quota.

AVERAGE GIFT LOWER

The average contribution to the Alumni Fund this year was $12.14 in contrast to $12.30 last year. Classes with perfect or better-than-perfect records on the score of contributors were led by 1879 with 271%, followed by 1901 with 138%, 1898 with 122%, 1900 with 114%, 1878 with 110%, 1921 with 106%, 1918 with 102%, and 1892 and 1926, each with 100%. Classes with better than 90% of contributors in- cluded 1887, 1884, 1904, 1911, 1924, 1919, 1928, 1894, and 1925.

The Class of 1879 also led the way in percentage of objective, contributing 1562% of the goal set for the class. Thirty- three classes in all had 100% or better of their cash objectives. Following 1879 in or- der, they were: 1881—952%; 1892—637%; 1887—448%; 1884—412%; 1889—253%; 1878—186%; 1901—185%; 1880—154%; 1894—153%; 1886—151%; 1898—151%; 1888—142%; 1926—136%; 1876—133%; 1885—131%; 1918—124%; 1930—124%; 1883—121%; 1911 119%; 1906—117%; 1896—116%; 1900—113%; 1914—111%; 1904—108%; 1882—106%; 1905—104%; 1921—104%; 1903—103%; 1917—103%; 1899—102%; 1925—102%; 1919—100%.

Chairman of the 1939 Alumni Fund Committee of the Alumni Council was Sumner B. Emerson 'l7 of New York City. Albert I. Dickerson '3O of Hanover again served as executive secretary of the Fund, and other members of the Committee were Prof. Leon Burr Richardson 'OO, Hanover; Edward K. Robinson 'O4, Boston; Whit- ney H. Eastman 'lO, Milwaukee, Wis.; and Fletcher R. Andrews 'l6, Cleveland Heights, Ohio.

EDWARD W. KNIGHT '87 Former Trustee of the College, and President of the Alumni Council, whose deathAugust 8 deprived West Virginia of oneof its most prominent attorneys, and lostthe College a most active graduate. (See Necrology.)