Report of Twenty-Sixth Alumni Fund

chievement Last Year and Challenge For Future Stated by Chairman Emerson in Concluding Fund Leadership

DARTMOUTH MEN BEGAN the second quarter-century of their Alumni Fund by refusing to recognize in the 1940 campaign any ceiling to the degree to which they give it support, a degree that was already incredible to most sister institutions. For the first time the number of contributors passed the 10,000 mark to reach 10,136. The proportional participation also set a new high record. Our traditional method of figuring the per cent of contributors is to divide their number into the number of living graduates, and on this basis the percentage reached 81%, up 2%. This figure has made new highs each of the last three years. If the contributors are divided by the number of all living alumni including everyone who ever matriculated, the resulting figure was 55%. A breakdown of the percentages shows 71% of contributors among living graduates and 24% among living non-graduates. All of these figures are new high records.

The Dartmouth family traditionally does not differentiate between graduates and non-graduates—both are Dartmouth men. Nevertheless, a word of special appreciation should go to those Alumni Fund supporters who for one reason or another did not get their degrees at Hanover, many of them finishing their education at other institutions. That 24% of this entire group supported the Alumni Fund is truly notable and is, according to all information available to us, unique. This group accounted for 13% of the total number of gifts and 8% of the dollar total.

Not only are we grateful to the number of men who supported the Fund but to just as great a degree we are proud of the extent of their support. After all, the purpose of the Fund is to give financial help to the College. In 1940 the contributions aggregated $126,255.90,. which was 110% of the year's objective of $115,000. This dollar total, the seventh consecutive increase since 1933, is the second highest in Fund history, being only some $3,000 short of the all time high achieved in 1929. The Committee has endeavored during the last two years to give as much attention to the amount of the average gift as to the percentage of givers. The average amount per giver had been decreasing steadily for ten years and had shrunk from $21.66 in 1926 to $12.13 in 1939. We were pleased to note that last year the figure increased slightly to $12.40. The average gift per graduate, perhaps a fairer figure, has been going up slowly for the past seven campaigns and a further improvement in 1940 brought it to $10.20. We feel certain that Dartmouth men will continue to give this increased support to the Fund.

APPLICATION OF THE DOLLARS

The net amount available for presentation by the Alumni Council to the College was $118,496.79. This is after adding the income from the permanent General Fund established by the Alumni Fund in its early years and after deducting the expenses of solicitation, which incidentally remained at the approximately constant figure where they have stood for several years. Under the authorization of the Alumni Council and after conferring with officers of the College, $2,500 was appropriated to the Thayer School in accordance with our agreement under which the Fletcher Fund abandoned its separate campaign three years ago. In fulfilling the Fund's primary function, $96,809.70 was provided to meet the current expenses of the College to prevent what otherwise would have been a deficit. The balance of $19,187.09 was allocated to the Dartmouth Hall Reconstruction account.

It is interesting to note that over the past six years the Alumni Fund, besides presenting the College with the unrestricted dollars to prevent deficits, has contributed a total of $114,520.83 toward the reconstruction cost of Dartmouth Hall, leaving only $<7,891.18 of that account unfinanced. With the probable final amortization of this cost at an early date, the alumni will have the satisfaction of having completely provided for the rebuilding of Dartmouth Hall in its present indestructible form as an accomplishment of the Fund supplementary to its main purpose.

CLASS MEMORIAL FUNDS

The Fund Committee noted with satisfaction the establishment of the third Class Memorial Fund by 1915 at its twenty-fifth anniversary last June with a total of $7,774.32, the largest of the three anniversary gifts that have been established. We were also glad to note the increment added to the Glass of 1914 Memorial Fund. The income of these funds is credited annually to the Alumni Fund totals of the respective classes. Several other classes are already at work on similar funds. DARTMOUTH REGULARS

A feature of the Alumni Fund new in 1940 was the recognition accorded to the Dartmouth Regulars, those faithful alumni who are the backbone of the Fund year in and year out. The first analysis prior to the campaign showed 2,177 alumni who had contributed in each of the previous ten successive years or, in the case of classes from six to ten years out of College, every year since graduation. The end of the 1940 Campaign found the roster of Regulars totaling 2,343, an amazing number. To this group belongs no small part of the credit for the continued success of the Fund. We hope and predict it will continue to grow.

OUTSTANDING ACCOMPLISHMENTS

With such satisfactory figures it goes without saying that a complete list of outstanding achievements in the individual classes would be a long one, and lack of space prevents presenting a full honor roll. We cannot, however, omit reference to some of the high spots.

Among the sixty-four classes to whom objectives were allotted, thirty-nine reached or exceeded their respective goals, which was six more than in 1939. This honor roll is too long to be listed in full but is shown in the tabulation on page 32. Twelve classes exceeded 200% of their objective, and in this tabulation 1879 again led. An unusual distinction of having given the highest number of dollars given by any class in any year goes to 1913 with its total of $7,492.70. Last year's high dollar class, 1926, increased its total over 1939 by more than $lOO and was second with $4,439.53.

Eleven classes (as against nine last year) showed at least as many gifts as they have living graduates: 1879, 1901, 1900, 1878, 1898, 1887, 1918, 1936, 1877, 1884, and 1938. The new arrivals in this group this year were 1887, 1877, 1884 and 1928; for the others the achievement was a repeat performance. 1879 led this year as she has for four years with 240% of contributors. The Class of 1930's roster of 413 givers was the largest, with ig2B's 409 second.

The Green Derby winners in the four groups were as follows: Group I—l9ol where Harry Gilmore won for the fifth consecutive year; Group 11—1913 where John Remsen wins back the crown that he earned in the 1938 campaign; Group 111-1926, 1926, where Albert E. M. Louer scores his fourth consecutive victory; Group IV—a new group of young classes—l93o wins the first crown with G. Warren French at the helm. The respective runners-up in the four groups were 1900, 1918, 1921 and 1931.

In addition to the leading accomplishments in absolute terms, in the field of relativity the tabulation on page 36 showing 1940 improvement over 1939 is worthy of attention. The seven outstanding classes in this table and their Agents are as - follows: 1890, Charles A. Hardy; 1877, John M. Comstock; 1885, Otis E. Hovey; 1913, John J. Remsen; 1891, William E. Stanley; 1876, Dr. Henry H. Piper; and 1912, Roscoe G. Geller.

The above are simply a few selections from a long list of outstanding accomplishments. Many other classes would have special praise if space permitted. The Committee can only reiterate with added force the previous expressions of appreciation to the class agents and their assistants to whom for their devotion and their plain hard work belongs the credit for the splendid accomplishment of our Alumni Fund. The Committee has found it both a pleas- ure and an inspiration to work with every one of them for the College. Fourteen agents have relinquished their posts to classmates since the 1940 Campaign, and we therefore wish to give a particular laurel leaf on behalf of ourselves and preceding Committees to Charles A. Hardy '9O, Edward Griffith '93, Frederic H. Leggett '9B, Clarence C. Hills 'O5, John C. VanderPyl 'lO, Raymond B. Seymour 'lO, Sigurd S. Larmon 'l4, Russell B. Livermore 'l5, H. Warren Wilson 'lB, Murray C. Harvey '2O, G. Warren French '3O, Edward J. Foley Jr. '33, Donald W. Fraser '35 and Robert H. Shertz '36.

From the above names two call for special mention. They have not only faithfully acted as agents but also as Fund Chairmen. Under Sig Larmon in 1937 and 1938 the Fund not only substantially increased its dollar total but exceeded its previous high record made twelve years before in percentage of contributors. Ted Leggett '9B has had a place in Alumni Fund history unsurpassed by that of any other individual alumnus. He has acted as class agent ever since the establishment of the Fund in 1915, and the hours that he has thus contributed to Dartmouth would run into astronomical figures. He has shown himself a master of all the techniques of the peerless class agent and by praising, cajoling and using every intelligent device, he built 1898's record into one of the greatest to be found in the books. For the past fourteen years that class has always been above the magic 100% mark in contributors and last year turned in its best record of 130%. In every year except one '9B exceeded its dollar objective with percentages from 112 to 198. It was every year well above the average both in percentage of contributors and in relation to objective. He acted as Fund Chairman in two of the most successful years in the Fund's history, making many notable contributions to Fund procedures and in one year, 1929, establishing the Fund's all time high dollar total. His retirement from the class agentship, coincident with his retirement from business this spring, is noted by the Fund Committee with great regret but with the deepest gratitude for the incalculable values that he has contributed to the Fund and to the College during these many years.

HAIL AND FAREWELL

The Fund has lost one of its senior agents through the death, after the close of the campaign, of Dr. Samuel T. King of the Class of 1880. Dr. King shepherded the 1880 flock with faithfulness and good humor and as dean of the New York group of Agents his presence will be missed in future years at the meetings of Fund Agents.

THE FUTURE

Many of our sister colleges are organizing and expanding their alumni solicitation, after noting the success of alumni funds in colleges such as Dartmouth that have had them for a number of years. While we are pleased with our expansion last year in number of contributors and our increase of 11% in dollars, it is interesting to note that twenty-three other institutions for whom figures are available for the last two years increased their gifts an average of 15%. Your Committee feels that all educational institutions in general and Dartmouth in particular must of necessity rely more heavily on the alumni in the future than they have in the past. The average income from the investments in our own endowment funds ten years ago was over 5%. Last year it was under 4%. During the decade of 1920 to 1930 the yearly average of gifts to the College was $1,198,000, and during the decade of 1930 to 1940 $611,000. With both gifts to the College and return on investments showing such substantial decreases, the College can only turn to the alumni for the support necessary to carry on its work. Fifteen years ago our average gift per graduate to the Fund was $15.82, last year it was $10.20. Those figures taken together show our problem. We are certain the alumni do not want the College to contract its activities. Dartmouth must not even stand still—she must go forward. Knowing that her sons will meet this challenge, we pass the Fund on to others, and we know that present accomplishments will be far exceeded by our successors.

CHAIRMAN ALUMNI FUND 1939-4O

SUMNER B. EMERSON '17 Whose administration, of the DartmouthAlumni Fund concluded with highly successful drive of a year ago.

HARVEY P. HOOD II '18 Heading the Fund Committee and corps ofclass agents in the 1941 campaign that begins later this month.

Alumni Fund Chairmen 1915-18 FRED A. HOWLAND 'B7 1919-20 EDWARD W. KNIGHT 'B7 1921-22 THOMAS W. STREETER 'O4 1923-24 CLARENCE G. MCDAVITT 'OO 1925-26 ALLAN L. PRIDDY 'l5 1927-28 GEORGE M. MORRIS 'll 1929-30 FREDERIC H. LEGGETT '9B 1931-32 WILLIAM J. MINSCH'O7 1933-34 JOHN C. STERLING 'll 1935-36 JOHN W. HUBBELL '2l 1937-38 SIGURD S. LARMON 'l4 1939-40 SUMNER B. EMERSON 'l7 1941- HARVEY P. HOOD ll'lB