The Alumni Fund Reaches New Heights

THE ALUMNI FUND records of 1943, called "incredible" when they were made, have lasted just one year. The 1944 results have smashed every mark in sight, with an estimated total of $284,251 from 13,499 contributors. These figures represent 114% of the cash goal of $250,000 for 1944 and a proportion of givers to living graduates of 89%—new records in the amount given, the number of contributors, and the per cent of contributors.

The gains over 1943's record-breaking results are nearly $40,000 in money received, in the per cent of givers. The latter gain would be much greater if the percentage figure included the 1,057 gifts from the classes of 1944, 1945 and 1946, which added a special fillip to the 30th annual Fund campaign.

"It would be hard to overestimate the importance of this substantial resource to Dartmouth at this particular period in its history," Henry E. Atwood '13, Fund chairman, declared in his July 20 report to the class agents. "Never at any other time in the last three decades of Alumni Fund history have the class agents been so inspired and, consequently, so inspiring," he said.

President Hopkins also had high praise for the class agents and for all Dartmouth alumni in the following message to the class agents:

I have just had the privilege of studying the final figures of the Fund for this year. These are so amazingly a confirmation of all that in our most confident moments we have ever boasted about Dartmouth's alumni characteristics that there is nothing which mere words could add. As a matter of fact, we don't need to say .much to bolster our instinct for self-esteem because informed men of other colleges in their expressions of envious admiration are saying all that we could say.

However, such results do not accrue in an alumni body except after painstaking thought and effort upon the part of some comparatively small group which organizes and mobilizes the loyalty of the whole. It is, then, to the Class Agents that I wish first to extend deep-felt thanks in behalf of the College for what they have proved Dartmouth to be. In analogy to what Dr. Butler said about the strawberry in his frequently quoted remarks, I would say of the Class Agents: "Doubtless God could have made a better alumni group but doubtless God never did!"

The highlights of the 1944 campaign included the continued Fund support of more than 8,000 Dartmouth men in uniform, scattered throughout the world; the exceeding of the $200,000 objective of the 60 quota classes by $63,000; the substantial participation of parents, wives and relatives of service men; and again the surprising results turned in by the young classes which would normally still be in college.

In the adjoining columns the class standings with respect-to percentage of objective are tabulated. In the matter of dollar totals, 1918 led with $8,881, followed by 1917 with $8,646, and 1926 with $8,182 three classes above $8,000 as compared with none last year. Eight classes exceeded $7,000 as compared with only three last year, these including the above three and 1923, 1915, 1906, 1930 and 1925

In percentage of contributors, 19 classes, from 1886 with 278% to 1921 with 100%, had perfect or better records, while 32 classes in all had better than 90% of contributors. The perfect circle of 19 included 1886, 1900, 1892, 1889, 1890, 1898, 1901,1884, 1887, 1919, 1906, 1904, 1918, 1917,1894, 1928, 1923, 1913, and 1921.

In total givers, 1941 led all the Dartmouth classes with 479. Behind them came 1939 with 454, 1928 with 425, 1923 with 419, 1930 with 418, and 1940 with 414.

The Green Derby winners, determined on the basis of combined per cent of contributors and per cent of objective, were the following classes and class agents: Group I (1898-1907)—1900, Clarence G. McDavitt; Group II • (1908-1917)-1917, Karl W. Koeniger; Group III (1918-1926)—1917, Richard A. Holton; Group IV (1927-1935)—1930, Alex J. McFarland; Group V (1936-1943)—1942, Joseph F. Arico Jr.; Little Green Derby (1944-1946)—1946, Thomas K. Burnap.

REPRESENTING DISTRICT II on the Alumni Council is John I. Gearhart '26 Pittsburgh executive in coal and iron industries.

FINDING TIME for the Big Green in spite of a full-time war job, Charles F. Weston '18 will represent the state of Virginia on the Dartmouth Alumni Council.