THE DARTMOUTH ALUMNI COUNCIL'S 31st annual Alumni Fund campaign opened in late February with the mailing to all Dartmouth men of a joint statement by President Hopkins and Joshua A. Davis '27, Fund chairman for 1945. The President's statement, written at the request of the Fund Committee, dealt with the College's financial position in the light of present circumstances and postwar plans.
Early gifts to the 1945 Fund up to February 15 totaled $36,000 from 550 contributors, which compares with $27,500 from 780 contributors on the same date last year. Many classes have already started their campaigns, with special credit in this respect going to 1898 under John R. Spring, 1900 under Clarence G. Mcr Davitt, 1901 under Richard Ward, 1909 under Norman R. Catharin, 1919 under Edward E. Martin, 1933 under John S. Black Jr., 1937 under Frederick K. Castle, and 1941 under Lewis K. Johnstone.
.Three new Class Agents have assumed direction of their class campaigns during the past month. They are Wendell Williams '88,. who succeeds the late Eleazar Cate, 1888 Fund leader for many years; Philip J. Orsi '28; and George Colton '35. Meetings of the class agents will be held as usual in Chicago, Boston and New York preliminary to the intensive part of the 1945 Fund campaign. The Chicago gathering has been set for March 21, while the tentative dates for Boston and New York are April 9 and 10, respectively. President Hopkins will address thfe latter two meetings, while Mr. Davis and Albert I. Dickerson '30, executive secretary of the Fund, will appear at all three.
A minimum goal of $300,000 has been set for .the 1945 Fund. Last year's record breaking total was $284,500, from 13,509 contributors, and was assigned almost entirely to the College's Postwar Reconversion Reserve. A large operating deficit has been forecast for the current fiscal year, and in its 1945 Fund campaign the Alumni Council hopes not only to offset this deficit but also to provide further addition to the reconversion fund.