25th Reunion Gifts Total $145,947
In june of this year the Class of 1922 will present its 25th Reunion Gift to the College, and in doing so will mark the completion of ten full years of this class activity which has proved itself so significant for Dartmouth's welfare. This fact was recognized in the review of progress which Windsor C. Batchelder '19 made to the Alumni Council at Chicago last month in a report that is of general interest to all alumni.
In the years that have elapsed since the Class of 1913 built the first of these funds, nine successive classes, 1913 through 1921, have made their gifts—1922 will round out the number to an even ten. The total money represented by these nine gifts at the present time is $145,947 and 1922 will, according to their plan, raise it to a minimum of $173,000. To a college like Dartmouth that has had a continuing shortage of endowment funds this increase is important not only in itself, but in its promise for the future. As evidence of this importance and promise, these funds have produced a total income during the past ten years of $11,805, and last year alone the amount was $4,200.
In addition to the classes that have completed their funds and presented them to the College, others are accumulating them. One group of classes, already past their 25th Reunion, have followed the example of 19111 and accumulated Class Memorial Funds similar in nature to the 25th Reunion Gifts. In this group are the classes of 1906, 1908, 1910, 1911, and 1912, who together have given 123,375.
Among the classes which have yet to celebrate their 25th Reunion, thirteen classes have decided to undertake such a class project and have made varying degrees of progress toward their goals. The Class of 1923, being the next in line to celebrate its 25th Reunion, is naturally farther along the road than any of its contemporaries. At the present time they have §46,000 in their fund, and expect to push far beyond that amount as class participation builds to its peak in the last year. The classes next in line after them, 1934 through 1927, all have made substantial progress toward their ultimate objectives.
As further evidence of the value of this program to the College, these classes anticipating their 25th Reunion have contributed a total of $108,735, and during the period in which their funds have been accumulating they have earned $4,180 in interest, which, added to the income from completed funds referred to above, makes a total of $15,985 earned for the College by this generous program of class gifts.
The grand total of all of these funds now held by the College is $278,055, an increase of $149,000 in the last two years. Projecting present progress into the future, even conservatively, it is possible to foresee that in another ten years the College may have approximately $750,000 in such endowments, producing better than $25,000 income annually. This amout would be a significant increase in present income and would provide a valuable resource for strengthening the College.
The development of these class funds is most easily related in terms of their financial achievements, but the real history has been written by individuals who have labored effectively in Dartmouth's behalf to make this plan successful. Originally Warde Wilkins '13, Clarence C. Meleney '13, Sigurd S. Larmon '14, and the late William B. Slater '14 teamed together to make a start in their respective classes. Mr. Larmon subsequently became the first chairman of the Alumni Council's Class Gifts Committee. In 1915 it was Charles E. Griffith and in 1916 Herbert A. Dingwall who did the initial work and brought their gifts through to a successful presentation. Sumner B. Emerson '17 was the first chairman for that class, and is still carrying on today, having directed a considerable addition to their fund in anticipation of the 30th Reunion next June. Ernest H. Earley, David L. Garratt and Harvey P. Hood organized 1918's fund, which Mr. Garratt carried to completion. He, also, is continuing as chairman. Edward E. Martin '19 combined his role of class agent with that of memorial fund chairman and did it so successfully that he succeeded Mr. Larmon as chairman of the Alumni Council's Committee, in which capacity he served for four years—years that were crucial in terms of the development of these funds. Stanley J. Newcomer '20 and J. Lee Bausher '21 continued this tradition in their respective classes.
At the present time interest centers on Wilbur W. Bullen who is chairman of 1922's committee, which also includes Leroy F. Ball, Francis H. Horan, and Eugene Hotchkiss. For 1923 Julius A. Rippel is chairman, assisted by Sidney J. Flanigan, Clarence E. Goss, Truman T. Metzel, Lucius S. Ruder, Joseph W. Schiffenhaus, and James G. Young. These two classes are providing new and valuable experience with this idea and bringing it to a new effectiveness.
Lest one be tempted to conclude that these 25th Reunion Gifts are new in anything but form and continuity, it should be recalled that many earlier classes made such gifts in various forms. The list is a long one, including 1876, 1877, 1882, 1884, 1885, 1894, 1895, 1900 and 1902. All of these contributed materially to the resources of the College and helped to pave the way for the modern development of this class tradition that is bringing new strength to Dartmouth's endowments.
CLASS GIFTS CHAIRMAN. Windsor C. Batchelder '19 of New York, head of the Alumni Council committee on class gifts, who last month reported on the progress of this important College support.
