1923 Makes Memorial Fund History
Ever since the day that the Class of 1923 let it be known that it would be satisfied with nothing less than $100,000 for its Class Memorial Fund, to be presented at the 25th Reunion this year, the rest of the Dartmouth family has taken a keen interest in the efforts to realize this bold objective. The record, everyone knew, was $29,000 presented to the College last year by the numerically smaller class of 1922.
A week or so before reunion, reports of $90,000 reached Hanover—and then 1923's iron curtain dropped on the true state of affairs. When Memorial Fund Chairman Julius A. Rippel and his two top lieutenants, Sidney J. Flanigan and Clarence E. Goss, arrived in Hanover for 1923's Big 25th, nobody was talking. Finally, on Saturday evening, June 12, at the class dinner in Thayer Hall, Chairman Rippel proudly announced to President Dickey and the assembled group that the 1923 Memorial Fund stood at 1106,855 and that later in the year, uPon receipt of a pledge of $2,500 more, it would stand at $109,355.
Something of the true dimensions of 1923's achievement can be appreciated from the fact that a memorial fund of $109,000 exceeds the total Dartmouth College Alumni Fund of just ten years ago. Using this year's Alumni Fund scoring base, the 431 men of 1923 who contributed to the 25th Year Gift represent a participation index of 92 per cent, a remarkable record in itself. Not only was class participation widespread, but the fact that the largest individual gift did not exceed $7,000 indicates that the goal of $lOO,OOO was reached because of substantial giving by the rank and file of the class. One other satisfying feature of the 1923 fund was the fact that every dollar contributed by a member of the class went directly to the principal of the fund, campaign expenses being covered by
special outside gifts and by interest on the money contributed early in the five-year drive. The class dinner at which the 1923 Memorial Fund was formally turned over to the College was itself an extraordinary affair, reported by those present as hitting a new high note for such alumni gatherings. In addition to Mr. Rippel and President Dickey, those participating in the dinner program were President Emeritus Hopkins, Bishop Dallas, Dean Neidlinger, and Mr. Flanigan, toastmaster.
To round out its proud 1948 performance, the Class of 1923 as this mid-June writing is giving Class Agent John E. Moore a healthy lead over last year's Alumni Fund showing.
ANNOUNCEMENT OF A GIFT OF $109,355 was sealed by this handclasp between Memorial Fund Chairman Julius A. Rippel and President Dickey. "Irish" Flanigan, toastmaster, at right.
