The Reunion Weekend

THE ROBINSON PLAN for Dartmouth class reunions got into full swing on the weekend of June 17-19 when the Classes of 1903, 1904 and 1905 arid also the Classes of 1928, 1929 and 1930 returned to Hanover at the same time, thus embellishing their own class programs with get-togethers with friends from adjoining classes. Two other class reunions, held successfully that same weekend without Robinson Plan contemporaries, were the 40th of 1909 and the 10th of 1939-

The eight classes together had a total attendance of slightly more than 700 alumni, the largest contingent being that of 1929, which won the Class of 1930 Cup by having 152 men registered by 10 o'clock Saturday morning. Wives and children increased the reunion weekend attendance to an estimated 1100 persons, all of whom enjoyed the fine although somewhat hot weather and the three-day round of events planned by the College and the class committees.

FIFTEEN DORMS OCCUPIED The reunion tents were again a familiar sight beside the dorms and it was there that most of the informal activities took place. Massachusetts Row was assigned to 1903, 1904 and 1905. Wheeler and Richardson were headquarters for 1909; Russell Sage and Butterfield for 1928; Lord, Streeter and Gile for 1929; Fayerweather Row for 1930; and Topliff and New Hampshire for 1939.

Although the individual class programs varied, all those back for reunions took part in a number of weekend events arranged by the College. These events included the garden reception given Friday evening by President and Mrs. Dickey; the alumni dance that night in College Hall; the buffet luncheon on the lawn of the gymnasium Saturday and the following meeting of the General Alumni Association; and the Saturday night performance of You Can't Take It With You by the Dartmouth Players. The Friday night reception at the President's House was the first opportunity of the weekend for alumni of all classes to get together, and it was noticeably featured by the renewing of friendships among the men who were in college together but were not of the same class.

COUNCIL MEETING OPENS WEEKEND

The annual June meeting of the Dartmouth Alumni Council was held in conjunction with the reunion weekend and it opened the general program with a Friday morning session, followed by luncheon with College officers at the D.O.C. House. A few alumni who had arrived early for Hanover Holiday were already in the dorms, but the real influx of alumni began Friday afternoon and by 3 o'clock a campus baseball game was already in progress between the red-coated 1929's and the green-capped 1928's. Either someone misread the script or a new integrity has invaded these contests; 1929 actually admitted that it lost the game.

From that point on the various class events ran through receptions at the tents, buffet suppers also served there, class raffles for the memorial funds, Saturday morning breakfast at the tents, the indispensable class pictures (reproduced in this issue), picnics and outings Saturday afternoon, fraternity reunions, class banquets and separate dinners for the wives, class movies and hums, Sunday morning memorial services, and finally, for some of the classes, organized farewell events, such as buffet luncheon, a milk punch party or a picnic.

This is the bare outline of reunion ac- tivity. The unscheduled, informal doings provided the most fun for many. The beer was plentiful for the younger classes, har- monizers clustered around the tent pianos until the small hours of the morning, and no one seemed to tire of reminiscing about undergraduate days. Especially noteworthy among all the reunion classes was the large number of wives present for the festivities—a feature of Dartmouth alumni life in general that has grown steadily since the war, to the satisfaction of all.

GENERAL ASSOCIATION MEETING

At the Saturday meeting of the General Alumni Association, speakers included President Dickey; Sidney C. Hayward '36, Secretary of the College; Edward K. Robinson '04 of Boston, who spoke for the Classes of 1903, 1904 and 1905; and F. William Andres '29, Vice President of the General Association, who presided. Excerpts from Mr. Robinson's talk will be found on the following page.

ONE OF THE MOST ACTIVE SPOTS during the reunion weekend, June 17-19, was the 1929 tent near Lord, Streeter and Gile Halls on Tuck Mall. This was the focal point for the festivities of the 20-Year Class which won attendance honors and the 1930 Cup by having 152 men back. Their costumes of bright red jackets and caps also contributed the flashiest sartorial note of the weekend.

REUNIONS ARE STRENUOUS but this small fry, labeled "Property of Dartmouth 1939," had an easy solution for the problem. Empty beer cans made wonderful playthings, and all hands in '39 saw to it that the kids were well supplied.