Memorial Funds Pass $500,000

Additions to College Endowment Growing At Remarkable Rate

IT was back in June 1938 that the Class of 1913 at its 25th Reunion presented a gift of $918.75 to Dartmouth, thereby establishing the first Class Memorial Fund. From this small start, less than twelve years ago, a program has developed which now embraces 32 classes and has produced more than 1500,000 of unrestricted endowment for the College. The Class Memorial Fund program is of inestimable importance in the financial program of Dartmouth College.

The half-million-dollar mark was passed on December 29, in the final days of 1949 activity on the program. The grand total has now reached $530,110. More than $50,000 has been added to 17 of the class funds during the past year's activity which began June 30.

The following is a summary of Class Memorial Fund totals as of January 9, 1950: Class Amount 1906 $ 10,094.21 1908 10,737.61 1910 5,933.62 1911 9,528.35 1912 16,000.00 1913 11,972.75 1914 8,298.89 1915 19,930.01 1916 14,135.72 1917 11,675.99 1918 33,756.73 1919 33,065.17 1920 22,670.36 1921 26,401.87 1922 29,185.48 1923 107,467.45 1924 49,352.34 1925 48,669.61 1926 15,260.31 1927 7,306.41 1928 9,359.33 1929 4,206.29 1930 9,279.65 1931 114.27 1932 1,877.07 1933 141.00 1936 1,348.65 1938 916.96 1939 1,203.21 1942 97.14 1944 4.00 1947 119.56 TOTAL 1520,110.01

The idea of a class gift at the 25th Reunion is an old one, originating with a fund presented by the Class of 1876 in 1901. Their example was followed by a number of other classes, and these gifts took a variety of forms, with student loan and scholarship funds predominating but with such other gifts as the Dartmouth Outing Club House by 1900 and the 1902 and 1913 Rooms in Baker Library also presented.

The present Class Memorial Fund program was proposed by the Class of 1913 and accepted by the Alumni Council, after careful consideration, as a desirable plan for all ensuing classes to adopt. It provides that classes, instead of raising funds for some physical gift, should establish a permanent endowment fund, the principal to be retained intact during the life of the class, and the income to be credited each year to class accomplishment in the Alumni Fund. These Class Memorial Funds are presented to the College at the 25th Reunion. For the class it gives the satisfaction of knowing that their gift is constantly meeting the first needs of the College, and that through continuity of the plan their class achievement will receive continual recognition. From the point of view of the College, the plan provides vitally important endowment with unrestricted income, the most useful sort of permanent gift.

Since the beginning of the program in 1938, five classes already past their 25th Reunions at that time—1906, 1908, 1910, 1911 and 1912—have set up Memorial Funds which now total §52,300. It has also been a practice of classes to add to their Funds after they have been presented at Reunion, and 1913, for example, has increased its Fund over the years from its original $918.75 to almost $12,000. During the past year ten classes past their 25th added a combined total of $12,500 to their Funds. In anticipation of their 35th Reunion, the Class of 1915 put on a special campaign and raised $4,000.

The Class Memorial Funds are entirely separate from the annual Alumni Fund, designed to provide funds for current use. However, they are a vital and important supplement because they tend to underwrite a portion of the Alumni Fund on a permanent basis. The message that President Dickey recently sent to all alumni pointed to the need for substantial increases in the endowment of the College. New plans to accomplish this are being pushed by the Dartmouth Development Council, but the Class Memorial Fund program "has been, and will continue to be, the spearhead of Dartmouth's effort to increase its endowments." Its growth in recent years (see chart) has been nothing less than spectacular, and a look at the following figures will explain the dependence of the College on this activity: Memorial FundDate Total Tune 30,1944 $ 88,150.88 Tune 30,1946 227,549.83 Tune 30, 1948 412,952.53 lune 30,1949 468,320.55 Jan. 9,1950 520,110.01

The outstanding class accomplishment so far in the history of this plan was the gift of $107,000 presented by the Class of 1923 in June 1948. Although this is still far and away the largest single class Fund, other classes now approaching their 25th Reunion are setting their sights accordingly. The Class of 1925 has added $21,000 since June 20, and their Fund has now reached $48,669.61. Leaders in this class are confident that this figure will be greatly increased before June. Particularly encouraging also are the recent efforts of men in the classes of 1928 and 1930. With sound leadership and aggressive plans both already have almost $lO,OOO, with several years still to work before their 25th Reunions.

Just as this issue was going to press, additional gifts to the 1925 Memorial Fund brought their total to $50,169.61, making 1925 the second class whose total dollars have reached $50,000, and also establishing their fund as the second largest in the history of the program.