The 1952 Commencement

THE Class of 1952, top-ranking scholastically among the postwar classes at Dartmouth and also the first to be composed largely of non-veterans, ended its undergraduate course with Commencement on Sunday morning, June 8. Blessed with one of Hanover's rarer June days, the exercises in the Bema were a fitting finale for an outstanding college year and for the seniors who contributed so much to the year's leadership. The program on Sunday morning was impressive, colorful as always, and especially felicitous in all that took place in the presence of a large audience that filled the seated section and both banks of the outdoor amphitheatre.

The 564 men who received the Bachelor of Arts degree formed Dartmouth's second largest graduating class since the war a total exceeded only by the 613 graduates of June 1950. The class was characterized also by the fact that with far fewer exceptions than in recent years it was made up of men who had gone through the four-year undergraduate course as a unit, starting with the freshman days of 1948-49 when 1952 called attention to itself by achieving the highest first-year scholastic average in modern Dartmouth history. At the Commencement exercises last month, 112 members of the class were graduated with distinction.

It was through the double line of these seniors, stretching from Baker Library to the entrance to the Bema, that the traditional academic procession marched on the pleasant morning of Commencement Day. As head marshal, for the last time, Dean Neidlinger led the procession, followed by President Dickey and Governor Adams and then by President Emeritus Hopkins and the Dartmouth Trustees escorting the nine men who received honorary degrees. The honorary degree group this year included Sir Oliver S. Franks, British Ambassador to the United States; J. Frank Drake '02, chairman of the board of the Gulf Oil Corporation; Raymond B. Fosdick, former president of the Rockefeller Foundation; Gerard Swope, former president of the General Electric Company; Oscar Hammerstein 11, librettist of Oklahoma,South Pacific and other musical shows; William G. Saltonstall, principal of Phillips Exeter Academy; Francis Brown '25, editor of The New York Times Book Review; Dr. John P. Bowler '15, Hanover surgeon and chairman of the Hitchcock Clinic; and Leslie C. Dunn '15, professor of zoology at Columbia University.

After the Faculty and the 50-Year Class of 1902 had also marched through their double line, the seniors closed ranks and filed sedately into the Bema to sit front and center as the focal point of the exercises that climaxed the three-day Commencement program. Throughout the weekend the weather was on its best behavior, adding greatly to the pleasure and success of the graduation events and of the reunions held by the honored 50-Year Class of 1902, the 25-Year Class of 1927, and by the three "Old Guard" classes of 1887, 1892 and 1897.

Class Day

The Commencement weekend opened in traditional fashion with the Class Day program on Friday afternoon. The cameras of parents and girl friend had their first real workout as the seniors made their initial appearance in caps and gowns at the Senior Fence preparatory to marching to Dartmouth Hall. The Band, looking summery in white shirts and green Dartmouth ties, struck up a college song and the senior class marshals—Dorn C. McGrath Jr. of Bradford, Pa., Samuel H. Daniell of Millinocket, Me., and Harry S. Goldsmith of Brighton, Mass. led their classmates across the campus to the lawn in front of Dartmouth Hall.

There the seniors settled themselves comfortably on the grass and Alan Reich of Pearl River, N. Y., class president and 1952 Barrett Cup winner, stepped to the rostrum to extend a welcome to parents and other guests. "Many men of our age throughout the world," he said, "would give anything to have this opportunity of graduating from one of the best colleges in the freest country on earth.... In welcoming you to our Commencement, I hope that this weekend you will absorb some of our Dartmouth enthusiasm and thereby come to understand why our Commencement is for us a time of gratefulness to our College."

The Address to the College was then delivered by George A. von Peterffy of Elmhurst, N. Y„ who declared: "None of us leaves here without taking some part of Dartmouth with him and none of us departs without having left part of himself behind. ... We came to learn and live and each of us in varying degree has earned the right to say, 'I sought and found the truth.' ... And now we sons of today join with you sons of another day in rendering unto Dartmouth the greatest of tributes, simple and sincere. May it be said we came as boys, we went as men."

After the Class Poem by Evan L. Nelson Jr. of Minneapolis, the Dartmouth Hall portion of the program was concluded with the Class Day Oration by Vincent W. Jones of Long Beach, Calif., chairman of Palaeopitus this past year. Against the tide of atomic energy, supersonic speeds and world disorganization, he said, "we no longer have direct control over the immediate years following our graduation, but these very years are important in determining our ultimate value to our community. Our years at Dartmouth have pointed the way and given us the inspiration. These years have placed an obligation upon us that we desire to fulfill creditably.

.. . When do we start? Not in ten years, but today. Where do we begin? Not on a national scale but first with one person self. .. .We may today, and all days, develop stronger faith in man; faith in the fundamental decency of man; faith in the capacity of man to make his way by his own means to the truth which is true for him. No matter how dark the way, or howdiscouraging the errors, this faith in man is justified by the record of man's progress through the ages."

Before leaving Dartmouth Hall the seniors paid a friendly tribute to Dean Neidlinger by presenting him with a silver decanter engraved "To Pudge Best Wishes Class of 1952." At the stump of the Old Pine, where the second half of the Class Day program took place, the seniors also asked the Dean to break a peace pipe on the stump with them, and this symbolic act of Dartmouth fellowship was spontaneously acclaimed.

Before the smashing of pipes, however, the class witnessed a hilarious parody of Great Issues, alumni reunions and other Dartmouth doings by the Sachem Orators -Buck H. Zuckerman of Roslyn Heights, N. Y., and Samuel C. Harned of Hartsdale, N. Y. whose long experience with The Dartmouth Players equipped them perfectly for this new twist in the Sachem "Oration". The seniors also heard the traditional Address to the Old Pine, delivered by Allan R. Gschwind of Utica, N. Y., whose theme was the Dartmouth Spirit. "As we leave this place," he said, "we must go forth in love and in courage, and with a sense of duty, which the Pine symbolically demands of us. Then, as we bid farewell, let us receive strength and unity, let us pledge fellowship and loyalty, let us always not merely guard, but seek to express, that treasure symbolized by the Old Pine the indomitable spirit of Dartmouth."

The speaking program concluded, the seniors smashed their pipes and, with the Band, marched back to the campus while Hanover's small fry scrambled for the broken pipes that whitened the ground around the Old Pine stump. The formal part of Class Day was over and reunited family groups relaxed and made their plans for supper and the evening.

The events of the first evening included a Band concert at the north end of the campus at 7:30, followed by the President's Reception at 8:15. A cool, star-lit night provided ideal conditions for the reception in the garden at the President's House and there a large throng of seniors, parents, Faculty and reuning alumni gathered for a pleasant social hour. In the receiving line with President and Mrs. Dickey were Dean and Mrs. Neidlinger and Prof. Hewette E. Joyce, senior class adviser, and Mrs. Joyce. The reception was followed by a Glee Club concert in Webster Hall, and at 10 o'clock the seniors and more agile members of 1937 got together at Dartmouth House for the Senior-Alumni Dance.

Saturday morning was a leisurely time for all hands until the Baker Library chimes at 11145 signalled the approach of the Commencement Luncheon at the gymnasium. This year for the first time the mothers of seniors and the wives of alumni and the Faculty were invited to the luncheon along with men, and this successful and popular innovation produced a crowd of approximately 2,500 who partook of Miss Gill's buffet meal. Many of the mothers and wives were present also at the 86th annual meeting of the General Alumni Association held on the top floor of the gym immediately after the luncheon.

Speakers at this meeting were Charles L. Hardy '27, president of the Association; Sidney C. Hayward '26, Secretary of the College; Robert D. Brace '52, secretary- chairman of the graduating class; Prof. E. Bradlee Watson '02, who spoke on behalf of the 50-Year Class; and President Dickey. The address by Professor Watson will be found printed in full in this issue.

Mr. Hardy welcomed the Class of 1952 to the Dartmouth alumni ranks and told them, "We hope as you take your places in business and the professions you will be ever conscious of the need to fight for liberty, not once in a while, not just when your country calls you, but every day of your life." Declaring that free educational institutions and free business enterprises have much in common, he added, "To- gether if we put our shoulders to the wheel, we can win the world-wide fight for liberty. The struggle as I see it is for the capture of men's minds. I say thank God for liberal arts institutions, such as Dart- mouth, whose men can best cope with this battle of the minds."

Mr. Brace, speaking for the seniors, reviewed some of the highlights of the past four years at Dartmouth and some of the characteristics that gave 1952 an individuality among the classes (a point emphasized by the adoption of a class bell which rang throughout the weekend and no doubt will again be heard in Hanover on future occasions). To President Dickey he declared, "For four years this class has been a sizable part of what you refer to as the stuff of the institution. It is with no hesitation that I say we will as alumni continue to be the stuff with which an even better Dartmouth can be made. As for the four years just passed, I think I speak for the whole class when I say these have been and perhaps always will be the years we will like to remember best."

As he has at the Commencement meetings of the past two years, President Dickey spoke primarily to the seniors and described what he considered to be the main ingredients of the Dartmouth Spirit.

Alter the alumni meeting, many went to witness Dartmouth's 12-1 baseball victory over Brandeis on Memorial Field. Dartmouth movies, fraternity reunions, and an organ recital by Robert S. Lord '52 were other afternoon events. In the evening, while alumni were holding their class dinners, others took in the Band concert on the campus or The Players' presentation of the melodrama, No Mother to GuideHer. At the 1927 headquarters at Ripley, Woodward and Smith, sleep was not a very big concern as the 25-Year Class made the most of its last reunion night —in which effort they were assisted by some of the 1952's who felt that they ought not sleep away their last undergraduate night. The seniors had a tent of their own not far away, in a corner of the football field.

Commencement Day

Commencement morning was something of a surprise to Hanover. Instead of having to renew the battle with the elements which it has been waging for several years in a row, the College awoke to as perfect a morning as one could wish for. The first group to profit from these conditions were the NROTC graduates, who in immaculate white summer dress uniforms assembled at Baker Library at 9 for the commissioning ceremony. This year the program was held in advance of Commencement rather than after it, making for a much less hurried event. Captain Murvale T. Farrer, USN, commanding officer of the Dartmouth NROTC Unit, swore in 57 seniors as Ensigns and three men as Second Lieutenants in the Marine Corps. All men were assigned to active duty within the month, the Ensigns to ships in Atlantic and Pacific ports and the Marines to Quantico.

At 10 o'clock the Class of '79 Trumpeters heralded the approach of the graduation exercises in the Bema. The academic procession began to assemble, the Trustees and honorary degree men at Parkhurst, the Faculty at Sanborn English House, the seniors in Rollins Chapel and the 50-Year Class in front of Baker. At 10:30 sharp the black-gowned seniors emerged from Rollins and after making a half-circuit of the campus formed a double line from Baker, past Webster and the Chapel, to the Bema entrance. A half-hour later the procession had completed its march into the College Park amphitheatre and the stage was set for the final exercises.

The in vocation by Dr. Roy B. Chamberlin, college chaplain, was followed by the traditional singing of Milton's Paraphrase of Psalm 136 "Let us with a gladsome mind praise the Lord for He is kind." The first of the speakers was F. Lee Coulter Jr. '52 of West Los Angeles, Calif., who delivered the senior class valedictory. After conferring the Bachelor of Arts degree upon the 564 members of the class, President Dickey gave his farewell to the men of 1953. The Master of Arts degree was awarded to seven men and the two-year diploma in medicine to 24 men, and then as a climax to the conferring of degrees came the presentation of the honorary degree recipients. The citations read by President Dickey will be found printed in full in this issue, and the full texts of the two valedictory addresses are also printed.

Following the conferring of honorary degrees, the principal Commencement address was given by Sir Oliver Franks, who spoke of the importance of liberal arts education, of the need of continued close relations between England and the United States, and of the brighter prospect for world peace if the Western Alliance develops a military strength and a resolve that Russia will respect. This address also will be found printed in full in this issue.

With the singing of Men of Dartmouth and a final benediction by Prof. Fred Berthold, the graduation exercises were concluded. The audience remained seated while the 1952 graduates marched out of the Bema. Paraphrasing one of the Class Day speeches, the men came as undergraduates, they left as alumni. Theirs was the 182 nd consecutive class to receive Dartmouth diplomas, the credentials of "honors and privileges" and also of "signal obligations."

CLASS DAY EXERCISES ARE OPENED BY CLASS PRESIDENT ALAN A. REICH '52

A SPECIAL TOUCH OF SENTIMENT during the Class Day program was the request of the graduating class that Dean Neidlinger, who resigned June 30, break a pipe of friendship with them.

NROTC COMMISSIONING CEREMONIES PRECEDED GRADUATION ON COMMENCEMENT MORNING

THE SACHEM ORATION GOES DRAMATIC: Shown performing at the stump of the Old Pine are. Buck H. Zuckerman '52 and Samuel C. Harned '52, both veterans of The Dartmouth Players, who made this year's Sachem Oration an amusing parody of Great Issues, alumni reunions and other Dartmouth events.