NEW PEAKS AT FORTY
The Alumni Fund Marks Its Anniversary By Bettering the Best It's Ever Done
THE 40th anniversary campaign of the Dartmouth Alumni Fund turned out to be a tremendous record-breaker, in the amount of money raised, the number of contributors, and the percentage of alumni participating in the Fund.
The final 1954 achievement was $1700,365 from 18,259 alumni, parents and friends of the College. The alumni participation mark was 67.7 per cent, giving short life to the record of 66.6 per cent set last year. The dollar total exceeded the 1954 objective of $660,000 by $40,000 and topped last year's record figure by $29,000. The number of contributors was 883 greater than for the 1953 campaign.
While new marks were being set, the Dartmouth Parents Committee achieved one also by producing a record dollar total of $46,784 from 949 Dartmouth parents, 178 more than last year. This portion of the 1954 campaign was headed by David F. Sibley of. Brookline, Mass., father of David N. Sibley '54.
The successful 40th Anniversary Alumni Fund, directed by Roger C. Wilde '21 of Chicago, enabled the College to meet its full operating needs for 1953-54, established two more Alumni Fund Scholarships endowed at $30,000 each, and added $31,197 to the Alumni Fund Scholarship Reserve, which now stands at $226,709. The goal of establishing four Alumni Fund Scholarships, with a total endowment of $120,000, has now been realized, and one such scholarship will be available to every future Dartmouth class.
A novel bit of Ivy League competition was injected into Dartmouth's 1954 Alumni Fund effort when Princeton announced last spring that it had achieved a new participation record among all colleges, thereby taking over the leadership Dartmouth had held in this phase of fund-raising for years almost beyond counting. By a margin of 59 alumni gifts out of the 16,532 needed, Dartmouth failed to match Princeton's 1954 result. Final score: P — 67.9; D - 67.7. In his five-star-final report to the class agents in August, Nichol M. Sandoe Jr. '45, executive secretary of the Fund, said: "On the participation side, you have bettered the best that Dartmouth has ever done.... It was close, mighty close, and the final score provides good reason for pride, little for dismay."
In participation the 40th Anniversary Alumni Fund set a new high mark in number of contributors for the eighth consecutive year. The gain made in each of the three Fund divisions is shown in the following comparison of 1953 and 1954 figures:
1953 1954 Alumni Gifts 15,861 16,473 Parent Gifts 771 949 Memorial and Other 744 837 17,376 18,259
The Class of 1946, under John B. Whitman, set a new contributor record of 544 givers. Two other classes — 1950 (Glenn Fitkin) and 1935 (Edward P. Offutt Jr.) — exceeded the 500 mark, while fourteen classes went beyond 400, including 1953 (Charles S. Fleet) which in its first alumni year had 408 contributors. Led by 1938 (John R. Scotford Jr.) and 1952 (Bernard J. Lewis), ten classes had a combined gain of 339 givers and deserve major credit for the new participation record. In this group also were 1943 (Leo Silverstein Jr.), 1927 (Howard J. Mullin), 1924 (Harr Ranney), 1945 (Stanley L. Newton), 1944 (Malcolm McLoud), 1949 (John F. Stockwell), 1950 (Glenn Fitkin) and 1921 (William H. Perry).
On the dollar side, the Fund exceeded its objective for the sixteenth year in a row and established a new high mark for the fourth consecutive year. The largest amount ever contributed by a single class was set by 1925, under Milton K. Emerson, with its 1954 total of $23,866. In all, 35 classes achieved new highs this year, and 39 classes met or exceeded their dollar objectives. In addition to 1925, five classes raised better than $20,000: in order, 1915 (Marvin L. Frederick), 1924 (Harr Ranney), 1923 (Leon H. Young Jr.), 1921 (William H. Perry) and 1927 (Howard J. Mullin). The greatest margin over quota was registered by 1915 which had an excess of $10,961. The four other leaders in this respect were 1921, 1914 (Ellsworth B. Buck), 1925, and 1927.
Following is a comparison of dollar totals for the 1953 and 1954 campaigns:
1953 1954 Alumni Gifts $587,043 $610,013 Parent Gifts 46,279 46,784 Memorial Fund Income 37,825 43,568 $671,147 $700,365
The all-around success of the 1954 Alumni Fund came from the effort of some 1600 Fund workers, under the leadership of Mr. Wilde, Mr. Sibley, and the Hanover directors, Mr. Sandoe and Clifford L. Jordan '45, Alumni Fund Associate. A personally signed statement of appreciation from President Dickey was sent to all the class agents, assistant agents and newsletter editors, and the gratitude of the Trustees of the College was expressed to this hard-working group by vote of the Board's executive committee in August. The President's personal statement of thanks is reproduced with this article.
President Dickey's personal message of thanks to 1954 Alumni Fund workers
ELLSWORTH B. BUCK '14 is a new memberof the Alumni Council, representing theAlumni Fund Class Agents for three years.
