Fourteen Gained — Three to Go
DARTMOUTH enters the final two months of its Capital Gifts Campaign with $14,000,000 reached to date and a challenging $3,000,000 to go before the June 30 deadline. The status of the campaign was announced last month by Charles J. Zimmerman '23, national chairman, who also reported that the $14,000,000 total represented pledges and gifts from over 12,000 alumni, parents, friends, foundations and companies, whose combined contributions are 82% of the campaign goal.
Mr. Zimmerman also noted that over $7,500,000, or more than half of the total raised so far, is already in hand in the form of gifts and pledge payments.
With approximately $3,000,000 to raise during May and June, Dartmouth alumni leaders have mobilized for a final effort that is expected to produce the $17,000,000 grand total. Early last month Dartmouth's Class Agents met in New York and Boston to complete plans for their campaign for general gifts, while a Campaign Steering Committee meeting in New York on April 1 signaled the start of a special effort for additional pledges and gifts of major size.
"This is an unprecedented accomplishment for Dartmouth," President Dickey stated at the New York kickoff dinner for the Class Agents, "and there is now every prospect for a successful completion."
The next afternoon the President met with another important campaign group, the Steering Committee for the sooth Anniversary Development Program. Although the Class Agents and the Steering Committee will work in different ways in the remaining active campaign months, their goal will be the same - to bring to Dartmouth the full $17,000,000 needed for strengthening faculty salaries and improving plant facilities.
Regional alumni leaders from across the country were on hand for the Steering Committee session. Part of this Committee's program calls for renewed efforts for larger gifts in the Northern New England, Boston, New York City, Cleveland and Chicago regions.
New area activity opened up last month in Chattanooga, Atlanta, Cape Cod, Providence, Brockton, Mass.; Bristol County, Mass.; Albany, Syracuse-Utica, Los Angeles, San Francisco, San Diego, Portland, Tucson, Phoenix, and Honolulu.
Organized along traditional class lines, the Class Agent organizations will be contacting those alumni in areas of the country not covered by the regional program. They will also be the campaign's follow-up canvass team for many alumni who expressed interest and asked to be contacted again before the close of the campaign.
As in every Fund drive, provision is made for the usual interclass competition. Because of the unique character of this year's competition, a new title was decided upon, and Alumni Fund Committeeman Larry Leavitt '25 provided it, "Go Dartmouth!" Class ratings are determined by participation percentages and Share level pledges.
Early class leaders in the seven classifications, as of April 9, were Group I, 1915; Group II, a three-way tie among 1918, 1919 and 1921; Group III, 1925; Group IV, 1933; Group V, 1940; Group VI, 1945; and Group VII, a tie between 1952 and 1953.
In his remarks to the Class Agents, President Dickey stated that "the support of Dartmouth through this campaign transcends loyalty. It is now a deep personal commitment to the serious aspects of higher education. This campaign has brought understanding of higher education among the Dartmouth constituency that could never have been achieved in any other way."
The President had stated earlier that achievement of the goal is important far beyond the dollars, that one important by-product has been the stirring up of a kind of serious interest in the College never known before. The campaign meetings have been attended by men who never attended a Dartmouth meeting before, the President noted.
Donald F. Sawyer '21, 1959 Aumni Fund chairman, also spoke at both meetings, explaining in detail the uniqueness of the Class Agents' program this year. He called it a tribute to the annual Class Agent teams that they should be asked to undertake a major role in the concluding phase of the Capital Gifts Campaign.
"Unprecedented" is the word President Dickey used for accomplishment to date, but even he admits there is a lot of the $17,000,000 mountain left to climb before the Dartmouth banner waves at the summit.
At the Steering Committee meeting in New York: (l to r) Charles J. Zimmerman '23, national chairman; Trustee Orvil E. Dryfoos '34; and Orton H. Hicks '21, Vice President of the College.
Three campaign leaders from the Class of '21 are Donald F. Sawyer, Alumni Fund chairman; Ellwood H. Fisher, prominent in the Cleveland area, and Robert P. Burroughs, in New England.
