The First Million-Dollar Fund

THE 47th annual Dartmouth Alumni Fund has created a permanent place for itself in the College's history as the first million-dollar Fund.

The final figures, released early in August, show $1,015,545 and 20,936 contributors - both record totals for the Fund.

The totals were made up of $862,805 contributed by 10,701 alumni, $38,180 contributed by 1,067 parents of undergraduates and recent graduates, and $114,560 received as Fund income from the Class Memorial Fund Program and from individual endowment funds established by alumni. A total of 8,157 alumni, included in the final contributor count, were credited with participation in the 1961 Alumni Fund because they were still making pledge payments to the Capital Gifts Campaign. Counting these alumni as contributors produced an overall alumni participation of 68.8%, somewhat below the 71.3% achieved in the 1957 campaign.

A total of 31 Dartmouth classes exceeded their assigned dollar quotas, with 25 of these classes setting new class dollar records. Twenty-six classes achieved 100% or better in participation and eighteen classes set new class participation records.

The million-dollar achievement places the Dartmouth Alumni Fund even more securely in the front rank of all colleges and universities in annual giving. Only four other institutions - Cornell, Harvard, Princeton, and Yale - can boast of a million-dollar alumni fund.

Fund officials termed the results even more impressive in view of the fact that nearly one-third of all alumni were still paying on Capital Campaign pledges during the 1961 campaign. Many of these alumni, however, made an extra gift directly to the Fund, and it is estimated that about one-fourth of the contributors were in this category.

The most significant new achievement of the 1961 campaign - and one that gives great encouragement for the future - came as a result of the special effort made to obtain major gifts for the annual Fund. In the fall of 1960 the Fund Committee prepared a table of the major gifts ($1000 and up) they estimated would be needed to achieve this year's goal. This indicated that 100 gifts of $1000 and up would be required to produce some $220,000 toward the million-dollar goal. The Committee's projected chart and the actual 1961 results are shown in the tabulation on this page. Were it not for the success of this effort the goal could not have been reached.

Committees seeking such major support were organized in New York under the direction of Fund Chairman John D. Dodd '22, in Boston under the leadership of Wilbur W. Bullen '22, and in Chicago under the direction of Roger C. Wilde '21. From mid-June up to the June 30 deadline the Dartmouth Board of Trustees undertook solicitations for additional support, which produced some $25,000 in new and increased gifts.

The bulk of the Fund total, however, came through the constant and dedicated efforts of the 2,875 Class Agents, the largest group in Fund history. Their efforts were reflected in the records set by so many classes. These class figures, and many additional details of the 1961 campaign will be reported in a special Alumni Fund supplement in next month's issue of the ALUMNI MAGAZINE.

The traditional inter-class Green Derby competitions were close throughout, with the following results: Group I (1911-1917) won by 1915, Harold H. Lounsberry, Head Agent; Group II (1918-1924) won by 1921, William M. Alley, Head Agent; Group III (1925-1931) again won by 1925, led by Laurence G. Leavitt; Group IV (1932-1939) won by the 25th reunion class of 1936, led by C. Kirk Liggett; Group V (1940-1946) won by 1942, Warren G. Kreter, Head Agent; Group VI (1947-1953) won by 1953, under Edward J. Spiegel; and Group VII (1954-1960) won by 1954, John J. Feldman, Head Agent.

The Class of 1925 again produced the largest class dollar total to win the Davis Trophy, with $35,938 contributed. The Classes of 1924 (Phil Van Huyck), 1927 (Larry Scammon) and 1926 (Reg Hanson) were the three other classes to exceed $30,000 in the 1961 campaign.

Six classes— 1953, 1950, 1946, 1952, 1957, and 1954 - topped 500 contributors, with 1953 under Ted Spiegel leading with 556 donors. Top class in Century Club members ($100 and up donors) was 1925 with 133, while 1929 had 93, 1928 had 91, and 1926 and 1927 had 81 each. The Class of 1921, thanks to a special effort during reunion, produced 14 donors of gifts of $1,000 or more; 1922 had nine such gifts and 1924 and 1928 recorded eight each.

In a July message to all Fund workers Chairman Dodd wrote: "Early last spring I stated that our 1961 goals were 'lofty and challenging ones designed to help Dartmouth maintain a position of leadership among all colleges.' Your under- standing of these challenges and your response to them have created new Fund records and moved the Dartmouth Fund into the front rank. ... I congratulate and thank you for adding new luster to our Alumni Fund tradition and important new strength to our College."

And in his traditional letter to Class Agents, President Dickey said: "In 1951 the Fund reached the half-million mark; today, just ten years later, Dartmouth moves into another and perhaps her most decisive decade knowing by the grace of your effort that the way ahead is open so long as it is up. For this and for the pride in belonging you have helped all members of the Dartmouth family give each other, I thank you."

The 1961 Campaign was under the direction of the Alumni Council's Committee on the Alumni Fund with John D. Dodd '22 as Chairman and William E. Buchanan '24, Forrest C. Billings '28, John W. Moxon '29, Victor E. Borella '30 and John L. Greisberger '46 as members. Clifford L. Jordan Jr. '45, Executive Secretary, and Raymond J. Buck Jr. '52, Associate, provided the day-by-day direction of the campaign in the Hanover Fund office.

Major Gifts in the 1961 Alumni FundNumber Number Dollars DollarsNeeded Received In the Range of Needed Received 2 3 $10,000 & up $ 25,000 $ 42,618.00 5 5 5,000-$9,999 35,000 32,537.00 15 9 2,500- 4,999 45,000 27,231.31 78 101 1,000- 2,499 115,000 124,318.76 100 118 Gifts Totaling $220,000 $226,705.07