It Was Close

A record achievement by the 1961 Alumni Fund Campaign was announced on July 5 by Fund officials. On that date the Fund total stood at $965,720 from 16,300 contributors and with many gifts, postmarked June 30, plus Class Agent expenses and miscellaneous items still to be credited, Fund Chairman Jack Dodd '22 reported that "there is still a chance we will reach our million dollar goal."

The July 5 total included $835,720 in contributions from Dartmouth alumni, parents and friends; memorial gifts from widows and relatives of deceased alumni, plus an estimated $130,000 to be credited later in the month from the income of the Class Memorial Funds and many endowed funds.

The 1961 total was already some $37,000 above the previous high of $928,592 recorded in the 1957 Alumni Fund Campaign.

On the participation side, the 1961 contributor-count of 16,300 is well below the final 1957 figure of 20,714 donors. Participation credit, however, for all alumni still paying on Capital Campaign pledges is still to be added and Fund officials estimate that this may bring the final count over 21,000 and might well establish a new Dartmouth (and possibly a national) record in percent of alumni participation.

A post-card type announcement of the final dollar total is expected to be mailed to all alumni within the next ten days and a final report will be published in full detail in next November's issue of THE ALUMNI MAGAZINE.

Chairman Dodd stated, "Even at this early date it is clear that the 1961 Campaign is an extraordinary success and that our Fund has rebuilt completely. New records appear certain in dollars, participation percent and average gift. Thanks to the great devotion and generosity of thousands of Dartmouth men we can once again point with pride to an Alumni Fund that ranks among the finest in the nation."