Record Fund Nears Goal

The July 4th holiday temporarily halted the Alumni Fund office adding machines which had been working overtime to record a late June rally that put the 1962 Alumni Fund campaign into a skyrocketing finish. Fund officials reported that in early July the Fund cash total stood at $1,050,000 from 19,700 donors. With anticipated income of $150,000 from memorial and endowed funds still to be credited, the 1962 total was at least $1,200,000 and a final total of about $ 1,220,000 seemed in the making.

There were various factors — class agent expenses, gifts of securities, etc. - to provide a very slim hope that the complete goal of $ 1,250,000 might be achieved.

It was clear that many classes already had achieved new records. Two classes - 1927 and 1925 - already had soared above $40,000, the first time any class had exceeded this figure, while the Class of 1929 was just under the $40,000 level and still counting.

The present contributor total of 19,700 was also expected to climb over the 20,000 mark and then would be increased by a sizeable amount when alumni received Alumni Fund participation credit because of their pledge payments to the Capital Gifts Campaign.

Last year the 1961 campaign ended with $1,015,545, and the current effort figured to better this by some $200,000 - a significant increase in one year.

The late June mail was termed by the Fund office as "the heaviest in history" with some 5,000 gifts for $115,000 received.

Serving as chairman of Dartmouth's 48th annual Alumni Fund campaign was John D. Dodd '22, who also headed up the 1961 million-dollar Campaign. Jack Dodd told the ALUMNI MAGAZINE in early July: "Last year the Fund reached its first million dollar goal in history, certainly a major achievement. I think the results this year are perhaps even more significant in that we have moved well over the million dollar level as Dartmouth men have again indicated convincingly their determination to keep our annual Fund as one of the College's prime assets. On behalf of the Fund Committee I wish to thank the more than 3,000 Class Agents who worked so tirelessly on behalf of the Fund and the nearly 20,000 alumni, parents and friends whose generosity made this another historic year for our Fund. Whether we achieve the 1962 goal of $1,250,000 or fall just short is unimportant. What is important is the fact that our Alumni Fund has again emerged as one of the strongest in the nation."