The Essence

Ms. G., our most impressionable reporter, strolled over to the Fairchild Physical Sciences Center late last month to watch the dedication of Dartmouth's newest outdoor sculpture, "Thel." Joan Mondale, the wife of the vice president, was there; Beverly Pepper, the artist, was there; Leonard Rieser '44, Dartmouth's vice president, was there; and a crowd of a few hundred onlookers was there. The other vice president, Mr. Mondale, was not there. He was in New York talking to the United Nations about arms control.

It was a very restrained group, said Ms. G. Quiet, hushed and interested. Not many students were there. But there was a student holding a placard that said "ART." Some other students were watching while hanging out the windows of the adjacent buildings.

There were several movie-type cameras, lots of photographers, and six Secret Service persons. Several of the Secret Service persons wore gray pin-striped suits. One of those in gray pin-stripes was a woman They wore little electronic ear-plugs, too.

Mrs. Mondale wore a white linen-type dress and a blue and red silk scarf. Beverly Pepper had on a blue corduroy suit with a shirt that was red, white, and blue. I don't know if they planned this or not, said Ms. G. Very patriotic.

Vice President Rieser wore a very conservative suit. Peter Smith, the director of Hopkins Center, wore a very flamboyant high-style suit that looked new!

Mrs. Mondale is the honorary head of the Federal Council of the Arts and Humanities. Her speech was first-rate. She described "Thel" and said that during winter it makes mysterious shapes under the snow and, come spring, sprouts like strange crystals out of the ground. (By the way, "Thel" - the title comes from one of Blake's poems - is 135 feet long and is made of angular pieces of white-enameled metal.) Mrs. Mondale said that "Art needs to be looked at. Art is more than frills afforded by the good life. It's more than decoration of a public place. It's not just the icing - it's the essence - and it's education." A little bit later she said some nice things about Dartmouth being a pioneer.

After her speech, Mrs. Mondale went to see the other sculpture, "X Delta." She said it was gorgeous. I heard her say that.

Vice President Rieser followed Mrs. M. to the Hanover Inn after the event. I don't know what happened after that.

I liked observing a well-known person.

Joan Mondale enthused over "Thel" (partly obscured by the secret service) withartist Beverly Pepper. "How right that this sculpture should be here!" she said.