1933

FORTY-FIFTH REUNION

Any words on the 45th reunion of the class of '33 must start off with paeans for the magnificent job done for the Alumni Fund by Head Agent Mannie Sprague and his team of assistant class agents. Not to be forgotten are the members of the class and the widows and families of departed classmates who did the giving. To date, as these notes are being written to meet the printer's deadline, there have been 356 gifts totalling well over the $250,000 hoped for by Mannie. At the class dinner, Mannie was awarded the Wentworth Bowl by the Alumni Council. The citation recognized not only his work as head class agent and former assistant agent for the Third Century Fund, but also his prior service on the Alumni Council, as president of the Connecticut Dartmouth Clubs Association, and his many years of service to federal and state governments. The class of' 33 is in his debt, too.

In the newsletter, Bob Fox has given you more information about the reunion than I can, with the space limitations imposed by the Magazine. However, here are some views and impressions from your new class secretary. It was great to be among the 181 who made it back for our reunion. The six widows who came were an especially welcome part of the Dartmouth '33 family. It was pointed out by Ad Winship '42, vice president of the College, that this was really the 50th reunion of' 33 since we all first came together in 1929. There were 629 of us then, according to "The Green Book." At the memorial service in Rollins Chapel, 184 were listed as having left our ranks. It was a very moving service in a chapel filled with the remembering.

President Kemeny's address had been scheduled immediately following, in Spaulding Auditorium. Because he had had an emergency call to Washington the previous night, on Three Mile Island business, his personal appearance was cancelled. He had the courtesy and thoughtfulness to put it on video tape so that we had the best substitute. Officers of the College fielded questions from the floor after the talk.

The class meeting that afternoon in Silsby proceeded with great dispatch. Not one candidate for office was opposed or not elected. Bob Fox has given you the names and addresses of the class officers. There are only two new ones. It's a great help to the new president, Page Worthington, that the others were willing to carry on. In his first presidential remarks, Page expressed his gratitude, and that of the class, to Bill Dewey for carrying on again after George Farrand's death, and to George Drowne for his six years in office as class secretary. They both did great jobs!

I've done a little research on our new president so that you can know him better. Almost his entire business career was with the Chesapeake & Potomac Telephone Company, from which he retired as assistant vice president in 1973. There was a hiatus in W.W. II, when he served as a first lieutenant in the Marine Corps, Pacific Theater. Aside from his work for Dartmouth, he has been a member or head of countless charitable, civic, and religious organizations in and around Baltimore. For Dartmouth, he has been a member of the Alumni Council from 1959 to 1964, its president in 1964, on the Alumni Awards Committee from 1966 to 1978, and its chair in 1977- 78. In 1966-67, he chaired a committee to reexamine alumni relations. This study earned a national award for the Alumni Council. We are lucky to have Page as our new president.

The class dinner at the Inn was, as always, beautifully done. The Woodswind and the Aires entertained us during the meal. The great- granddaughter of Ernest Martin Hopkins sings with the Woodswind.

The panel discussions were more geared to the youngsters of '39, and, in the interest of being briefed in my new duties by George Drowne and others, I did not attend them, so cannot give you a report.

Thanks are due to Mel Katz for our final event, the cookin (not out) at the Quechee Club. It was a delightful occasion attended by 131 out of the 181. A bunch of us took the bus, thoughtfully ordered by John Rockwell to save our gas. It is fitting that these notes on our 45th reunion end with a tribute to John, who chaired the reunion committee, and to Mel, reunion treasurer. They and their committee did a marvelous job in both planning and execution. It was the best reunion yet. At this stage in our lives, the class of' 33 has developed a solid cohesiveness. There is a camaraderie that has never been so apparent. I have been cautioned against exceeding 800 words and against "ruminations" in these notes. Aided by you, I will have more personal news in my next. In the meantime, just call me "Ruminating Rugen."

Wellington Frank Barto '29 was presented with an Alumni Award in June for his "constancy of love, loyalty, faithfulness, and purpose" to Dartmouth. A retired telephone company vice president, he celebrated his 50th reunion and his 50th wedding anniversary simultaneously this June. His wife Horty and son John '52 joined in honoring him for his many services to the College — as a member of the Dartmouth Alumni Association of Washington, D.C., as class agent, as class newsletter editor, and as class president since 1969 (a position which earned him the title of Class President of the Year in 1973).

Mansfield Daniel Sprague '33 was presented with an Alumni Award at his 45th reunion this June for "dedication to country, to society, and to the College." Recipient of the Defense Department's highest award for public service, he has worked in many capacities for the national government, for his state of Connecticut, and for his community. The College has also benefited from Sprague's efforts on behalf of the Third Century Fund, as president of the Connecticut Dartmouth Clubs Association, as head class agent, and as a member of the Alumni Council.

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