1949

To those of you who may have considered attending our fall weekend but have yet to make it, why not promise yourself a look in 1981? The atmosphere is relaxed, the activities are low-key, and the opportunity to talk with old friends seems to pare a few years off the calendar.

At the class business meeting Saturday morning our class restated its support of the freshman trip program and increased the number of trip scholarships from 20 to 30. I have personally had an opportunity to talk with some of our scholarship recipients, and I can assure you that this is a very worthwhile project.

I finally made the fall scene for the Yale weekend as a representative from our local club. The only other '49 club officer present was Bob Alden, and my quick observation is that most of the clubs are being ably administered by members of much younger classes.

The fall is always an exciting time in Hanover and this year's attraction of watching both the Harvard and Yale games on Memorial Field drew many '49ers back to the campus. I missed our Harvard mini-reunion for the first time in many years but was provided with a capsule summary by Al Wagner who was very pleased at seeing so many new fall reunioners, among whom were Bob Swift, John Daukas, Zandy Taft, Dick Donahue, Ted Krug, Ed Grant, Seward Weber, Kansas Elliot, and Gene Kelly.

Trustee Bob Kilmarx '50, accompanied by his wife Mary Neidlinger Kilmarx, was the guest speaker on Saturday evening and provided an insightful look at the College today. The Gold Pick Axe Award was made in absentia to Dick Hanselman and read as follows:

"Dick, it was all very predictable back in the late '40s that you were going places, because your peers first selected you as class treasurer, which meant that you were considered the most honest member of your class, and then president of Green Key, which meant that you were the most deserving of high honor in the class, and then to student government organizations, the Undergraduate Council and Palaeopitus, because we looked upon you as a political heavyweight! Indeed, years later we find in the Dartmouth ALUMNI MAGAZINE a picture of four 'heavyweights' at the Massachusetts Pro-Am: Dave Stockton, Richard Hanselman, Tip O'Neill, and a man from the White House named Ford.

"The story of your tremendously successful business career is most interesting. By 1970 you had become a vice president of R.C.A., after which there were moves to top corporate positions at Samsonite and Beatrice Foods. Last April you were elected president, chief operating officer, and director of Genesco, requiring a move to Nashville. We suspect that the demand for your services has been greatly influenced by your supportive family with Beverly and your children, Charles and Jane, paving the way for each new venture.

"Your leadership has not been confined to management of great corporations for you have served as director of a school, a hospital, a bank, a charitable organization, and various trade associations.

"It's our pleasure and pride to take note of these highlights in your career, Dick, and knowing there will be many more we delight in honoring you, as a 'Classmate of ours at Dartmouth,' with the Gold Pick Axe Award."

While visiting with Carolyn and Burt Proom at a chilly post-game gathering on the Sphinx lawn, I had a chance to talk with Joe Sullivan, Ed Leede, and Al Quirk. Joe is still running his own business as a manufacturers representative, and since bringing his son into the business admits to taking life a little easier. He was very philosophical about the Yale loss, perhaps recalling some of those long fall afternoons in 1945 and '46. Ed Leede was in town for a Campaign for Dartmouth meeting, and Al Quirk, as might be expected, is already gearing up for the selection of the class of 1985.

Since my column is somewhat tardy in getting to Hanover this month, I have the opportunity of sending the congratulations of the class to our two West Coast politicos, Slade Gorton and Quent Kopp. Slade produced a stunning upset over six-termer Warren Magnuson to become the junior U.S. Senator from Washington, while Quent won his race for member of the Board of Supervisors for the City and County of San Francisco, and by reason of his total vote count should be named president of that disparate body. Do write!

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