1954
We were very pleased to note a newspaper article reporting that of the 361 individuals nominated as the 14th president of the College, the list of candidates was said to be down to a manageable number, and two of the candidates being carefully considered are members of the class of 1954: Dave McLaughlin and Jon Moore. The entire presidential search process is shrouded with secrecy, but sources close to the committee were quoted as saying that familiarity with the College, an academic background, and administrative experience are important considerations. We'll add that we hope the next president is a member of the outstanding class of 1954.
Seen in the media: a front-page story in Adweek (September 22) about Gail Trell Barker, currently boss of all CBS-owned a.m. radio stations in the U.S.A. CBS top management describes Gail with powerful adjectives like "aggressive . . . incisive . . . and intimidatingly bright," and "a rising star at CBS." She also happens to be Pete Barker's wife. Despite all the executive-suite adjectives, they left one description out: a gorgeous woman! Hey, how about Pete? He's at the moment vice president, finance, for all CBS-owned TV stations in the U.S.A. A great couple. (Lucky CBS.)
What a wonderful weekend we all had in Williamsburg, Va., on October 10-11. Can you imagine over 20 1954 classmates and wives enjoying this fantastic location? A big 1954 party on Friday night at the Williamsburg Cascades Center was a great mixer. We even had 12 guests from the class of 1953. Classmates present included: Lee Huff, Joe Kienan, Jim Rill, Berb Gliden, Dave McLaughlin, Walt Dingwall, Wayne Weil, Ed Winneck, Rollin Haynes, Dick Lewis, John Gillespie, Dave Martin, Joe Mesics, Arthur Rauch, Jerry Goldstein, and Seaver Peters.
A big College-sponsored picnic was arranged before the game. The weather was unseasonably warm and strictly short-sleeve style. Many of us found it very disconcerting to hear the announcer referring to the William and Mary team as the "Indians." However, William and Mary, as we discovered, is the "Home of the Indians." If you have never been to Williamsburg, I encourage you plan ahead when Dartmouth plays there again in 1982. The ambiance, the history, and the detail of this fabulous restoration are really worth a visit. Fine restaurants, good hotels, and friendly natives abound. The William and Mary campus butts right up to the restoration and, as a matter of fact, the Wren Building, a symbol like our Dartmouth Hall, is the oldest college building in the country. A nice campus, with many similarities to Dartmouth. However, no hills and no lush fall foliage. Casually observed at the game: soft drinks were served in expensive plastic cups with college insignia and lots of ice. Also noted: William and Mary had three sets of girl cheerleaders, yet Dartmouth's cheerleaders made much more noise despite the absence of our band. Even a few organized wah-hoo-wahs were heard from the big group of Dartmouth alumni in the stands.
The College sponsored a fine cocktail reception and dinner, southern style, at the Williamsburg lodge Saturday evening. Dave McLaughlin took over as keynote speaker for this sold-out event in the place of President Kemeny who was detained in Hanover.
Classmates turned up from Florida, Maine, Illinois, and from as far away as Minnesota. -We managed to take in an oyster festival on the way home at Chincoteague, Va. For the record, Sandy and I stopped in an obscure little town called Tappahannock, Va., at the suggestion of Harry Rockefeller, where, as he promised, we had a fantastic Virginia-style breakfast at a place called Lowery's. Grits, biscuits, country ham, homefries, and beverage for only $2.65. Harry should be the restaurant editor for the New York Times.
The Harvard-Dartmouth game, played in Hanover just a week later (October 18), produced even more classmates and a better football game. Our class reached its stride by hosting three cocktail parties within less than 24 hours. The first was held Friday afternoon at the Woodstock Inn before the spectacular Dartmouth Night festivities. Friday evening, in the lovely hospitality suite overlooking the Green, our class met again and hoisted a few together as the bonfire died down. Right after the triumphant victory on Saturday, the '54 group gathered in the faculty lounge for our biggest mini-reunion ever.
Forty-six of our classmates were on hand for this big get-together, a great turnout: Harry Robinson, Bob Pallatroni, Neal Sibley, Dick Page, Dave Thielscher, Bob Adnapoz, Bill Rex, Ed Murphy, Jim Rill, Bill Brooks, Larry Taylor (in from Albion College in Albion, Mich., the Taylors were celebrating a big 27th anniversary, marking when they had met at another Dartmouth-Harvard game played in Cambridge during our undergraduate days), Phil Cooke, Charlie Morrison, Ed Winnick, Dick Barker, John Scoville (from Wilmette, 111.), Seaver Peters, Bob Spears (in from Ranchoi Palos Verdes, Calif.), John and Sue Steel (in from La Jolla, Calif.), Ron Dunton and family (in from Santa Cruz, Calif.), Dick and Posey Fowler (representing the best of the fine stores in Hanover), Shelly and Liz Woolf, Bill Grover, John and Sandy Gillespie, Jim Newcombe (from Edina, Minn.), George McLaughlin, Aaron Margolis, John Pope, Art Geller, Don Simonds, Fred Alpert, Dick Leary, Dick Lederer, Dave Mandelbaum, Jerry Goldstein, Brad Borden, Herb Gildan, Dick Davidoff, Dick Steinberg, George Voss, Dick Grassey, Joe Mesics, Steve Mullins, Bob Berry, and Bob Clements,
That was a real mini-reunion! A special thanks goes to those classmates who traveled such a great distance to attend a game in Hanover. Look at that group from California! Our class seems very organized in respect to providing a lot of activity for" homecoming games in Hanover. If you haven't been back for a football game in recent years, let me suggest you mark down October 24, 1981, right now. Dartmouth will be hosting Cornell, and it will be a great weekend. 1954 will again be back on campus in even bigger numbers than this year. Plan on it and be there.
Another interesting article about the Dartmouth Indian has surfaced which I will be glad to send along to anyone who requests it. "A sensitive defense of the Dartmouth Indian" appeared in the October 17 issue of the Dartmouth Review. I plan to pass this article along to Dave Martin in hopes that it will be published in a forthcoming newsletter. The article was written by a 1980 senior. Good reading! Just for the record, I am writing this on November 1 (Yale beat Dartmouth earlier in the day). You will probably be well into the holiday season when you read this.
39 Walworth Avenue Scarsdale, N.Y. 10583
DARTMOUTHvs. WILLIAM and MARY WILLIAMSBURG, VA. SATURDAY 1:30 P.M. FOOTBALL OCT. 11, 1980 NO REFUND HOME OF THE INDIANS
