His Own Man
To learn more about the man from Winona, Minnesota, who recently gave the College its largest single contribution ever - $10 million - we asked one of his classmates, former trustee chairman Charles Zimmerman '23, to describe this very modest individual. The man, of course, is Robert E. Maxwell, and this is what Zimmerman said about him:
"I love my college dearly, but I love my country more" was the opening sentence in a letter which Bob Maxwell wrote me in early 1971.
That sentence is descriptive of Bob's deep capacity for love, his logic in establishing and adhering to priorities, and his succinctness of expression. It was written in response to a letter 1 had sent him asking for his continued generosity to the Alumni Fund, to which he has been a contributor in each of the 57 years since our graduation in 1923.
At that particular time in 1971, college campuses were just beginning to return to normality and rationality following the unrest resulting from our involvement in Vietnam. Bob was distressed by the phasing out of R.O.T.C. programs at Dartmouth, by the protests against military recruitment on campus, and by the aggressive and widely publicized efforts of some faculty and undergraduates to avoid draft registration and military service for reasons other than conscientious objection. Bob believed that many of those who objected to serving their country lacked historical perspective and gratitude to those who had fought for the United States in previous wars.
Bob's love of and feeling of obligation to his country are most clearly demonstrated by his World War 11 service. Prior to Pearl Harbor, he left a promising and rewarding civilian career to serve in the Office of Defense Transportation. In 1942, he joined the Army Air Force as an enlisted man, refusing offers of a commission. He served with great distinction on special assignment in Russia. Following the war, he was a consultant to the Secretary of the Army. On his own initiative and at his own expense, he prospected for uranium, then in critically short supply. He established a number of claims, which he then gave to the government.
I knew Bob as an undergraduate. He was an avid outdoorsman. Cabin and Trail, freshman cross-country, and varsity skiing were among his activities. He was circulation manager of The Dartmouth. He graduated Phi Beta Kappa.
It has been my good fortune to have crossed paths with Bob ever since graduation. I saw him with some frequency during my five years of residence from 1937 to 1942 on the near North Side of Chicago, where Bob also maintained bachelor quarters. Following World War 11, I saw him frequently in New York, where he had sublet an apartment on the same floor on which Ardie Herz, another classmate, occupied an apartment. From time to time, Bob was our houseguest in West Hartford. We would drive up to Hanover together for football games and reunions. I have played golf with Bob at the Country Club of Florida, Dartmouth's southern campus, every year since 1956. He is an avid golfer, a tough competitor, and a delightful comanion.
Bob is a unique individual. He is his own man. He has strong convictions. He is independent, hard working, and selfsufficient. He is an intense, admirably wellorganized individual, striving always to excel, but never to exceed. He is modest to a fault.
For example, '23's Golden Review, published at the time of our 50th reunion, characterized Bob this way: "A very modest fellow, he was in character when he furnished Golden Review with very sparse details about his career." Then it goes on to reprint the following in Bob's own words: "Since World War 11, my principal activity has been to provide venture capital and advice to new small business enterprises. Not all have succeeded, but enough have done well to furnish satisfaction as well as profit." Note that Bob placed "satisfaction" above "profit." And this from a man who has been 1923's and one of Dartmouth's most successful, loyal, and generous sons.
Bob's depth of love and generosity extend far beyond country and college. It embraces the many causes and scores of individuals he has helped all along the way. All of these are grateful to Bob, not only for what he has done, but for the quiet, thoughtful, and self-effacing manner in which he has done it. Bob has been good to us, and good for us. He has more than repaid his debt to the past by putting the present and the future everlastingly in debt to him. All of us honor ourselves by honoring him!
His classmates sent Maxwell into the world with this terse account in the Aegis.
Robert Ebans Maxwell Winona, Minnesota"Bob" Winona High School: Cross Country (1) ; Second Honor Group (1. 2) : Assistant Circulation Manager of The Dartmouth (3); Proof and Copy. 202 Topliff.
