1950

There was, finally, a thin white mantle covering the campus. The end of February weekend was classically beautiful crisp cold; sparkling, frost-flecked air; bright sun against a cloudless sky; crunching snow; and stars in the Milky Way undimmed by crystal-cigar nights. The Dartmouth scene remains timeless.

The cold had preserved the snow sculpture, an Olympian ski jump, from Winter Carnival three weeks earlier. The campus had been barren then, except for the single statue created with imported snow, a reminder that the stuff did exist.

In mid-February Ed Gulick called to comment on the winter and to reflect upon a similar barren winter in 1950 (in contrast to the 1947-48 winter, when the snowfall set a record). Two or three days before carnival, Ed recalled, the Daily D printed a parody that ended: And somewhere hearts are happy And somewhere children spill, But there is no joy at Dartmouth; Cows wander on Oak Hill. We were luckier then; a storm blanketed the campus (and Oak Hill) the next day.

More about the mid-winter mini-reunion: the scene is not the only draw. It is a time to rekindle old friendships and to develop new ones in a familiar environment. This year the turnout numbered about 40 classmates and wives, including Bill and Martha Lee Pulley, who returned from Ohio. The pace is relaxed and casual, less hectic even than a football weekend. Evening attractions included season-ending basketball games against Yale and Brown; Desire Under the Elms at the Hop; and a concert in Spaulding Auditorium. The afternoons were perfect for skiing downhill or crosscountry. Next year: a hockey weekend.

The premier event this year was a warm, nostalgic program by town and gown commemorating the tenth anniversary of President Kemeny's inauguration (and his 25 years in the community). Should anyone wonder, John squelched some rumors. He concluded his few acknowledging remarks with the thought, "My commitment to Dartmouth is the same as my commitment to my wife until death do us part."

The business of your executive committee took several hours, but the highlights are easily condensed. Plans for the Class of 1950 Award were ratified. Head Agent Joel Leavitt recommended that the class's target for this year's Alumni Fund, reflecting the objective of doubling all gifts during the Campaign for Dartmouth, be set at $115,000 an increase of approximately 20 per cent over last year. Incidentally, Joel announced that gifts to date this year amount to $54,000. Setting the target for the reunion gift was more difficult, so action on the recommendation of reunion giving head Eric Miller was deferred until the fall meeting. Dave Taylor brought us up-to-date on the planning for our 30th reunion on June 15-18, 1981. Finally, the committee voted to furnish the Collis Center, our old commons, with a used or rebuilt piano.

Bob Wilkinson was cited as the club president-of-the-year for 1979 for his leadership of the Dartmouth Club of Washington. In addition to the usual range of club activities, Bob initiated a monthly luncheon program with speakers that on the average attracts 50 alumni. The club also instituted the Nelson Rockefeller Memorial Forum. In his free time Boh practices internal medicine and teaches at George Washington University.

Meanwhile, in Honolulu, pediatrician Cal Sia, long an advocate of child protective care, was recently named the physician-of-the-year by the Hawaii Medical Association. Cal is credited with spearheading state laws that ensure a statewide school health system and the reporting of child abuse. Recognizing the need, he was instrumental in establishing the Variety Club School for children with learning disabilities.

Tidbits from here and there: Jim Strickler, an ex-officio member, and Jim Vail, who is concluding his second term, are colleagues on the Medical School's board of overseers. There is a rumor that Ted Prime married Meredith Morse, the director of development at Vassar, in Perrysburg, Ohio. Probably escaping from Connecticut winters, Walt Lane has shifted operations to Tequesta, Fla. In contrast, DocRay Peppard has left Arizona and answers to an APO in New York. Dick Imus, according to his wife B.J., still travels the world, including the Arctic, for the Office of Naval Research as head of international programs. The sad time of the year for Bob (D.) Wilson, who practices medicine out of Northeast Harbor, Maine, is the day he has to pull his boat Drambuie out of the water.

The winter may have been mild, but its lingering drags. Enough. Spring, regardless of April's cruelty in the North Country, still is welcomed. Enjoy the burgeoning warmth. Have cheer. And drive carefully.

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