1973

The weather is a little dreary this February here in Boston. But the news is brighter from Hanover, as statistics show that "early decision" applications for the class of 1986 are up ten per cent, to 1,100, for an all-time high. The College remains one of the most competitive in the country. Last year there were 8,158 applicants for 1,054 spots in the class of 1985. And the new Hood Museum complex which is planned to complement the facilities at the Hop should greatly strengthen Dartmouth's cultural community. As for athletics, most of you have probably heard of the N.C.A.A.'s decision to drop Ivy League football into division I-AA. Apparently this was the result of a move by the super football powers for a greater share of the television dollar. Four Ivy teams did not meet the new requirements of average home attendance of 17,000 over the last four years or a home stadium capacity of 30,000, so the entire league decided to stick together and drop to division 1-AA. There has also been some talk of enlarging the Ivy League both educationally and athletically. Among the schools discussed are Northwestern, Navy, Colgate, Holy Cross, and William and Mary.

As far as class news is concerned, I have learned that Tom Helfrich is alive and well in Charlottesville, Va. Tom recently completed his Ph.D. studies and is currently working at a state residential treatment center for emotionally disturbed children in nearby Staunton, Virginia. Tom's wife, Jane, is working towards an advanced degree in psychiatric nursing. But the big news is the recent birth of their daughter, Caitlin, who is "every inch and ounce an Irishwoman, with strawberry blonde hair and bright blue eyes." Congratulations to you both.

Well, Dartmouth's extended family continues to grow. Steve Quigley celebrated the birth of his first child, Benjamin Parker Quigley, on September 22, 1981, and George and Bobbi Ritcheske's twins, John and Katie, are now one year old. And Susan Berndt Mahoney is now expecting her third child. Sue and her husband Dan recently returned from a trip to Egypt, Greece, and Turkey.

Speaking of travel, Mike Winn gets the award for this month. Mike recently wrote to class treasurer Joe Powers that he "just returned from an expedition across the Himalayas in Pakistan following Marco Polo's route on the Silk Road. Also climbed to base camp of Nanga Parbat, which at 26,500 feet is the world's eighth largest mountain." On his return from Pakistan, he stopped in Ethiopia to investigate that country's treatment of black Jews for the New York Times. Mike has also written an article about his travels for Smithsonian magazine which will be published in April 1982.

Finally, my award for the "investment of the month" goes to Randy Spydell, who has purchased, with several members of his family, 47 acres in Hartford, Vt., with a view of the College. Randy is currently working for the U.S. Geological Survey in Denver, Colo., and has made frequent trips to Mount St. Helens and other volcanoes in the Pacific Northwest.

That's it for this month. There will be more news coming up from J. Wright, Kelvin Chin, and others. In the meantime, send along some news when you have a chance. And if anyone is interested in working on the tenth reunion, please drop me a line.

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