1953

We've all had the experience. You're at a Dartmouth meeting or you chance upon other alumni. When you state your class, 1953, it almost always evokes a response. That response may range from awe and admiration to one of undisguised rancor. It is a natural reaction of others to those who set the pace and who establish the standards of excellence.

Humility is a virtue. At risk of violating that precept, these articles are directed at describing the lives and accomplishments of our classmates. For in so doing, we all get some measure of the substance that has led us to a leadership position.

We lead this article off with Dave Berry, who has completed his 29th year of teaching history at the high school level. Twenty-five of those years have been at Sparta High School, ten minutes from his home in Sparta, N.J. Dave has an obvious affinity for children, and he and Suzanne have had six, four of whom are married and two of whom are still in college. Son Tom is a Dartmouth junior. In what also may be another leadership position, the Berrys have six grandchildren and one on the way. Suzanne raises ponies and teaches riding. Dave is active in church work, in Dartmouth recruiting, and in the Alumni Fund. Finally, in what is an obvious advantage of the teaching profession, Dave has a lot of time to play golf in the summer. His handicap has come down since college.

Dick Cahn, Huntington, N.Y., practices law, primarily on Long Island and in federal court. He also has had cases in the Supreme Court and has appeared before the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. He represents corporate clients, many of the towns on Long Island, and does some work for Cornell and the State University of New York. He and wife Vivian, who has a master's in health science, have four children. Michael is a Dartmouth junior and is spending a term in Russia. Lisa is at Occidental College in California. Danny and Sarah are in high school and primary school, respectively. Dick has a pilot's license. And with what must be a notable statistic, Dick and Vivian have attended Alumni College five times.

Bill McCarthy, Towson, Mel., is also an attorney, with a general practice in Baltimore. Additionally, Bill directs the family business, a distributorship of wines and spirits. Beverly and Bill dated at college while Beverly was at Bradford. She and Bill have three children. Michael and Stephen are Dartmouth '79 and '82, respectively. Both played lacrosse exceptionally well. Stephen was captain. Daughter Mary Sue graduated from Ohio Wesleyan. Tennis and hiking are among the active pursuits undertaken by the McCarthys. A longheld summer home in the Adirondacks provides a center for these activities. Bill shares his time being on the boards of a bank and a hospital. He and Beverly raise pug dogs. Bill has been a stalwart in our Alumni Fund and has been on the Alumni Council for four years.

Dick Loewenthal, Winnetka, Ill., is an insurance broker with the sixth largest brokerage firm in the United States, Corroon and Black. As brokers, they tailor fire and health plans for the specific needs of a client and then administer the plans. Dick and Audrey have three children; Anne, a graduate of Bates, is in advertising, Jean graduated in June from Denison, and John is a junior at Carlton, spending a term in Copenhagen. Active in civic affairs, Dick and Audrey are particularly interested in United Charities, the oldest social service in the Midwest. Dick has been president and secretary of the Dartmouth Club in Chicago and has represented that region on the Alumni Council.

Bob Callender divides his time between a home in New York and a business in Little Rock, Ark. His profession is real estate development, and he is associated with Fairfield Community. This firm is a leading home builder in the United States, particularly in the construction of time-shared dwellings. Their sites are principally in North Carolina and Arizona. Jake Jacobus, Paul Paganucci, and John Dodge are on the board of the firm with Bob. Kathy Callender and their son Bill live in New York. Bob has been very active with the class and the alumni, having recruited in Arkansas, been an overseer of the Hanover Inn, chaired a reunion, headed up Tuck's annual giving campaign, served as an Alumni Fund agent, and having been on the Alumni Council for three years representing Tuck.

Dick Giesser, Waban, Mass., is the president of the Small Business Foundation of America. This organization is not-for-profit and raises funds which are used for research in support of independent businesses. One specific area of involvement is job creation from high technology industries in the United States. Connie Giesser graduated from Connecticut College and then earned a master's degree. She and Dick have three children. Jim graduated from Dartmouth in 1981, and John is there now as a junior. Eric graduated from Vassar in 1982. Dick has been an Alumni Fund agent since college and has supported the College by providing scholarship funds through the Dartmouth Educational Association.

There are 22 members of the executive committee. We have written about half of them. Future columns will portray the balance and the eight officers who lead our class. One characteristic seems to be coming through. They are a very active people who are willing to give their time and energy to organizations and interests that they support, including Dartmouth.

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