1965

"The attraction of attending a prestigious Ivy League institution wore off pretty quickly. I was at Dartmouth to learn, not necessarily what was in the books, but what was inside of me." Steve Crystal '87 in The Dartmouth Fortnightly, April 13, 1984.

Steve was responding to a request, on the eve of " 'shmen 'rents" weekend, to describe his thoughts concerning his freshman year: Dartmouth as a place for learning in a very personal way. Some know this as freshmen, some not till much later, but I'm sure all learn from the Dartmouth experience.

Steve went on: "I guess what freshman year has taught me most is to appreciate freedom, not a reputation. Freedom more than just to cut classes and party late ... a time to make mistakes and to learn more about the person who has to make them. So many students will go through four years without real izing that this period in our lives might be the only time that we can experience the type of freedom that causes us to appreciate every day whether we screw up or excell."

The challenge of Freshman Parents Weekend was expressed in the words of Heather Myers 'B7: "... trying to convey six months of College life . . . will undoubtedly, in Dartmouth terms, be like trying to swallow a keg. Might as well just chug as much as you can." Orf as Mary Bourque '87 says: "There are times when I love Dartmouth, but then there are other occasions when I don't want to be here, and in talking to other freshmen, I find most haven't had eternal bliss here either. What I have developed is a bond with the College. When I sing 'Men of Dartmouth' a lot more comes to mind than just a sense of rowdiness. It is this inexplicable, unconveyable feeling that we have that makes Dartmouth so special."

Certainly part of the Freshman Parents Weekend experience is the family reunion or as Heather continues; "Mom and Dad, meet your financial investment, Offspring, meet your moral nemesis." How many '65s are now shifting from remembering time as a "financial investment" to becoming their offspring's "moral nemesis"?

On the financial investment side, AndrewLewis must still be a good risk because, as The Dartmouth reports, he recently was named one of 22 recipients of a prestigious Mac Arthur Fellows grant. The grant, awarded by the Mac Arthur Foundation of Chicago, is for a total of $204,000 over five years with "no strings attached." Andy, since 1980 an associate professor of history at Southwest Missouri State University and an expert on medieval France, will apparently research "the social and institutional history of northern France in the 11th to the 13th centuries.

Following graduation from Dartmouth, Andy received an A.M. from the University of Chicago in 1967 and his Ph.D. from Harvard in 1973. In 1981, the Harvard University Press published his book Royal Succession inCapetian France: Studies on Familial Orderand the State. Dartmouth professor of history Charles Wood said Andy's book is "clearly the most important book published on eval kingship in the last 30 years" and the book is his "main claim for the Mac Arthur award." He called Andy an "outstanding scholar.

These awards are given to those snowing originality, self-direction, and promise for the future. They are meant to give the recipient time to reflect, to pursue an area that doesn t fit a common funding pattern, or even to completely change the direction of a career. The selection process is secret, with nominations made anonymously, and there are no restrictions on what the recipients may do with their award.

This truly is an opportunity tor Anay, wnu is married with one child and another due in late spring. He well deserves a rousing roun of snaps. Congratulations one certainly can begin to enjoy life at 40!

Recognition of a different sort was given to Charles Thomson, who has been appointed assistant special agent in charge (ASAC) ot the Washington, D.C., office of the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms (Alt). He graduated with a B. A. in history and government and has been a law enforcement officer for 13 years. According to the press release, he will direct the daily activities of special agents assigned to Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, and the District of Columbia. As the ASAC, he will direct federal law enforcement programs and investigations against bombers, arsonists, cigarette smugglers, alcohol violators, and the criminal use of firearms in his area.

Charlie joined ATF in the bureau s Providence, R. 1., office in 1971 as a special agent. He has held positions with increasing responsibilities in ATF offices in Portland, Maine; Philadelphia; and Washington, D.C.

Congratulations and a round of snaps to you, too, Charlie. Perhaps we can take advantage of your expertise in our reunion organization!

Reunions the mini-reunion October 18- 21 at Pierce's (for the Harvard game) and our 20th reunion June 14r-16,1985 were among the topics of discussion at the Class Officers Weekend in Hanover on May 4-5 (a.k.a. Green Key). I hear from Jock Hosmer that he, along with Ted Atkinson, Carl Boe, LarryDuffy, Jack Heidbrink, Dennis Purnell, and Bill Webster, represented the class to pick up pointers, share techniques, and generally enjoy a spring weekend in Hanover.

And to end on a working note, in support of our hard-at-work class agent organization, let me use the words of Ad Winship '42, justretired VP of alumni affairs and development: "The extra dimension of quality that betterfunded private institutions like Dartmouth can offer should not be taken for granted. Giving represents a lot of the sense of satisfaction and caring that prior generations of this family have put into the College." Let s continue this good practice before June 30.

Happy summer keep the faith!

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