1954

30TH REUNION

The great '54 30th reunion is history in fact, by the time you read this report, it will be ancient history. But like all great events in the history of mankind it deserves to be immortalized for future generations. After all, Dartmouth alumni of all classes will certainly want to study '54 to discover that which makes a Dartmouth class truly great.

Our greatness is built on continuing outstanding leadership that has provided the planning and organizing that have held the class together since we graduated. The 30th was the work of the latest in this parade of dedicated leaders retiring class president Steve Mullins; incoming president Dick Barker; that most professional group of reunion organizers, probably the best in Dartmouth history John Gillespie, Pete Barker, and the in absentia Dick Page; and a hardworking 30th reunion-giving campaign committee led by the peripatetic Jerry Goldstein, who never stopped prospecting and cajoling until the final minutes of the reunion.

What made the 30th so great? Great numbers of old friends 137 classmates (a new 30th reunion record), and 288 total attendees. Great events the Storrs Pond picnic with the 's3s and '55s; lunch on the shores of Occom Pond on the rolling lawn of the lovely home of John and Betty Heston; an outstanding town meeting program on Central America, organized by Jim Love and Bob Buchanan; the sensitive remembering of old friends no longer with us, conducted by Rip Coffin; the dedication of the Class of 1954 Gallery at the new Rockefeller Center; the "Fitness is Possible" program presented by 1954's answer to Arnold Schwarzenegger, Ron Dutton; and the myriad athletic events for golfers, tennis players, runners, rowers, and swimmers; food, food, and more food; and drink, drink, and more drink, from early morning until late evening, day after day.

Since it would be tasteless to discuss in detail the display of gluttony that took place at each meal, let it suffice to say that John Gillespie provided lavishly for all of us from breakfast to barbecue to banquet, carefully recounting at each evening meal how much better accommodated and better fed we were than the suffering '53s and '55s who didn't have the good fortune to have their arrangements provided by the family Gillespie.

Pete Barker, as befits his Tuck background and his corporate position as chief financial officer of CBS/FOX, developed an unemotional statistical breakdown of the reunion attendance. To quote Pete, "...Attendance included two Barkers, two Pierces, two McLaughlins, two Whites, two Johnsons, two Corcorans, three Ph.D.'s, 12 doctors, two retired colonels, one Dartmouth president, and three 1954 team captains." And who knows how many lawyers, brokers, butchers, bakers, and candlestick makers?

The Alumni Magazine allows a reunion class secretary only a measly eight or nine hundred words to cover the details of all the happenings of even such a momentous and historically-worthy occasion as the 30th. So I hope that I will be forgiven any omissions that may occur as I try to provide an overview of the flavor as well as the substance of these three and a half pleasant days that mixed the past with the present.

Monday began with the registration at the class tent set up,, on Tuck Mall in front of Russell Sage, the class "resort hotel" for the reunion. Monday evening saw the classes of '53, '54, and '55 joined together at Thompson Arena for a joint dinner that brought back memories of the "great" food of Commons and Thayer. How nice of the College to provide us with that touch of nostalgia. Dinner was followed by a reception at the home of Dave and Judy McLaughlin whose continuing graciousness always makes one feel welcome and the class of '54 feel particularly special.

The Glee Club concert followed the McLaughlin reception. The mixed voices of men and women provided a contrast to the Glee Club of old. When the reunioning Glee Club members joined the current Glee Club, they indeed made "the echoes ring for Dartmouth."

Tuesday morning the tennis courts, the golf course, the streets of Hanover, and even the Connecticut River got a workout from the eternally young 's4s. Jerry Goldstein and Marilyn Grassey walked away with the tennis honors, and Tom Sayles and John Pope took low gross and low net respectively on the Dartmouth greens.

Dave McLaughlin spoke to all the reunioning classes Tuesday morning in Spaulding Auditorium on the state of the College and answered all questions in his usual forthright manner.

Following the meeting, '53s, '54s, and '55s all journeyed to Storrs Pond for a joint swim meet organized and run by Steve Mullins and Rip Coffin. Our class was well represented among the winners of the various events by the families of Bob Dean, Wayne Weil, and of course the Mullinses and Coffins.

The rest of the afternoon was spent enjoying a typical New England barbecue at Storrs. Tuesday evening, cocktails and dinner at the Top of the Hop were highlighted by the presentation of Class of 1954 Awards to Rod Rockefeller and Lo-Yi Chan for their individual professional accomplishments, as well as their joint and individual efforts in the creation of the Rockefeller Center at Dartmouth.

Wednesday morning's memorial service, presided over by Rip Coffin, was followed by a very creative panel discussion on Central America presented in the form of a New England town meeting, moderated by Bob Buchanan. The topic: "To discuss and vote upon whether United States policy in Central America is being conducted in our best interests." Participants on the panel included classmates Dr. Bill Gould, who served on a volunteer basis in Honduras; Larry Martz, editor of the international edition of Newsweek; Joel Poorman, who had been in South America with Du Pont; Rod Rockefeller, whose IBEC Corporation had vast Central America interests; and Professor Marysa Navarro of the Dartmouth history department. There was standing room only for this panel. The vote of the town meeting audience was that our best interests were not being served by the U.S. government policy in Central America.

Wednesday afternoon and evening were filled with a cookout at the Hestons'; a cocktail party and dedication of the Class of 1954 Gallery at the Rockefeller Center; and the closing banquet. At the banquet Irwin Herrman, from Australia, and Bryce Bastian, from Singapore, shared the long-distance award; Peter Bullis received special recognition for the youngest offspring, daughter Stacy (eight months); and John Gillespie was presented the Class of 1954 Award for his varied services to the class not the least of which was his work on this, the Great, Great 30th Reunion of the Class of 1954.

The classes of '53, '54, and '55 marked their. 30th reunions with a wide variety of activities. An event that made a big splash was the '53-'54-'55 swim meet at the Storrs Pond Recreation Area. In another water sport, former oarsmen challenged each other and the Connecticut River as they embarked from the Boathouse.

The class of 1954 set a new record for the most alumni at a 30th reunion, with 137 classmates returning. Close on their heels came the class of 1953, with 136 members returning. These, plus the 77 members of 1955 who attended, combined their forces to make the reunion a truly festive affair.

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