"A Continuing Tradition"

Dartmouth has done it again: The 70th annual Alumni Fund, when it concluded June 30, had chalked up what will once again probably be the best alumni participation rate in the nation, plus a whole string of other national and College giving records. Alumni participation in the campaign climbed to 67.9 percent this year, surpassing the previous record of 66.6 percent set in 1983. The Fund also surpassed, for the first time, the $10-million mark, bringing in a total of $10,407,084. Another unprecedented achievement during the 1984 Alumni Fund came with two classes each contributing more than $1 million. The results topped this year's goal of $10.3 million and last year's total of about $9.3 million.

"The Alumni Fund broke into double figures for the first time in its 70-year history/' said Fund Chairman Joel B. Portugal '5B in announcing the results to the 4,113 class agents in the campaign. "Equally important as the $10.4-million Fund total, however, is the increase in participation by our alumni. In the past five years we have gone from 63 percent to nearly 68 percent in participation. That is a tremendous accomplishment." This is an especially noteworthy achievement in comparison to other institutions, many of which are delighted with participation rates around 45 percent.

The largest single class gift was $1,076,000 from 1959 for its 25th reunion. The class of 1934, celebrating its 50th, followed with a new 50-year gift record of $1,020,000. Another record for the College, and possibly for the nation when all comparative figures are available, was set by the fifth reunion class of 1979 with an unprecedented 74 percent of its members contributing a total of $63,000. Five other reunion classes 1924, 1944, 1953, 1954, and 1974 set Dartmouth records.

Also contributing to the Alumni Fund were Dartmouth parents, who for the past four years have led the nation in total dollars raised; this year's $502,000 was an 11-percent increase over last year. In addition, the 1984 Alumni Fund total includes about $1.4 million in gifts from companies which match contributions from alumni employees, a 35 percent increase from last year.

Summing up the results of the 1984 campaign, Alumni Fund Director Henry Eberhardt '61 said, "The generous support and hard work of all our alumni, parents, and friends who played a part in making this year's Alumni Fund the best ever again illustrate why we chose for the 70th annual campaign the theme, 'A Continuing Tradition.' "