1980

Thank God we don't get all the government we pay for . . . - Will Rogers

Old Will has never been closer to the truth. The annual 1040 aggravation should serve as ample reminder that paying taxes is bad, but it could be worse. You could get what you pay for . . .

April, as Thomas Stearns Eliot once told us, is the cruelest month, but it generally marks the end of the winter and the beginning of spring. And with temperatures climbing, Mother Nature renews our faith, strength, and disposition - and not a moment too soon.

Some familiar faces graced the field of the 1985 Boston Marathon. Despite muggy, 75- degree weather, both Mark Fagan and JeffCitrin conquered the Newton hills in fine style. Mark covered the 26.2-mile course in two hours and 38 minutes (placing 118 th overall) while Jeff steamed in with his brother Jim at two hours and 58 minutes. Dr. MikeLynch heartily cheered them on from the Beacon Street sidelines. There was no sign of Rosie Ruiz. Considering the weather, these guys turned in "Iron Man" performances. Congratulations. It was so humid and sticky that day, I began to feel like some kind of plant life.

"Old news is old news" department: How do you force Jay Weed to write to you? Answer: Announce his promotion at Price Waterhouse six months after he leaves Price Waterhouse. Jay writes that he is now a financial analysis manager in Fidelity Investment's corporate finance department. He still crunches numbers, but the monograms on his buttondowns now read "IRA" instead of "CPA." Jay and his wife, Claudia Sweeney Weed '81, T '82, are about to move into a new "condo made of stonah" next to King Tut and the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston.

As-the-Brides-Go-Tearing-By: Congratulations to Marjorie Schechner, who married Mr. Tom Gart on April 28 in New Jersey. Congratulations also to Drew Dougherty on two counts. Not only does Drew have the enviable quandry of choosing between Stanford and Harvard for his M.8.A., but he also will marry Miss Heidi Hansen (Stanford '80) in Woodland, Calif., August 24. Heidi earned her master's degree at the University of Washington (Go, Huskies!) and is now an architect in Washington, D.C. Her firm's latest project is the renovation of a police station. At least she should feel comfortable at the wedding, as most of Drew's friends seem like perfect type-casts for the hooligans in "Police Academy 3."

Passing shots: While I was on the interview circuit recently, I ran into Dave Gensler in New York. Dave works for Pierrepont Mutual Fund, which, I believe, is part of Morgan Stanley. Dave says he enjoys life in the Big Apple, which can be quite a culture shock for a native Californian.

"The people are, like, pretty tubular but there aren't enough hardbodies around, and there are totally too many potholes for me to skateboard to work, you know, and I can't find any place with a narly surf. Bummer, man. For sure, I guess, like, the only major problem with New York, you know, is that it's, like, you know, three thousand miles from the ocean ..."

Dismay for the day: Any current events discussion at the College is sure to include topics like the sad state of Dartmouth athletics and the ROTC question. But another cause for alarm remains the state of the fraternities. The Fraternity Review Board has just finished its long-awaited minimum standards code review of each house. The final results show that three houses received a "provisional pass": Phi Delt, Tabard, and our beloved Alpha Chi. To think how hard we've labored on the Magic Green Cottage and all for naught. There is just no telling how many years of neglect we have invested in that place.

There is now a fund established in the memory of Doug Bangs, who died in a boating accident in Alaska in May 1984. The fund will benefit geology students on the Stretch project or on other field trips. If you would like to help, please send your contribution to the Douglas M. Bangs 'BO Memorial Fund, 210 Blunt Hall, Dartmouth College, Hanover, NH 03755.

I-must-go-down-to-the-sea-again: Jim Wilson has started his own company in Bridgeport, Conn. Digital Navigation, Ltd., markets the first major breakthrough in dead-reckoning navigation. Wils also tied the "sheepshank" with Miss Chloe Marquand (FIT '86). Chloe works part time at Norma Kamali in SoHo when she's not busy with James Forbes Jr. Jim, who earned an M.B.A. from Harvard Business School in 1984, is still leaving people speechless at E.F. Hutton in New York.

Well, here ends the reading. Following a precious five-year sentence, I now prepare to pass the Bic Banana on to my next-of-pen. While the fickle finger of fate has not yet determined my worthy successor, I have no doubt that he/she will do a fine job. In light of my perpetual abuse of the English language these last few years, the quality index has nowhere to go but up. It's time for me to fetch a cold Bud and salute you all. Raise a toast to our future. As Jonathan Swift once urged us, "May you live every day of your life."

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