Zimmerman Honored at Club Dinner
Charles J. Zimmerman '23, former chairman of the Board of Trustees of Dartmouth College and former chairman of Connecticut Mutual Life Insurance Company, was honored at a dinner in Farmington, Conn., on May 21. The gala affair, which was hosted by the Dartmouth Club of Hartford, also provided an opportunity to launch the newly established Opal Marie and Charles J. Zimmerman Scholarship. President David T. McLaughlin and a host of other College officials, former Trustees, friends, and associates of Charlie Zimmerman and local Hartford alumni joined together to enjoy the largest Dartmouth College club event in the country this year.
The Hartford Club began plans for the dinner early in the fall of 1984. Mailings were made to all Greater Connecticut and Western Massachusetts alumni, the Hanover contingent, the class of '23, the local corporate community, and friends of Zimmerman. The first mailing provided an opportunity to participate in the scholarship fund well in advance of the dinner in order to list donors' names in the program. The second mailing included an additional opportunity to be part of the fund, as well as the application for tickets. The magnitude of the response was a reflection of the high esteem in which Zimmerman is held by all who have been fortunate enough to know him.
The program for the evening included Allen Collins '53, Hartford club president, as master of ceremonies; remarks by Edward Bates, former chairman of the board of Connecticut Mutual Life Insurance Company; Dr. Davis 'Gregg, president emeritus of American College; President David McLaughlin; and a spirited address by Charlie Zimmerman. Entertainment was provided by the Dartmouth Aires, and Zimmerman was presented with a Steuben bowl full of cherries a reference to his often-used remark, "life is just a bowl of cherries." A presentation document was prepared and read by J. Michael McGean '49, secretary of the alumni, citing Charlie Zimmerman's decades of service, accomplishments, awards, and contributions to the College and his community at large. The citation called him "a leader with a golden touch ... a seemingly magical catalyst in countless good works that have made our time better because you have been a part of us for your 83 years young."
The dinner was attended by 320 people. During the dinner, Allen Collins announced some statistics detailing the overwhelming response to the inauguration of the Zimmerman Scholarship Fund: donations were received from alumni representing all but 15 classes between 1917 and 1986; donations were received from 26 different states; a total of 286 gifts was received; and although gifts are still arriving, the total scholarship fund is now at $103,000.
The net result of this great evening was twofold. It not only paid a well deserved tribute to one of Dartmouth's most active and illustrious alumni, but it also established a most meaningful and substantial scholarship in the name of Opal Marie and Charles J. Zimmerman to benefit Hartford scholars for generations to come.
Charlie Zimmerman '23, a member of the Dartmouth Club of Hartford for 39 years, was honored bythe Club at a dinner in May. The event was attended by many alumni and members of the College'sadministration, including President David McLaughlin, right, shown congratulating Zimmerman, left,for his many years of service to the College and his "inspiration as a virtuoso in the art of humanrelations for worthy ends."
