1965

The 20th reunion of the class of 1965 has now become a very pleasant part of our history as more than 300 alumni, family, and friends returned to Hanover for the weekend of June 14—16. Our visit captured all we recalled as being great about our College (the stimulating conversations, the beauty of the campus, and the respect we developed for each other), while excluding the hardships we may have known in earlier years (there were no reports of hour exams, and the food at Thayer was widely acclaimed).

Friday started a little slowly due to the variety of activities underway and the mixed arrival times of our classmates. In the late afternoon the pace accelerated as we gathered at either the class tent or the reception in the Fairchild Science Center (new to most '6ss). One of the first arrivals was Jeff Davis, who quickly explained that, living up to the call of his legendary name, he had finally migrated to the South. After some delay, Jeff added (in his best Granite State delivery) that the move had led from his native Berlin, N.H., to the practice of law in sunny Nashua.

As the tempo of the evening increased even more, a great uproar came from the small band of normally well-behaved Phi Psi's (including Bob Blake, Dick Fite,Dick Jones, Kip Moore, John Newman,Nick Rummo, and Wayne Wight) who

had gathered at Thompson Arena for the promised arrival of the original "Fonzie," none other than their former leader, LarryKeesey. When the awaited one finally emerged, described by his own son as "trying to look respectable," a major disturbance took place that could not be calmed by Larry's repeated claims he now had a job and was really an attorney for the state of Florida in Tallahassee.

Friday formally ended with an outstanding concert by the Dartmouth Glee Club in Spaulding Auditorium. The pleasing addition of the soprano and alto sounds blended in perfect harmony with the still-strong voices of former Glee Club members who were invited onstage for the singing of "The Football Medley" and "Men of Dartmouth."

My Friday ended somewhat later (my wife subsequently described the experience as "just reward at the scene of your own attempts at a wicked past") in a door-to-door search for our 15-year-old daughter, who was found to be missing at nearly 2:00 a.m. Rallying my former roommates to take part in the hunt, we were soon joined by a member of the class of '64 who had become aware of a similarly missing son. The crisis was soon resolved as both offspring were located by my new '64 friend's uniquely creative solution of going to the center of the Green and loudly calling his son's name.

Saturday morning our official class meeting was held and a well deserved round of applause (snaps no longer seem in style) was given for our outgoing officers: Jock Hosmer, president; Bob Blake, secretary; Dennis Purnell, treasurer; BillWebster, head agent; and Jack Heidbrink, newsletter editor. Our new officers (a suggestion was made that the slate was simply a roster of the last persons leaving the tent on Friday) are: Bill Webster, president; Al Zern, vice president; BruceJolly, secretary; Jim Frank, treasurer; TimMcLaughlin, head agent; and Ted Atkinson, newsletter editor.

We held a joint picnic with the classes of 1964 and 1966 at a greatly improved Storrs Pond Recreation Area on Saturday afternoon. Tim McLaughlin, said to be a successful Dean .Witter executive in the Cleveland area, looked instead like a giant green-and-white bumblebee in what was assumed to be an outfit obtained through barter with a much older class.

The Outing Club and Occom Pond provided a beautiful setting for the Saturday evening reception and banquet. Among those seen enjoying the event and perhaps making a note or two during Whitey Burnham's stories were Mike Jubien (University of Massachusetts), Brian Wasting (Mexico City), Bill Oberlink, (Miami), and Jack McLean (San Francisco). Ted Atkinson, reunion giving chairman, announced our contributions to the 1985 Alumni Fund had reached more than $300,000, a new class record.

After some music "from the good old days" in Hopkins Center, we were left to our own diversions. John Ferdico, primarily known as an all-night piano player, was seen leading a quixotic attack against a wounded beer truck with the anguished question, "How can anything so large possibly run out of beer so quickly?"

Sunday morning the more energetic of our group entered the two-mile and tenkilometer Reunion Runs. Later, a memorial service for our deceased classmates was held in Rollins Chapel. I'm sure all of us were quite shaken to find we have already lost 38 members of our class.

At the farewell brunch we were also surprised to learn that Chris Knight is now peddling books from the trunk of his car. Chris seems to show excellent taste in his product line, however, since the author, Kathryn Laskey Knight, has put together a fantastically well-written account of the Knights' travels, both in their own lives and in their trans-Atlantic sailing adventures. If Chris is unavailable for an immediate sale, I would suggest your local bookstore or W.W. Norton and Company as alternative sources for Kathy's Atlantic Circle.

The sincere appreciation of our entire class should be given to Larry Duffy and his reunion committee. They made possible a weekend where we could talk of our past, enjoy our present, and certainly look forward to our future together. The only regrets heard were those of disappointment at not seeing classmates who were unable to be in Hanover. We are already anticipating our 25th reunion and would encourage an early start through this year's mini-reunion on the football weekend of October 12. Jim Griffiths will provide more information on this gathering to you later.

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