1955

As the New Hampshire cold loosens its grip, the same result might be possible from all those assorted and sundry sources which make the Dartmouth Alumni Fund so preeminent and such a strength to the institution. Of course, we could say that Jim Nelson, as head agent, is another wonderfully logical choice, refleeting his position as vice president and director of Loomis-Sayles and Company in Milwaukee, Wis. Learning how to handle other people's money is merely anticipation and practice for the Alumni Fund effort. But then, Jim is not far away from the College (at least not emotionally), for his son, Eric, is a member of the class of '87. Jim is obviously getting his latter-day college education both ways.) Jim and Betty Jo also have two older children, Kathy, married and the mother of a year-old granddaughter for the Nelsons, and Kristen, a senior at the University of Minnesota.

Jim is not alone in having an '87, for Hugh Brady's son, Brian, is in the same class. Hugh and Betty live permanently in Dover, Mass., working for Joseph M. Brady, Inc., in wholesale pet supplies. They also have a summer place in South Newfane, Vt., with 100 acres on which he is building a hardwood tree farm. (Will the trees grow fast enough to pay for the tuition?) During the winter while the trees aren't growing, it's a great place for Hugh and Betty to stay and ski. The Bradys have two older children, Mavia '83 at St. Lawrence and Kevin '84 at Skidmore.

In speaking of money - for this column has a heavy financial bent - there is Jack Cogswell, who is treasurer of New England Bell Telephone Company. According to Pete Buhler, Jack has the biggest office in all of New England. (Was rooming in Middle Mass suitable training?)

Woody Goss is another class financial wizard, serving as vice president of State Street Bank in Boston. He and Nancy have three sons, the oldest of whom, Ned, after graduating from Wesleyan, saw the light and is now in his second year at Tuck. He obviously takes after Woody, for he was the CEO of the computer team at the Tuck School, winning one of the competitions. Their middle son, Chuck '84, was a Dartmouth representative in one of the "Men of the Ivy League" calendars, and their youngest, Philip, is a member of the class of '89. Woody and Nancy took a vacation in France this past year and ended going up in a balloon operated by the company owned by Buddy Bombard. As Woody said, "There is a certain style and exhilaration in skimming along the fields and then rising up to float above the Dijon countryside, all to be rewarded with champagne upon touchdown." (A typically nice Bombard touch.)

Sheeba, a very large golden retriever seen regularly at '55 reunions, was noticed again this fall in Hanover, which meant that Al Keith was not far behind. Al teaches at New Hampton School in New Hampshire, educating the eager in math and computer science, a perfectly logical choice for a Dartmouth history major. Al indicated he "has no idea why Sheeba should be spelled with two e's but feels it does sound better in Hanover."

Every financially-oriented column probably by its very nature needs a lawyer (don't we all), and Pete Fishbein fits this need admirably. He is the managing partner of the firm Kaye, Scholer, Fierman, Hays, and Handler, an organization of 300 lawyers with offices on Park Avenue. That undoubtedly makes the Harvard Law School proud. Pete commutes from his home in Westchester by train where he says he reads The New York Times in half an hour. He figures that if reading it takes longer, either the Times has too much news, or he is slowing up. Pete spends about one-third of his day managing and two-thirds practicing - sounds like tight discipline, considering the firm has an additional 600 non-lawyers. Pete serves on various city and state commissions as part of study groups, the result of his specialization in trauma litigation work. With all this his personal satisfaction "was in qualifying for the finals in the men's over-50 tennis tournament at his club." One suspects that having three sons - Steve '84, now at Yale Law School; his twin brother, Bruce, Cornell '84, now studying at Stanford; and the youngest, Gregory '86 - is an even greater satisfaction.

Which is all by way of saying that the institution to which we owe so much for our own opportunities is so dependent on our generosity. Dartmouth continues to offer that same rigorous experience to its students, which Jim Nelson well knows and in which most of us have a strong belief. May the loosening of winter's grip have a similar effect upon our benefactory instincts.

Head agent for the class of '55, Jim Nelson,right, returned to Hanover last fall forDartmouth Night Weekend and a visit withhis son, Eric Nelson '87.

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