1965

As a child growing up in the hills of southern West Virginia, I gave little thought to the difficulty I would someday face in combining the locations of Denmark, Tanzania, and Connecticut into a single class notes column. My concern actually only developed in the last few months when the mail brought letters with information about classmates from these widely diverse geographic areas.

From Copenhagen, Denmark, came word that Ed Holmes is a group executive responsible for life and personal casualty lines with Hafnia, a leading Danish insurer. Ed's experience includes the U.S. Army, three years with First Pennsylvania Bank, a year with the Pennsylvania Department of Commerce, an M.B.A. from Tuck School, nine years with McKinsey and Company in Chicago, and two more years with the same consulting firm in Copenhagen. Ed and his wife, Charlotte, were married in June 1985, and Ed's life in Denmark seems so sufficiently established that he mentions his vigorous efforts to sell or rent his furnished threebedroom American home in the Eastman development near Hanover.

Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania, was the return address on a letter from KighomaAli Malima. Kighoma was an economics major at the College and went on to receive a master's degree from Yale and a Ph.D. from Princeton. He was a university professor in Dar Es Salaam, a United Nations official, and a member of parliament for his nation, which for the most part was once the British protectorate of Tanganyika. He now lists his position as minister for planning and economic affairs for the United Republic of Tanzania. His memories of Dartmouth are of "the intimate and friendly atmosphere coupled with the opportunity to pursue practically any field of academic interest," and he challenges us all to "live up to our reputation for dedication, integrity, and equality of the human race." He and his wife, Venantia, a graduate of Regis College and the University of Dar Es Salaam, are the parents of five children whose ages range from 19 to six.

The third source of information came from the Central Connecticut area when Jon Silbert wrote in order to claim the title of "most obscure classmate." Jon says he graduated from Harvard Law School in 1968 and, after three years with Legal Aid and two years teaching at Yale Law, ventured into his own practice. He writes, "I am the managing partner in an eight-person law firm that I started a dozen years ago with a couple of friends that has since grown into an enjoyable and reasonably successful practice. I do our firm's criminal defense work and an increasing volume of civil litigation. At the center of my life are my twin daughters, Corey and Jessica, age four, and my wife, Bonnie McHale, who tries to do research on spinal cord regeneration when she isn't too busy keeping our household on an even keel. For exercise, I play squash. For fun, we canoe, hike, and camp." Jon's efforts toward obscurity seem to be in for at least a local challenge however, since he also included the news that he was recently elected to a term on the Guilford, Conn., board of education.

I eventually concluded that my correspondence really did not have to be combined into a single theme. Dartmouth and our shared Hanover experience already provide all the common bond needed to unite the authors of these three letters. And I might add that, armed with such a realization, I am once more looking forward to any challenges the postal service may bring. Any members of the class of '65 who were beginning to feel hesitant may relax and again feel free to bring on your news!

3610 Oriole Drive Columbus, IN 47203