1984

At the time of this printing, we will have been out of Dartmouth for nearly two years. Thinking back, I remember that many of us, nearing graduation, were worried that we just wouldn't fit into the "real world." Many of us couldn't imagine paying for beer or wearing a tie for more than two hours in a row. As for myself, it turns out that these fears were well-founded, but I'm happy to report that many of you have done splendidly in many crucial "Real World" tests. I would like to make this column a tribute to these early success stories in our class.

Many of us, it seems, are wearing suits. I spent a week in Syracuse one afternoon and ran into a well dressed Nancy Linneman. Nancy, who claims that she doesn't live in Syracuse, is a paralegal for some fancy-pants law firm in New York, who could no doubt buy and sell me before breakfast if they wanted to. In light of this fact, let me just say that Nancy enjoys her job a lot, and I'm very happy for her.

Even those who have delayed reentry into the world by going to medical school are taking on some semblance of respectability. For example, I recently saw Al Pokorny (University of Washington) and Diana Rynkiewicz (NYU) in Washington, attending a convention, if you can believe that one. They were part of the American Medical Students Association convention. Granted, this doesn't really compare to a real convention (the kind that breaks up marriages), but it's an impressive start.

The '84s also continue to change jobs in record numbers. Lisa Leffert is leaving Bain to begin working for a venture capitalist in Boston. Lisa assures me that if you have any scheme for getting rich, no matter how harebrained it may seem, tell her about it, and she promises to give you all the money you want to make your dreams come true. As an example, Lisa's roommate, Tim Dining, will be switching jobs and towns as he moves from Boston up to Portsmouth, N.H. Tim was slightly worried about all the financial arrangments that would accompany his move. So, he contacted Lisa. Lisa arranged to give him a loan equivalent to the net worth of the Marcos family, using his bicycle as collateral. Tim informs me that anyone visiting Portsmouth or anywhere near it should look him up and perhaps get a ride on his new airplane.

While many members of the class have begun working, others have approached reality from a unique angle, namely marriage. Elise Plate and Mark Russi were married recently, but not to each other. OK, so I lied. They were married to each other on December 25. In addition to having the audacity to not invite me, they sent me a picture, telling me what great fun everyone had. Anyway, Mark is a medical student at UC San Francisco, while Elise is working on her Ph.D. in political science at Stanford as a National Science Fellow. She is currently taking a year off to work as a federal program evaluator for the United States General Accounting Office, no doubt learning exactly how to pay five thousand dollars for a screwdriver and not even blink.

While these people are fast becoming model citizens, others are having a bit more trouble facing the music. AndrewRyan continues to be holed up in Gary, Ind., in medical school. Andrew is in his second year and shows no signs of recovery.

Andrew is not alone. Keith Dickey is, according to informed sources, in pursuit of a Ph.D. in the classics at Bryn Mawr, a school which could use a few more vowels in its name; if you ask me. As you may know, Bryn Mawr is in Pennsylvania, a state whose motto is "you've got a friend in Pennsylvania." Therefore, if Keith is your friend, maybe this is the friend to which the motto refers. If you hate Keith, then maybe they're talking about someone else. If you like Keith, and you like someone else in the state, let me warn you that you are in violation of the law, according to state officials, as it is unlawful to have more than one friend in Pennsylvania. The state is offering an amnesty period, however, where you may turn in all your extra friends without the threat of a penalty. I know this may be hard on Keith, but it's for the good of the motto, I assure you.

Well, that about kicks this column in the head. Don't forget to write; your mother and I are worried sick.

Elise Plate '84 and Mark Russi '84 were married in December 1985 in Greenwich, Conn.Several Dartmouth alumni witnessed the event. Seated, left to right, are: Leslie Britten'84, Carolyn Barbuto '83, Paula Schnurr, Ph.D. '85, Robin Kaiser '83, Sue Smith '84,and Roseanne Byron '84. Standing, left to right, are: Andy Colton '84, Eric Britten '83,Jon Welch '84, Steve Fishbein '83, Elise and Mark Russi, Geoff McGean '84, Peter Gish'84, Cliff Gronseth '83, P. Michael Gish '49, Stephen Cho 'B4, and Gregory McHugo,Ph.D. '76.

1 Cindy Court Melville, NY 11747