1960

All three TV networks wanted to cover the event live. Newspaper reporters and photographers clamored for invitations. But in keeping with true Dartmouth tradition, the class of '60 chose to avoid national media exposure. Thus, on 4/20/88 at 5th and 72nd, 117 sixties joined together to celebrate their fifties. Disguised as runaway penguins from the zoo to confuse muggers, they furtively slipped into New York's Central park at dusk, their footprints led back to 22 states and two foreign countries. The rendezvous was clearly disguised with canvas of green and white stripes festooned with similarly colored, helium-filled barrage balloons. A violin rendition of "Dartmouth's in Town Again," coupled with only two toilets, further concealed the purpose and size of the cabal.

But in spite of a late spring cold-snap, Mickey Strauss and his committee of granite-brained cohorts managed to pull off the first Dartmouth 50th birthday party. Special thanks to Sam Bowlby, Jay Emery, JohnGoyette, Mike Heitner, Phil Kron, SpenceMorgan, Arnie Sigler, Allen Stowe, Alexvon Summer, and emcee Bruce Ducker.

I was particularly impressed by the continuing kaleidoscope of human events portrayed by our classmates. Not that they prove we are anything special, but rather that we are a group of individuals who share one common experience, Dartmouth College, and a myriad of others: some prosaic, some unusual; some happy, some sad; some successes, some failures. Among those present were the class's most recent father (two weeks), the most recently married (two weeks), and the most recently divorced. One in attendance has been successfully battling cancer; one not in attendance, Gerry Huttrer, lost his wife, Janny, in March after a ten-year struggle with lymphoma. We all share his pain and loss. At least two of us were unemployed; one in the midst of a career change. Still others were coping with the corporate phenome non of leveraged buy outs and multimillion dollar debts.

Six of the seven '60s listed as starters in the Princeton game of November 21, 1959, were present: Seth Strickland, Roger Hanlon, Lee Horschman, Sam Bowlby, BobBoye, Jake Crouthamel, and Bill Gundy. Their combined weight is just about the same as it was then, but there has been a definite redistribution.

Bob Farmer has always had an interest in things political, starting with his election as our sophomore class president. Now, he is in the biggest league of all as Michael Dukakis's national campaign treasurer. Bob stopped by to say hello between plane flights. During a brief conversation, he relayed two things of interest to me about his experiences as a political fund-raiser. He used the word "intense" repeatedly to describe his arena. "You can't imagine how intense it is." Then he disclosed that he had had enough of retirement and was going to reenter the working world, which he considers more fun than golf and tennis.

Bill Batt managed to identify 11 of the 12 pictured in the 1988 Dartmouth calendar. One was an upperclassman. And finally, Dick Davidson admitted he had joined the geriatric set. His daughter, Jody '82, presented Dick and Arlene with a granddaughter in March, a prospective member of the class of 2010!

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