1978

Well, it's the time of year when normal people think about going on vacation to the beach, or the lake, or the Continent, or some such place. Me, I'm stuck in some tiny speck on the map, somewhere in northeast Washington, contemplating how interminably miserable it is to work in the rain for the past three weeks.

However, I do get my mail when I make it home, and I recently received a disturbing "explanation" and solicitation of funds from the people at The Review. The letter from a staffer at The Review gave a version of recent precipitous events at the College that differed markedly from the official version of the encounter between a professor and four Review staffers. The end result was reprimand and suspension for three of the four students. Now, these same people, and others around the country, who are accountable for polarizing the Dartmouth community in an extremely negative and irresponsible fashion, are asking me for money! They gotta be kidding! I hope that those of you who received the same mailing will think twice about supporting the "Defense Fund." Send your money to the Alumni Fund (see, Jay Brown, I got a plug in for the good guys!).

Moving on to happier notes, in the "it's about time" department, the quasi-secretive shadow organization, Ears & Eyes, Inc., recently reported the forthcoming marriages of Chris Simpson and WendyThurber later this summer and fall, respectively. Stay tuned for the details.

Also, in the "it's about time" department, I happily announce the births of Cory Halsted to George and Cay Wieboldt Kendrick, Margaret Keely to Stephen and Barbara Dau Hoffman, and Jesse Putnam to Jim and Ellen Adams Bassett. And I thought I saw the baby boom at reunions. These guys must have taken notes.

I heard about the wilds of Indonesia from Margrit Benton. Although acting like a pincushion for innumerable mosquitos, I suspect MLB had a pretty good time in Jakarta, Bali, and in the Highlands, as well as in Singapore. She reported on big religious festivals, impressive volcanoes,, delightful beaches, and sumptuous hotels.

The rumor of Dave Jones getting a master's degree was, indeed, true, as he did finish a geology thesis for the University of Arizona. He also landed a real job with a mining company in the southwest, so he could support some unmentionable vices. (Where's he going to find the time for them?) He also tried to spread some dirt about John Larson, Scott Desmond, and Steve Maynard. No doubt some of this will soon hit the presses. I just have to make up some of the details.

In the "serious news" department, the College forwarded several corporate press releases to me concerning '78s making names for themselves. Peter Richardson was recently named director of admissions at St. Lawrence University. He had been admissions director at Bennington since 1984, where he had increased enrollment after a decade of declines.

Mike Coffin is a research scientist at the Bureau of Mineral Resources in Canberra, Australia. He is presently participating on a scientific cruise as a physical properties specialist for the Ocean Drilling Program in the Indian Ocean.

Last, but not least, on March 17, at 10:00 a.m., Harriott Meyer was not seen at the bottom of the Sugarloaf Lift, Alta, Utah. Despite piercing blasts of wind and numbing colds, we waited and looked and waited. Next year, Hats?

That's all, folks.

P.O. Box 1911 Spokane, WA 99210