1948

An entrepreneurial classmate of whom all 48's can be proud is inimitable grand opera impresario Nat Merrill, now of Denver. Always interested in music and the arts, after Dartmouth Nat joined the Metropolitan Opera in New York on the production side, won early recognition for his talents as organizer, director, and producer, and shortly became the Met's resident producer, shepherding 17 new operas in addition to all or the classical productions.

After 29 years with the Met, in 1980 Nat saw a great opportunity in Denver and formed Opera Colorado. Each May since then, on a $1.5 million annual budget, he has presented the only two-week season of opera in the round anywhere in the world with many of the world's finest artists, Placido Domingo, Milnes, McNeil, Marton. So next May check out Nat's season of Gounod's Faust and Verdi's Masked Ball in the Denver foothills of the Rockies.

And while you're in Colorado perhaps you'll also seek out others of the '48 Colorado contingent: the Bob Jeavones, BillMalones, and Carla Macartney in Denver; the Dr. Tom Huffinans in Longmont; the Jack Muiphys in Golden; and Colin Stewart in Vail.

Another meeting collective '48 plaudits is biology professor emeritus Al Gustafson of the State University of New York at Cortland, who on July 10 received the 1989 Northern Illinois University Taft Campus Award for his outstanding leadership in the field of environmental education. Gus has always loved the outdoors (he led many a DOC trip to the mountains and back country of New England when we were in Hanover), and his entire career since receipt of his Ph.D. from Cornell in 1954 has been devoted to the study, writing, teaching, and preservation of the great heritage of mankind which the outdoors represents. Among his many recognitions was The Nature Conservancy's distinguished service award. Not suprisingly, Gus, along with Dave Kendall '45, Sam Smith '49, and others, is strongly supporting the subscription memorial in Hanover for the late Doug Wade, college naturalist and marvelous old friend to many of us in our days on campus.

Where is Pete Betts? Bob Douglas remembers the weekend in the wartime autumn of '44 when Pete invited him and a few others (probably Bill Burke, the late Jack Hamilton, and Huck Newberry) down to Pete's family's place in Connecticut overlooking Long Island Sound. Bob recalls a Saturday night dance at the local yacht club. During an intermission a young U.S. Navy seaman stepped onto the bandstand, sat down at the piano, and began to play. And could he play! Turned out he was former arranger ana pianist for Harry James. Bob has forgotten his name. Pete, where are you? And who was the pianist?

There are two Dartmouth events '48s should not miss. The first is our mini-reunion in Hanover over the weekend of Dartmouth Night and the Yale game, October 13-15. Joe Smith and Bud Gedney are in charge. Call Joe at 603/749-0640 or Bud at 603/523-7065. The other is the 2nd National Wearers of the Green Dinner on Friday October 20, in the John B. Hynes Convention Center, Boston. Yours truly would give his eyeteeth not to miss this one where classes will sit together and some great moments in Dartmouth sports history will be recalled. Go if you possibly can!

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