1986
Too bad I never took Psych 1. Though PBS specials and "Geraldo" have given me an informal education on human behavior, formal teaching would make me a better class secretary. After holding this job for over two years I have noticed some patterns in letters that psych majors couldn't resist analyzing.. Interpreting any correspondence from an '86 would give a psychologist a bang, but marriage and engagement announcements are the most worthy of investigation. Even an amateur like me notices that men and women employ different tactics in their announcements. In general, women trumpet their announcements with emotion while men report their news with the same enthusiasm as they report the purchase of a pet goldfish. Let's analyze two recent notices of engagement, one' written by Mike Rieger, the other by Anne Weinhart.
Mike's announcement starts off disguised as one of those "just thought I'd fill you in on what our classmates are doing" letters. Next he transitions smoothly to news of himself, indicating that he has recently moved to San Francisco where he now works for a small portfolio-management firm. About a paragraph is spent describing the joys of his new job ("It's a small company but there are those who love it.") Then (by now we are three-quarters through the letter) he politely pauses to ask how I'm doing ("what's up?"). Finally, in his remaining square inch of paper, he squeezes in his "other big news" about his engagement to Carrieann Dymon, whom he met in his previous job with Aetna. Come on, Mike! How often do you enter into a deal until death do you part? This is the real thing: hair in the sink, breakfast together for the next 50 years (almost 20,000 bowls of cereal), station wagons. Mike and Carrieann intend to wed in June 1990.
Anne, as well as most other women, goes to the other extreme and behaves as if her wedding is almost as important as a Dartmouth-Harvard football game. She chirps about how she is eager to exhaust her supply of Anne Weinhart monogrammed stationary so that she can replace it with the Anne Anderson version. She raves about what a "super guy" her fiance Greg is (sorry Carrieann, Mike didn't bother to tell us much about you), and that he even has been endorsed by Scott Rabschnuk. Anne will soon graduate from the University of lowa law school, where she has picked up a master's in art history, too. They will settle in Fresno.
Ever since entering Dartmouth SteveStichter's taste buds have become ever more finicky. As a freshman he was content to sip Busch along with the rest of us. By senior year it was bottled Molson or nothing. Then a year in Austria really spoiled him; now no beer on the American market satisfies him. No biggie Steve's a resourceful guy. Knowing that life without a suitable beer would be long and hard, he set out to brew his own. Using his bedroom as an aging chamber, he is currendy preparing a special holiday beer which is flavored with cinnamon, ginger, and orange (sounds like you might have a big hit here, Steve). The Drewmeister moonlights with a computer consulting firm in Boston. JohnClark and Mike Cahn work with Steve.
Jeff Bower is living in LA where he works for Merrill Lynch. Phil Bayly is engaged to Rebecca, a medical school student. Phil is developing artificial hip joints in New Britain, Conn. Christine Staley recently married Ned Goss, Tuck '86. JonathanHousum completed a stint with Goldman Sachs in Tokyo. He trekked around Switzerland with Kristin Wultsberg, who is studying technology in public policy at MIT. Jonathan is exploring Nepal.
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