1960

Don Betterton's first book was a natural for the director of financial aid at Princeton University to have written, a student guide to obtaining financial assistance. His second literary effort, published last November by Peterson's Guides, is entitled Alma Mater. While the title sounds stuffy enough to grow ivy, it belies the light-handed compilation of unusual facts and trivia gathered from several hundred colleges and universities, including Dartmouth. This is the pithy stuff of academia: Which college and university bookstores are most profitable? Which colleges turn up as crossword puzzle answers most frequently? Which has produced the most Miss Americas over the past 30 years? Other chapters deal with subjects like academic programs, history of education, faculty, alumni—all with an unusual twist.

The story behind the story is almost as interesting. According to Don, when he was approached by Peterson to write a second book, he told them he had no interest in writing another tome on financial aid. He suggested baseball trivia; they countered with college trivia. Not knowing exactly where he was going or what he wanted, Don wrote a generic letter to 400 colleges and universities asking for whatever material they wished to send. Among other things, he received a tape recording, a T-shirt, and a roomful of printed materials. After months of reading, researching, and categorizing, Don's book took shape. Currently, he is seeking a publisher for his third book, a repair manual for aging aithletes.

Recently, some anonymous tipster gave Dave Hiley's name to the advertising agency for Barneys New York, a men's clothing store. Dave tore up the letter soliciting him as a model. But after some follow-up phone calls, Dave agreed to enter the world of high fashion. (The investment banking business had been a little slow.) What ensued was a midwinter two-hour photo session where he was fed bagels and cream cheese and a lot of laughs, while a photographer shot about 20 giant-sized Polaroid color images of Dave in different poses. The profile shot of Dave wearing an $895 suit, gold watch, striped shirt, and rep tie has appeared in The New York Times Magazine, Wall Street Journal, and Manhattan, Inc. to date.

Curiously, Dave has no idea how they got his name. In fact, he doesn't even shop at Barneys. In an age of megabuck models, his "fee" was a $1,000 contribution to the charity of his choice (Dartmouth, I hope). He didn't get to keep the suit, watch, tie, shirt, or even a copy of a photograph. I can understand everything except the shirt. It seems that the sleeves were too short to give the proper "reveal" at the cuffs. The solution to the problem was a pair of scissors; they simply cut the sleeves.

Incidentally, for those who question Dave's youthful appearance, he swears they didn't put any make-up on him or even run a comb through his curly locks. He's just a run-of-the-mill Dartmouth Loner, one generation removed!

Mark June 11-14 on your 1990 planning calendar for our 30th Reunion. RickRoesche, our reunion chairman, says he'll provide 30 reasons to put Hanover into your travel and vacation plans. We'll be joining with the classes of '59 and '61 for some of our activities, adding a new dimension to the event.

156 Overleigh Road, Bernardsville, NJ 07924