DARTMOUTH UNDYING

1769

Although Eleazar Wheelock is rumored to have brought 500 gallons of rum with him when he came to Hanover, the quantity seems unlikely given available transportation. Charlie Widmayer '30, the former editor of this magazine, estimates that the amount was closer to 31 or 62 gallons. One of Wheelock's main concerns, incidentally, is keeping students away from local taverns.

1923

Prohibition changes campus life. "There have been instances where Attitudes toward Dartmouth's spirits have changed since 1950, when this man posed using them as a study aid. (At least, we hope he was posing.)

students awoke on the morning after a 'bootleg party,' quietly packed their belongings and departed without waiting for the faculty's inexorable doom," reports the New York Sun. Anti-bootlegging committees are posted at dances and other social events to watch for signs of inebriation. Nonetheless, many Dartmouth students reportedly make roadtrips to Montreal to purchase alcohol.

1924

President Ernest Martin Hopkins '01 warns residents of fraternity houses that any student known to be guilty of "procuring intoxicating liquors" will be subject to College discipline. Any student caught drunk is to be expelled.

1935

Robert Holbrook Smith '02, popularly known as Dr. Bob, founds Alcoholics Anonymous.

1946

Dean of the College L.K. Neidlinger reprimands "howling drunk" Dartmouth men who imbibed during Homecoming weekend. If such activities continue, he warns, fraternity parties will be eliminated "as sure as God made little green apples."

1952

Neidlinger proposes alcohol regulations. Two weeks later, 2,000 students march in a torchlight protest, accompanied by cymbals and firecrackers. The parade ends after midnight at Neidlinger's house. When the dean emerges, he is met with shouts of, "We want a beer." The College coincidentally announces the dean's resignation the following day.

1985

The New Hampshire drinking age, once 18, is increased to 21, rendering three out of four undergraduates unable to drink legally.

1987

During Green Key weekend, Hanover police send an underaged woman into fraternity basements, accompanied by an undercover officer. Although she is turned down by some houses, others serve her illegally. The College places eight fraternities on social probation.

1989

Dartmouth surveys show that College students are consuming significantly less alcohol.