1960

In a couple of weeks, you will receive a class dues notice. Don't throw it away. Write a check and send it back. It's only $30, and it pays for your subscription to the Alumni Mag (which just won an award as the top such publication in the country), plus expenses for Dudley Smith's excellent newsletter, plus class gifts to the College. We are a terrific Alumni fund class 71 percent of us gave last year, setting a new record for classes 31 years out of college—but we perform dismally on clasdues. Only 52 percent paid last year, Treasurer Jay Emery reports, compared with 58 percent the year before. There's a fairness issue involved here: everybody in the class receives the alumni magazine, and the class treasury pays nearly $14 a head for subscriptions, which means that those who pay dues are subsidizing those who don't. So, don't be a freeloader. When the notice comes, write the check.

There's been a lot in the news lately about classmates, including our two leading pols, former National Democratic Party Treasurer Bob Farmer and Tom Trimarco, first deputy state treasurer of Massachusetts. Bob is leaving a Washington lobbying firm and movingback to Boston to become vice chairman of International Data Group, a computer magazine publishing firm. Bob was the fundraising whiz behind Michael Dukakis in 1988. He also left the party job to raise money for Arkansas Governor Bill Clinton's Presidential Campaign.

Tom was in the news when reputed Boston mob boss Whitey Bulger turned up as part owner of a winning lottery ticket worth $14.3 million. Tom, whose office oversees the lottery, was quoted as saying cheerfully that "anyone can play and anyone can win," despite suspicions about whether this particular winner was ever really a player. Tom says that he has retired from his law firm and plans to stay in government for tire foreseeable future.

The Daily D and other papers reported that Henry Weiss played a part in persuading the College to officially recognize the Dartmouth Gay and Lesbian Association (D-GALA). When the Alumni Office at first balked at giving the group recognition, Henry protested by returning an alumni award he'd received in 1975 for his work as secretary for the Dartmouth Club of Bergen County, N.J. DGALA which Henry says contains "hundreds" of members, is now official, and Henry has retrieved his award. He is also on the board of the Edward Carpenter Foundation, which supports gay groups at Dartmouth by, among other things, bringing gay congressmen up to speak, sponsoring conferences such as one on Christianity and homosexuality, and putting on a gay movie series. The fund has $200,000 and Henry says it is seeking ways to promote gay and lesbian studies in various Dartmouth academic departments. A gay activist for about 15 years, Henry retired from his New York law firm two years ago and has moved to Singer Island, Fla.

Another early retiree is Bill Batt, who was executive vice president of a family-owned bank in Indianapolis until it was sold two years ago. Since then, Bill has devoted himself to local good works. He's president of the Rotary Club and chairman of the board of the Indianapolis Children's Choir, chairman of the investment committee of the Earlham College Foundation, and a board member of the Indianapolis Civic Theater and a local hospital foundation.

Bob Freedman, ace investor, has been promoted to chief investment officer of John Hancock Advisors, Inc., managing 15 mutual funds with assets of $3 billion. In June, Bob tied for first place among professional investors asked by the Wall Street Journal to pick a portfolio of stocks for quick gains. Bob's choices gained a sensational 80 percent over six months, whereas the Dow rose over the same period by 17 percent.

Sandy Ingham has moved from being copy desk chief at the New Jersey Home News to copy desk at the Asbury Park Press. He's also a part-time jazz critic, covering festivals from New York to New Orleans.

Final word. If you can make it to Hanover for Homecoming October 25-26, be sure to attend our class meeting Saturday morning, where we'll discuss class gift ideas, and a class dinner at the Quechee Inn, where we're going to put on a political panel show in which I play John McLaughlin, and Trimarco and a yet-to-be designated second victim forecast 1992.

Morton Kondracke, 7405 Ridgewood Avenue, Chevy Chase, MD 20815