1955

A perfect late-October weekend brought a large number of alumni to Hanover for Homecoming, which included a mini-reunion for the class of 1955. Things got underway with the traditional Friday Dartmouth Night parade and bonfire and a class reception at the Blunt Alumni Center. Saturday saw the class executive committee meeting, class tables at the alumni lunch, an exciting football game with Cornell, and a class reception and banquet at the Sheraton in the evening. I encountered the following classmates during the weekend: Alexander, Ambrose, Ballard, Barr, Batchelder, Blodgett, Brady, Buhler, Chase, Cogswell, Daniell, Demas, Dinan, Fanger, French, Gorton, Goss, Hance, Hastings, Jenkins, Keith, Martell, Morrill, Brooks Parker, Sarty, Eliot Smith, Thompson, and Weinberg. Apologies to anyone I missed.

At the executive committee meeting, class officers and committee members presented reports. Pete Thompson, chair of the class projects committee, presented proposals to use a portion of the class gift fund to establish a 1955 fund at the Hood Museum to support the acquisition of New Hampshire/New England art and for the class to become a member of the Dartmouth Athletic Sponsor Program. The latter program provides funds to bring promising student-athletes to the campus in accordance with Ivy League regulations. The proposals and initial allocation from existing funds were approved. Pete Buhler gave a report on the functioning of the scholarship program, and the report was approved. The class continues to support two daughters of classmates and is eager to learn of other worthy candidates in need of assistance. Plans for the 40th Reunion in 1995 are well underway according to John French, and we will have a steering committee in place next spring. We are now senior enough to have priority on facilities for this event.

At the class banquet, Pete Thompson presented the Class of 1955 Award John Ballard. John was recognized for his many contributions to his community, profession, and to Dartmouth. He is CEO of TCI Inc. in Fremont, Calif., and is currently serving as an overseer of the Thayer School. He has worked with the Stanford University Blood Bank, Thayer Alumni Fund, a CEO organization, and helped lead the very successful class 35 th Reunion Major Gifts program. Also with us that night were four current undergraduates including Mike Gorton's nephew Craig Gorton '95, who is into mountaineering and rock climbing, and his roommate Ed Hahn '95.

The press carried the news that Gordie Russell has donated $1.6 million to the College to be used to enhance the American Indian program. The funds will support a visiting professor in Native American Studies, a scholarship fund, and an end owmen fund for the program. Gordie, a general partner in Sequoia Capital, one of the country's leading venture-capital firms, has homes in Portola Valley, Calif., and Ketchum, Idaho. This is the largest gift ever received by the program, and I know the class joins in expressing thanks to Gordie for his significant contribution to Dartmouth.

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