1964

Please forgive last month's lapse. Recent columns have focused on some unique career paths of our classmates. This,column is about the bonding of our class to Dartmouth and each other. I was gratified that my call to Kent Stockton apparently led to a renewal of acquaintances between him and his former horse-riding buddy, Bowie Duncan. Kent and Bowie hope to get together soon, and Bowie expressed to me the continued gratification which he receives from his position in the Greenwich, Conn., school system teaching English.

Three other of our classmates have joined together with another Dartmouth friend and a Lehigh interloper to form the Granite Capital Group in Manhattan. The four from Dartmouth are Sigma Nu fraternity brothers Lew Eisenberg, Herb McCord, Gene Vito, and Walt Harrison '65. Herb describes Lew as the "glue" that has put and kept together an exciting, new, highly successful venture involved in private merchant banking, asset management, and a radio station acquisition group which is headed by Herb. After years of working for large institutions in these areas, our classmates are having a ball being in their own business with their best friends. Granite Capital runs a highly successful hedge fund, mortgage-backed securities fund, and a realestate fund. A majority investor in the group is Goldman Sachs, in which Lew has previously held major executive positions. Gene, who formerly did mergers and acquisitions for other companies such as Frank B. Hall, is heading the Granite M&A effort. Herb's business, Granum Communications, which he serves as president and CEO, has purchased radio stations in Dallas, Orlando, and Boston, and more are in the works. Herb is upbeat and excited about working with his classmates and KKR, their investment banker partner, in this area of their expanding venture.

Herb's son, Michael, will hopefully be entering the class of '97. Both Herb and Lew live in Rumson, N.J., with Lew living in New York City during the week. I could not help but be envious as Herb described his daily ferry boat ride from Rumson across the Long Island Sound to Manhattan to his "dream job." Lew also somehow finds the time to continue his multi-political, charitable, and civic activities for Israeli causes and hospital board membership. It is a pleasure in these difficult economic times to see people successful and having fun with their Dartmouth friends.

As to bonding, please remember that our 30th Reunion is in June 1993, so be especially generous to the Campaign for Excellence. I hope that the Granite of New Hampshire will continue to bring us together as it has Lew, Herb, and Gene.

Until next month,

P.O. Box 890, 52 Upper Montclair Plaza, Upper Montclair, NJ 07043