1953

"For the sons of old Dart- mouth, the sturdy sons of Dartmouth." Dave Berry has left a legacy of love, learning, and, yes, laughter with two generations of student in Sussex County, N.J. The tributes to this great man's outreach to those he touched at Sparta High School, and his community at large, are countless. Bob Berry '54 and his daughter Patricia '81 have kindly shared many of Dave's students' tributes with this great class he loved so dearly. From Scott Johnson, "He told us often that Thomas Jefferson was one of his heroes. I only hope he knew how many of us considered Mr. Berry to be one of ours." Jill Strauzer wrote, "Mr. Berry was . . . constantly trying to stretch our minds, he gave us facts ... to help today's youth relate to our past and our present... and reminded us that we are the future. He dared to care. He gave us nothing less than his pure and immeasurable devotion. He had the largest heart, large enough to always save a space for someone new." Amy Dunlap captured Dave's essence when she penned, "Mr. Berry taught us to seize the day by living life as a celebration. He not only taught us . . . history, he taught us we had something special to give it." And Scott Illingworth summed it all up: "It is a special event when a student finds a teacher who loves his job so much that the student can't help but catch the excitement." Dave Berry, "Master Teacher" in his profession, touched his world very gently. His legacy is a Dartmouth 1953 inspiration.

Just prior to the Super Reunion, we had the opportunity to visit Hawaii and organize a mini-reunion with the great class of 1953 Islanders. Tom and JoAnne Dixon, Dr. Ed Quinlan, Kisuk Cheung, Bill andJoyce Brown, and Dr. Walt and SandraShim, along with Beverly and your scribe, had a delightful gathering at the home of Richard Halloran '51, the Elder, and gracious Fumiko high atop the hills overlooking Honolulu. None of these Hawaiians seemed to have any sense of detachment from the Mainland, where all the confusion resides.

Class officers elected at Super Reunion will be led by the master of the emcees, Bob"Mole" Malin, supported by the incomparable "doer" of the reunion, VP Fred Hitt.Chuck Reilly graciously agreed to continue as head agent, Jack Zimmerman is continuing as treasurer, and Jack Newton will be heading the bequests function as he has done so well for many years. Don "By the light of many thousand sunsets" Goss returns to his beat on the newsletter, and Tom "two new hips" Bloomer will be our Alumni Council representative. With Father Gus McGuire as our chaplain, Dr. Dave Siegal as our lifecrisis advisor, and Jack Kennedy tending to obits, the class reach-out function is in superb hands. And, lest we forget, Don "Mini- Reunion" Smith continues that function which was his creation decades ago. Added attractions: Crested Butte, March 1994; Harbour Ridge in January 1995; and Washington during apple blossom time in spring of 1996 are all in the planning stages. What a class! "Though 'round the girdled earth they roam, Her spell on them remains."

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