1945

That splendid, shining (though rainy) reunion just has to be revisited one more time. There wasn't space last month to say enough. Not enough about Paul Newman's humorous nostalgia in his class banquet talk. Or his typical one-liner while we sat in the gray drizzle in the stadium awaiting the Commencement procession. As a noisy helicopter circled the field, Paul commented, "That's not Bill Clinton arriving; it's Newt Gingrich seeding the clouds." The Claremont Clinton/Gingrich tryst upstaged the Hanover Commencement in the national media but in no way diminished '45's significant 50th.

Gingrich, you may have noted, has usurped our numerals as the title of his book 1945, which is a far-out fantasy based on the premise that Hitler won World War II in Europe.

But to return to Reunion, Dick Gilman's 50-Year Address provided his unique college-president's perspective on Dartmouth an institution, he said, which has absorbed more than its share of criticism and is the stronger for it, is continuing John Dickey's pairing of competence with conscience, and is encouraging academic achievement with social responsibility. Prof. Jere Daniell '55 paid tribute to presidents Hopkins and Dickey, who set the basic principles followed by their successors in focusing on excellence in undergraduate teaching and student satisfaction, which are hallmarks of the College today.

For the 1945 Symposium, George Barrwas inspired to plan and effectively moderate a discussion by our two U.S. District Judges, Dick Owen and Joe Young, who see tough law enforcement as essential but also see the need for much greater resources devoted to crime prevention programs and job training.

Bob Bull provided a visual retrospective on WW II through the series of portraits of the "Architects of Victory" the leading political, military, and diplomatic figures of the period which he helped create as a navy photographer.

Don Cole received the class Man for All Seasons Award, ably presented by Harry Hampton, with a gift of appreciation to Rickie as well.

The sad note at the 50th was learning of the deaths of several classmates, some of whom had planned to be at the reunion. Your secretary feels such losses as keenly as anyone, but they will not be listed in this column. The class is blessed with Ted and Pat Smith as conscientious and sympathetic necrologists, who compose the thoughtful obituaries which appear elsewhere in these issues.

Special occasion for the writer at the 50th was the first all-together reunion of Stan Howard, John Robinson, Dave Kirkpatrick, and Don Sisson, who became neighbors and friends in 109 and 110 Ripley in the fall of '41.

The 50th had wonderful class-spirited group events, and it had special moments and meanings for each of us to save and savor on toward the next century.

Right up close, though, is the fall mini, September 29-30, when the Big Green meets the Big Red. See you there. Bring or send news.

P.O. Box 1317, New London, NH 03257