1953

"Eleazar and the big chief harangued and gesticulated; they founded Dartmouth College and the big chief matriculated." Now, there's a college drinking song for you somewhat lusty and irreverent. Eleazar really did a number on moving the learning experience into the hinterland, and when Richard Hovey wrote this one he really captured the mystique of Dartmouth's roots. Hovey, class of 1885, wrote four Dartmouth songs, the most famous of which is "Men of Dartmouth."

Some initial candidate songs are trickling in after our solicitation for a new song from the class of '53. The songs of those bygone days are the best capsule campus-culture course one could take. We need one that captures the magic of later years. If you only do lyrics, fire them in; I have a few song writers hanging around who can slap some notes to them.

Congratulations to Chuck Reilly and company on the incredible performance on the 1995 Alumni Fund, and without the lastminute "hand to hand combat" of recent years. The class raised $238,000 against a $22 8,000 objective, with a very respectable participation index.

In Al Hathcock's alumni column in the latest Dartmouth Medicine, your scribe thoroughly enjoyed reading news of Al, Tom Clark, whom we had seen in Hilton Head, Bill Loomis, Mai Moss, and other doctors retiring from private practice who have gone on to work with various institutional programs. We have a national treasure in the class of 1953 doctors, 1954 Medical School. I'll work with Al to get news of them in this column.

The 1953 Bulletin Board highlight is Washington, D.C., in April 1996, with Ron Scheman as the leader and Tom Bagg as the collector. What timing after both the New Hampshire and lowa primary and caucus, and all the Super Tuesday stuff. New candidates will have emerged when we hit the political circuit. Even Colin Powell will be old hat by then. New faces showing strong potential to run against Bill for the nomination are Bill Crotty from Florida, Bill Beutel from New York, Bill Gilges from his hospital bed in Crested Butte, and Bill Andre from the starting gates of the Vermont International Cross-Country Championships. On the GOP side, Dole will succumb to the age issue (not quite old enough), leaving the race wide open for other '53s of high political visibility and potential. Paul Paganucci will be running on the platform that the country can be governed from Rope Ferry Road; Bob Douglas will resign from the Senior Tour to take up the mantle where Nelson left off; Pete Reich will overtake Pete Wilson as the world's greatest California Republican; and Put Blodgett will e-mail his acceptance from his Berchtesgarden Mountain Home outside of Lyme. Government of, by, and for the people by e-mail. What a class.

"Who can forget her sharp and misty mornings, The clanging bells, the crunch of feet on snow." What a College.

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