1953

"And the granite of New Hampshire, is made part of them till death." We have lost Chad Day from this life but the essence of Chad remains in all that he has done to make living so much better for those less fortunate. Chad's flagship accomplishment was the founding of a group of companies, called Polaris Research and Development, that developed programs dealing with housing, family planning, energy conservation, child abuse, drug abuse, and AIDS prevention. While his focus was in the San Francisco area, the network of companies and programs reached out throughout the entire West Coast. Chad's determination to make things happen has brought so much to so many. At our 40th, when he climbed Moosilauke before the Hanover festivities, Chad joined the group sporting a few extra pounds. Though it was a struggle, he made it to the top, just as he did in everything he touched in his life. Chad was never intimidated by difficulty. What a legacy this '53 has left for all of us. For Christine and the family, our prayers are with you, and with Chad.

"A finer, more dedicated public servant couldn't be found," said Michael Dukakis of Dick Giesser on the occasion of his retirement from the Massport chairmanship. Senator John Kerry noted Dick's accomplishments in the development of Massport with the highest priority always on safety and keeping good faith with the communities surrounding Logan. '53s joining Dick and Connie for their "day in the stars" were Bernie and Joan Sudikoff,Fred and Thelma Stephens, and PaulSupovitz. Dick's distinguished career before Massport included other CEO positions, executive roles in the financial industry, and various senior political appointments. However, when one reads the accolades shed upon this lovely person, Dick's even larger achievement has been the work he has done all his life for the AntiDefamation League (ADL) in the fight against bigotry. At the reception honoring Dick, the ADL announced the establishment of the "Richard A. Giesser A World of Difference Education Fund," a fund dedicated to continuing and winning that struggle. What a tribute. Dick's performance as a Phi Beta Kappa student at Dartmouth, and his distinguished private and public career have prepared him well for his new, and perhaps most difficult responsibility, that of the treasurer of the Class of 1953!

Dr. Fran L'Esperance continues to make the news with his revolutionary ophthalmological developments, and his incredible patience with the FDA in getting approval for these new laser techniques. Fran said at a recent World Affairs Council Forum in Southampton that the need for eyeglasses and contact lens would be eliminated by laser treatments that shaped corneas and corrected near- and far-sightedness. Cataracts will be reversed with eye drops, and glaucoma would become totally controllable, a "thing of the past." Fran, will the optics industry let this happen? Of course they will. Look what happened to the electric car!

'53 IN CYBERSPACE. Five alumni classes have established home pages on the Dartmouth home page on the Internet: 1989, 1991, 1992, 1993, and, it will come as no surprise, 1953. Through the wonderful work of Dave Replogle, and with urging and support of our First Man Bob Malin and our Alumni Council representative, Tom Bloomer, you can now find out the event plans on class activities on the Net—"http://www.dartmouth.edu." That gets you to the College home page, then scroll down to alumni activities, class news, click on to 1953. After you read the '53 news surf over to the younger classes' pages, which are model formats of what we think we may be doing with the home page. Thanks, Rep, for bringing 1953 into the 21st century. Those of you with e-mail addresses, please, oh please identify yourselves and send to any of the known e-mail users listed below. We will grow the home page to include all of your addresses, but for now, just cyber them to us.

Dave Replogle, ; Bob Malin, ; Fred Carleton, ; Tom Bloomer, ; Dave Halloran, ; Irwin Freedberg,

It is a fabulous way to stay in touch, and so cool! "The long cool shadows floating on the campus, The drifting beauty where the twilight streams?"

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