1977

Some reflections on our 20th Reunion weekend...I had a great time, and apparently so did many of you as the class of 1977 shattered several 20th- year Reunion records. So, let's begin with a word of gratitude to reunion Chair SteveMcAllister and the other members of the reunion committee for a thoughtfully planned and well-organized program. Not only were there more of us in Hanover than ever before (not a big surprise for the second coeducational class), but having more than 25 percent of our classmates attending was unprecedented. Leslie Embs Bradford and MacTaylor led a reunion giving effort that not only exceeded goals for total giving and class participation but also surpassed the previous Alumni Fund record as well. An impressive performance by all involved.

For 20 classmates and their families Reunion weekend began Thursday evening at the Mooselauke Ravine Lodge. Seven- year old Kate Carter introduced my daughter and a half dozen of her contemporaries to the legend of Doc Benton, learned (she was quick to point out) from her dad, Tom Carter, from his days as D.O.C. president. Tom and his family made the trip from Oklahoma City, reporting that they still try to get back to the mountains from time to time.

I also had the opportunity to meet four- year-old Tyler Bradford, LeslieBradford's son, who climbed up the fire escape, through the window into the loft where my daughter and I were changing. Not one to waste such a dramatic entrance, young Tyler offered a few thoughful comments on his day in the White Mountains and made a graceful departure.

Tom West, his son, and I had a chance to compare our adventures on Mt. Moosilauke while we elevated our feet before dinner. Surprisingly, Tom encountered an acquaintance from Atlanta at the summit, who was seeking apparently a missing plane and the sizable reward that awaits the finder. Tom practices medicine in Atlanta and is an active interviewer for the admissions office.

Square dancing after dinner brought back some memories from freshman trips. Maybe it's the brain cells lost over the years, but the Virginia Reel seems a lot more complicated than it did in 1973. It didn't seem to faze Ken Rosenfeld and his toddler daughter, who hung in there as well as anyone. Jill Woolworth, LeslieBradford, Amy Cholnoky, and GretchenFarmer all had much more stamina than I, staying the course for the Alley Cat, the Bunny Hop, and the Hully Gully. However, there weren't a lot of protests when it was lights out at 11 o'clock.

Friday was also full of adventure. SueWylie led a group of us to the falls of the Connecticut for an afternoon of White water rafting. I was fortunate enough to share a raft with some veteran paddlers, KenRenner, his wife, Zoe, and their daughter, and together we managed a dozen trips through the rapids (mostly upright). It was great fun on a 90-degree day. Ken is a medical researcher at the National Institute of Health.

More Tales from the Twentieth next month.

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Barry Warwick 77makes Dartmouth Dartmouth, p. 40