1949

As you know, the dog days of summer refer to Sirius, the dog star, and allude to that period when there is little or no news on the wire, fax, or net. So maybe it's time to report on the sevenyear-old '49 granddaughter who, when asked if there were pets in her neighborhood, said yes, Major. Oh, what's Major? A black Labradog. Well, geography is not uppermost on the mind of a seven-year-old. Perhaps when she gets to Dartmouth.... Dartmouth is, of course, the only Ivy school with a geography department, as was reported in last month's DAM on what makes Dartmouth Dartmouth, i.e., what distinguishes us from the rest of the pack.

One of the better-ran boards of directors, it would appear, is that of Arvin Industries of Columbus, Ind. This NYSE corporation, a leading automotive supplier, restricts its board membership to chief executive officers and former CEOs. As a former chairman and CEO at Genesco, Dick Hanselman qualified, and joined Arvin's board back in 1983.

At annual meeting time last spring Dick, of Nashville, Tenn., was reelected to still another three-year term on Arvin's board. The pay's not bad and there aren't too many meetings. Not a bad gig, if it doesn't interfere with your golf game.

A clipping on another far-from-retired '49er also deals with the compensation factor. It states that lawyer Quent Kopp earns $250 an hour as the senior partner in the San Francisco firm of Kopp and DiFranco. Which is a good thing, because Quent figures that as a California state senator he makes only about ten bucks an hour, what with all the evenings and weekends and ribbon cutting.

This long article on Q in the Los Angeles Daily Journal also dealt with conflict of interest issues, since Quent, a powerful state official, represents private clients in public courts.

In The Case of the Gas Station Cleanup, for example, Quent represented the gas station owner, a guy who flies a flag reading: "Keep up the good work Senator Kopp." The article reports: '"How could I turn the man down?' boomed Kopp in his foghorn baritone." There's a reporter with an ear for the news.

Who, on August 14, the day before the Dow's second biggest tumble in recent memory, said of the market: "It's just like a patient who doesn't respond to medicine. He's sicker than you think." Bearish Mike Metz, that's who.

Dear Jocks: Please send me your Dartmouth sports memories and recent athletic accomplishments on the links and courts. Needed for an upcoming issue of DAM. Do it how.

This fall marks President Freedman's tenth year at the College. It seems appropriate to note that some older alums, including '49ers, think that during the past decade some of the College's steps forward have been missteps.

And they are certainly entitled to their opinions. But given the positive nature of Dartmouth today alltime high applications, a top ranking in undergraduate satisfaction, a capital campaign that went way over the top much of the kvetching seems to be at odds with the facts. The College, gentlemen, is in excellent shape and is shaping excellent new alums. Count on it.

Box 215 A, Fairlee, VT 05045;