1926
It is a well known fact that the arrival of coeducation in 1972 was met with considerable opposition on the part of many alumni. I'm glad to say, however, that the class of 1926 held more enlightened views, as shown by the following two-part narrative.
Chapter I When each freshman coed walked into her room on opening day in 1972, she found a flower and a scroll of welcome, which read:
"To the young women who today for the first time in over two centuries become freshmen members of the College, the class of 1926 bids you a warm welcome. Not less sincere are our congratulations on your admission to an institution which half a century ago introduced us not only to a college education but also to a way of life.
"With this flower for each of you we bring our affectionate greetings and our hope that we shall see all of you graduate in 1976. We'll be in Hanover then too for our 50th Reunion.
"And after that our prayer for you will be that often you will recall, as we do, the lovely words of 'Dartmouth Undying':
See! By the lights of many thousand sunsets
Dartmouth Undying like a vision starts Dartmouth, the gleaming, dreaming walls of Dartmouth, Miraculously builded in our hearts."
Chapter II
During our 50th Reunion in 1976 the class of 1926 had gathered for a cocktail party before dinner outdoors on the Top of the Hop. All of a sudden we were overwhelmed by smiling coeds who came rushing up the stairs. Each girl carried a flower, which she pinned to our lapels. And so our modest gifts to the first coed freshmen of four years ago were not forgotten. It was a wonderful gesture to Dartmouth's halfcentury class! All of this made up such a human interest story that it was widely copied in the press. One of my classmates who lives in San Francisco went home after the reunion, and read of this incident in his hometown newspaper.
1 Koch Road, Norwich, VT 05055
Inuring our50th Reunionsmiling coedspinned flowers toour lapels. And soour modest giftsof flowers to ikefirst coedfreshmen werenot forgotten. EDWARD EMERSON '26
