1948

As new '48 President Jim Schaefer wrote afterward to Reunion chair Fran Hummel, "The class will always remember the 50th as our biggest and most resplendent reunion ever and the one that Fran ran." It was a fun time June 12-14 in Hanover. Just about 100 '48s were there, the largest number together since we were undergrads, more than 80 wives attended, and we stayed in the new dorms across East Wheelock from the gym and our tent. We reunioners had fun in spite of rains, but the poor '98 seniors plus parents, faculty, and honorees (including our own Sam Katz, honorary doctor of science) held the 228th Dartmouth Commencement outdoors on the Green, where they got absolutely soaked, this pursuant to an earlier decision by the seniors they won't ever forget.

Class President John Hatheway did prodigious work in helping Fran and his committee in organizing the program, and also presided in many events of final days of his presidency, including membership in winning '48 golf foursome in match on Hanover links organized by Bill Scott (not an inside job, per Bill). As we enjoyed the good feelings, we were saddened that Lloyd Krutnm and Rollie Sontag missed due to medical operations and that Jack Price and Norm Saunders also couldn't attend at the last minute. Further loss was denoted at the beautiful memorial service led by Dick Bredenberg and Lou Springsteen in the White Church for our 123 departed classmates, of whom the most recent, Jack Mahoney, died in a tragic accident just before leaving for Hanover. We missed our old friends, and quiet sobs were heard as Dick read off their names one by one.

The mood was otherwise upbeat and friendly through the weekend, from die time a few of us climbed Moosilauke on Thursday and stayed overnight at the Ravine Lodge on through the farewell luncheon in Thayer on Sunday and the last '4B reluctantly moved out of the now silent dorms that afternoon. At the Saturday luncheon given in honor of the 50th year class of 1948 by the College John presided when we heard almost President Emeritus Freedman speak with conviction about our College's duty to change in effectively serving society's changing needs. Then your writer delivered a few reminiscences on people and events of '4B history, followed by '48 Reunion giving chair Jim McLaughlin delivering a check for $1.68 million to Mr. Freedman. This represents the fantastic work by Jim and cochair Ken Young and all their agents plus the loyalty of their classmates of 1948, at about 425 the smallest Dartmouth class since 1919. As a class we also spent a few minutes with President-elect Jim Wright, who indicated he wants us to be able to remain proud of Dartmouth and in which he affectionately cited "my good friend, Jim McLaughlin." At the festive 1948 banquet Saturday night, Jim Schaefer presiding, we heard from Trustee Bill King '63 how his search committee found Jim Wright in Hanover without political rancor, and we also had the magnificent pleasure of hearing the University Chorus of the Upper Valley, led by incomparable George Barr '45, as this all-male group sang Dartmouth songs as they should be sung. There were other events, including a confab of the ladies with Pat McAllister, an appearance by Daniel Webster 1801 on Dartmouth Past and by Gordon DeWitt '6O on Dartmouth Future. At a class meeting Bud Gedney, on behalf of the nominating committee, presented a slate of four new class officers. In addition to Jim, these are Bob Huke as vice president, Joe Smith as treasurer, and Bob Herrick as secretary; slate ratified by acclaim. John, Gil Shattuck, and I step down with best wishes to our successors in the Grand Old Class of 1948.

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