1956
From Bill Miles (112 Amber Valley Drive, Orinda, CA 94563), ex-class secretary: "Tom Harper asked for a column this month, remembering that long ago I'd done some as class secretary. I'm grateful for this chance to share some thoughts about 'our stuff and to give you a current glimpse of a most undisappointing classmate.
"In the early years this column was the principal source of the news of us and it worked. Now with the wizbang e-wonder of Flint Ranney's newsletter, that job is already done by the time Tom Harper's worthy monthly arrives. Be kind to Tom; give him special notes that Flint can't ferret out. We can all wait another 60 days to hear some things.
"On College fund-raising it seems to me that it's time for our class to get over it and get on with it. It's not OK to hold back or to deal in tokens. May I suggest that on every occasion that you think well of the time and place that we shared, please don't lament that it's past, just send the College a decent contribution. Every time you feel the irritation rise on some issue that isn't quite clear or that you didn't expect, double the amount you'd thought of because obviously you care. Don't wait for the fund drive, do it; time is hurrying. It doesn't figure that we set records on tremendous reunion attendance and abysmal Alumni Fund giving. In my opinion our gangbuster reunions would be even more fun without the sense of divided spirit and generosity stifled.
"And hey, we are not more (and no less) relevant to the current events of Dartmouth than the class of '09 was when we arrived in Hanover. "Great Issues," our touchstone, was probably newfangled nonsense to them. They were nice guys (much older than our fathers) on the Inn porch looking forward to enjoying another 20 years of gleaming, dreaming walls miraculously builded...and gratefully shared. Like them we have a bond based on a powerful sense of place. WE have no need to decry each edgy issue of the moment; we are further along the arc of time allowed and can benefit from that perspective.
"Snapshot from a stretch of time. In the background a majestic snow covered volcanic mountain seen across a verdant plateau of orchards, fields, and farmsteads. Nearer, a large brilliant rose display of orange, red, and pink with an abundance of blue-whiteyellow annuals. Standing aforeground in a plaid shirt is a man connected to the place in heart and mind...his hands show it. Raised in the Finger Lakes, married to a Dane (the gardener) he met in France, a full career as a linguistic scholar at a major university in Southern California. They raised two daughters in that sublime subculture, and now these young grandparents have taken a small farmstead and made it theirs with imagination, perseverance, and hard work. They are active church members, leaders, and actors in the local theater group, practitioners in reflexology, and together have made a point of community service and involvement with the neighbors and friends to match. That how I found TomPenchoen in Hood River, Ore., last summer. His house commands the view of Mt. Hood. First contact we'd had since a chance meeting in Germany in 1958. It was great to see someone so in tune with the place and his moment."
I'm sorry to report the passing of JoshHill and Dan Codman. Josh was Dartmouth College editor for 28 years and was very active in class affairs. Dan graduated from Tuck in 1960, was co-founder and VP of Eventra of Milford, Conn. We shall miss them both.
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