1961

This is the first column of the 2000-2001 academic year, which will culminate with our 40th reunion on June 11-14. Block out those reunion dates on your calendar now. Surely everyone in the class has two weeks' vacation; most of us have more than that. So why not devote one of those weeks to seeing your classmates. This is our last "big" reunion. And as we told you last issue, Frank Ginn will be leading our effort to produce a 40th reunion book.

Our Alumni Fund campaign, under the leadership of Pete Bleyler, was a smashing success. We knew by the deadline for last issue that we had made our goal, but not that our class contributed $191,520, up $21,000-plus from last year and $16,520 higher than goal. We had 56-percent participation, just a little below last year and below our goal of 61 percent. But that is well above the overall College participation rate of 49 percent and a good benchmark as we try to involve everyone in our 40th reunion campaign. We had 21 people contribute $2,500 or more (1769 Society). This is seven more than last year, and one more than our goal. And we had 51 leadership donors—classmates who gave at least $1,000, which was up five from last year, but below our goal of 55 donors. Said Pete: "The total amount is the second highest for our class in a non-reunion year. This provides good momentum as we start the 40th reunion year!" He added, "Special thanks to all of our class agents who helped us achieve the past year's great results."

There's still time to get to Dartmouth Night weekend (but you may have to search to find a room), and a lot of additions since our last report, according to chair Art Johnson. Reed Bergwell, project manager in the Facilities Planning Office, will present a detailed slide show of the rapidly changing physical plant at the College at our class dinner at the Sumner Mansion in Hartland, Vermont, the same place we've had our dinner the last several years. The Harvard game should be exciting; we'll be touring the new Boss Tennis Complex after the game, then go to a cocktail party at the home of Charlotte and Mike Gazzaniga at 5 p.m. And Pete and Ruth Bleyler again are hosting Sunday brunch.

Dartmouth has "taken over" Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center. Dick Beattie has been elected chairman of the board of Memorial Hospital and Louis V. Gerstner Jr. '63 has been elected as chairman of the board of the Sloan-Kettering Institute, the basic research arm of the cancer center. Last year, the center recruited NIH director Harold Varmus as president and chief executive officer. It's just another feather in Dicks cap in a life devoted to public service (while still serving as chairman of the executive committee of the Simpson, Thacher & Bartlett law firm). He's recently been on the New York City board of education and is the founder and chairman of New Visions for Public Schools. And you'll recall he was general counsel of the U.S. Department of Health, Education and Welfare under President Carter.

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