Class Notes

1955

Sept/Oct 2000 Leon C. Martel
Class Notes
1955
Sept/Oct 2000 Leon C. Martel

The 45th reunion is now history, and for the 124 classmates in attendance it was indeed historic, thanks especially to the outstanding and untiring efforts of reunion chairman Ken Lundstrom.

On Tuesday we fondly remembered those who are no longer with us in a moving memorial service officiated by the Rev. Joe Herring and Roy Nyren.

Dinner that evening featured "Daniel Webster," class of 1801, and the adoption of Lewis M. Duncan, dean of the Thayer School of Engineering, as our newest member.

On Wednesday morning June 14, we held our class meeting, class president Brooks Parker presiding. The nominating committee of Joe Mathewson, Bob Fanger and Skip Hance presented the following slate of officers, duly elected by acclamation: president, Woody Goss; vice president, Dick Blodgett; secretary, Jim Wechsler; treasurer, Ralph Sautter; head agent, Bob Perkins; bequest chairman, Stan Bergman; and newsletter editor, John French.

Following the meeting incoming class president Woody Goss announced that John French had agreed to chair our 50th reunion and that Joe Mathewson and Jim Perkins would edit the class book.

Following the class meeting, Jim Perkins chaired an excellent symposium, "What Is It We Don't Get, And Why Don't We Get It?" with panelists Dick Hogarty, Joe Kagle, Nick Kotz, Newell Stultz,Alice Delana and Robin Barone '78.

Lunch on the banks of the Connecticut fea-tured tured an auction run by our peerless auctioneer and equally peerless stand-up comic, Tom Blumberg. Successful bidders for works of art that ranged from 1951 to 1955 football programs to four fine paintings donated by Joe Kagle, included Tom Fleming, John Barlow, Elliott Hersey, Jere Daniell, Nick Kotz and Shep Jackson. Also indicating the interests of our classmates in the arts was a fine art exhibit arranged and presented by Karen Gorton. Included were paintings by Karen; a quilt by Elliott Hersey; paintings by Joe Kagle and Pat Woolson; wire sculpture by Jim McKendry; bronzes by Al Schwartz; and photography by John French, Gayle Parker and Ken Lundstrom.

The class's authors—31 in all—led by our only Pulitzer Prize winner, Nick Kotz, were well represented, with nearly 60 books on display at the Rauner Special Collections Library in Webster Hall. Our final dinner Wednesday night in Alumni Gym brought this splendid reunion to end with several splendid events. First, we were honored to have as our speaker, the president of the College, James Wright '64A, to whom we then presented as our class reunion gift a check for $1,451,000, representing 72-percent participation.

Second, we honored our classmate Gene Givens (another Flag Day baby!) with a cake and a stirring rendition of "Happy Birthday." Finally, President Wright announced that a trust bequest for $4 million had been received for scholarship aid in memory of one of our finest, Roy "Sky" Hill, adding—in the presence of members of the Hill family who were our guests—'As long as there is a Dartmouth College there will be Roy Hill scholarships." Lastly, as I sign off this final column as your secretary, I want to thank all of you whose contributions have made these monthly notes a pleasure to write, and urge upon you the same generosity to my very able successor, Jim Wechsler.

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