1975

Finally the remnants of the last flakes of the six-foot-high snow banks that covered most of New England have melted away, and I can state with certainty that there is grass growing in its place. In away, it seemed like the harsh winter was natures way of distracting us from the much harsher realties in the world around us. We hope spring will bring with it a sense of hope and optimism as we look ahead to the challenges in front of us.

And for those far from Hanover, I can report that College life remains amazingly constant, with the admissions process well underway. Having personally conducted seven alumni interviews over the past few months, I can attest to the quality of the young men and women who are applying to Dartmouth this year. In my unofficial sample, I had class presidents, 800 SAT board scores, varsity captains and athletes, writers, actors and valedictorians—and each and every one capable of succeeding at Dartmouth. It certainly makes you appreciate the difficult job our admissions officers have in selecting next year's class. For those of us with kids applying to Dartmouth in the next few years, we can only hope that the word "legacy" continues to matter.

Turning to our class, I have the sad duty to report the death of our classmate and friend, David Wendell. His obituary can be found in this issue, as well. David was a man of unusual courage and those of us, who knew him, saw evidence of this every day in Davids long 10-year battle with cancer. Davids closest Dartmouth friend and former roommate, David Lampert, spoke at Davids memorial service and gave a touching and uniquely personal view of Davids life. Joining us at the service were classmates Sandy Tierney, Scott Lochridge, Charlie Perkins and John Upton. It was an emotional service that should remind all of us to make the most of our lives everyday. Our thoughts and prayers go out to Davids family.

On a happier note, Fred Cann emailed me a self-nomination for a '"round the girdled earth they roam" award. Fred and Stan McDermott found themselves seated next to each other at a luncheon of the sixth Annual Arbitration Day conference of the International Bar Association in Sydney, Aus- tralia, on February 13. Fred is with the law firm of Allen & O'Halloran LL.P. in Portland, Oregon, and Stan is with the firm of Piper Rudnick in New York. I know what you're thinking—"boondoggle"—but what can you say, lawyers are creative if nothing else. And Fred, you definitely win the "girdled earth" award!

Well that's all the news that's fit to print. Keep those e-mails coming and remember to make each day count.

5 Boardman Ave., Manchester, MA01944; (617) 737-1100, X302 (work); jbildner@tier.com