1980

As I write this column, it is a beautiful New England summer day—100 degrees and steamy hot. It is difficult to think that as you are reading this column the Dartmouth campus will be bustling with excitement as a new school year begins. Upperclass students are reuniting after being apart for one or more semesters. A new class of 'shmen is checking out our old hangouts and meeting nightly with their UGAs to learn about the multitude of opportunities available at Dartmouth. Many are probably just returning from their freshmen trip and perhaps their first experience with green eggs and ham at Mt. Moosilauke. Some 'Bos took a step backwards to revisit that experience at our minireunion in July. Highlights of the gathering will be forthcoming. Many thanks to George Letser for his work in planning this great event.

Stacy Phillips continues to contribute to life at Dartmouth as she recently sponsored a daylong conference for the Ethics Institute of Dartmouth College. The conference, "Moral Courage: Exploring the Stories of Four Contemporary Heroes," featured four voices of selfless courage: Marion Pritchard, Hugh C. Thompson Jr., Susan Rescorla and David Kaczynski. The goal of the conference was to learn "through example and insight how society and educational institutions can foster the development in young people of a commitment to moral courage." Stacy and her dad (Gerald Phillips '47) have been committed to ethics education at Dartmouth. They sponsor an annual Phillips Family Award in Ethics, which is presented to an undergraduate from Dartmouth each spring. Stacy has also been instrumental in the establishment of a program of incentives for Dartmouth faculty who are interested in developing ethics curricula. You can find more information about the Ethics Institute at Dartmouth by visiting them online.

Another classmate that you have seen a lot of recently, and deservedly so, is in the news, again. Jill Fredston and husband Doug Fesler were featured in the March 2003 issue of Smithsonian. Jill has recently published a book of memoirs, Rowing to Latitude: Journeys Along theArctic's Edge .Jill and Doug continue to research avalanches, trying to learn more about the causes. Filmmakers have hired them to trigger avalanches for their movies. They have been called to help with rescues at many accident scenes. Despite the harsh and "sometimes dispiriting work," they are drawn to the freedom of Alaska. To put it all in perspective, "they have been jammed up in pack ice and have portaged gingerly over tippy floes and ice so thin it reminded Fredston of rice paper. Whales have surfaced near their boats and nearly swamped them. Storms have threatened to capsize them. Bears have accosted them. Camping last summer in the Northwest Territories, a grizzly bear shredded their tent one night. (Fredston scared the beast away by shouting Hey, bear!") They toss off stories of extraordinary dangers the way other people complain about the hassles of their morning commute."

Speaking of morning commutes: President Merle Adelman has taken on a new job as vice president of marketing and communications for NASPE-Heart and Rhythm Society. NASPE is a non-profit clinical society focused on the areas of electrophysiology and pacing. The society is 25 years old with 3,500 members around the world.

Don't forget our 25th reunion is June 16-19, 2005.

"Hey, bear!" have a great day!

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