1981

I admit to feeling a huge wave of relief in passing the 1981 class treasury over to the capable hands of Molly Sundberg Van Metre after 11 years, but it remains to be seen how easily I can move from the now familiar "left brain" chores of writing checks and reconciling dues payments to the more "right brain" activity of writing the class column with co-secretary Abner Oakes. As I sit revising this opening paragraph over and over, I realize I'm going to need all the help I can get, so please send me any and all class news via e-mail, phone and snail mail. Pam Hedstrom graciously helped me get started with her detailed e-mail direct from Armenia. After placing second to Marcia McCrea Clinton (who flew in from Hawaii, where she is a middle school science teacher at St. Anthony School in Kailua) in the 25th reunion "traveled the furthest" award, Pam was determined to win the "furthest return" award! While Marcia and sons Connor (14) and Roarke (17) went hiking in the Sierras before heading back to Hawaii, Pam flew directly to Armenia from the Hanover Plain, where she is currently the team leader on a KfW (German Development Bank) housing finance project with the Central Bank of Armenia. Pam's office is in the American University of Armenia business center, just outside the center of Yerevan. "The best part," says Pam, "is that it is located two blocks from some of the main tennis courts, and I've been playing a few times a week at 9 p.m." Pam notes that Armenians are great hosts—barbecue is the big thing—there are lots of outdoor cafes, a good selection of restaurants, lots of brand name shops. She invites classmates to stop by "when you're out in the Caucasuses." Well, it may not rival the Caucasuses, but Julie Stiles Matuschak writes that she and her kids Jennie (10), Alex (13) and Nick (17), enjoyed a wonderful seven-day cruise this past summer through the inside passage of Alaska, complete with bears, glacier walks and fantastic scenery. "The food alone was heavenly," says Julie, "with plenty of activities for adults and kids." When she's not shuttling to kids' hockey and baseball tournaments and dance recitals, Julie is assistant registrar of probate for Essex Probate and Family Court in Salem, Massachusetts. She resides in Marblehead, Massachusetts. Head agent Glenn Havlicek reports that at our 25 th reunion last June the great class of 1981 raised $2.7 million for the Dartmouth College Fund with 53.3 percent participation. Based on these stellar results, the class earned a number of reunion-giving awards, including the Class of 1838 Award for the largest (current use) reunion total. We've also raised $14.8 million for the Campaign for the Dartmouth Experience since July 2002. Kudos to reunion giving co-chairs Mark Davis, Eileen Chamberlain Donohoe and Scott Stuart and everyone who participated! If you weren't able to make it to the reunion, you can still get a copy of the 1981 25th reunion book compiled by our multi-talented editor-Webmaster and now Webmaster-class president Greg Clow. Please check out the 1981 Web site at www.alum.dartmouth. org/classes/81/Sale.html for this and other great post-reunion offers. By the timeyou read this column we'll be in the midst of voting on the new constitution for the Association of Alumni and the Alumni Council. If you haven't done so already, please visit the association site at http://alumni.dartmouth.edu/leadership/association , where you will find details, including a side-byside comparison of the old and the new constitutions. Please take some time to understand the proposed changes and vote.

2 Wilson St, Wellesley,MA 02482;jkoeninger@comcast.net;,4807 DoverRoad, Bethesda,MD, 20816-1772; aoakes@mrsh.org