1981
It's hard to believe that it's been 30 years since we matriculated at Dartmouth in the fall of 1977. We first met each other on freshman trips and during Freshman Week. My own hiking trip included Danielle Dyer, Rich Spurgin and Larry Chaiif, along with our intrepid leader Bill Grant '79.1 remember I had terribly blistered feet but I returned to Hanover sore and happy, knowing all the words to "Men of Dartmouth" and other Dartmouth songs. I thought it would be fun to ask classmates what they remembered about their first days on the Hanover Plain. Some ofyou (randomly selected from the 25th reunion book) actually e-mailed me back! Phil Gildan recalled the culture shock he faced as a native Floridian venturing to Hanover, "Going from shorts, T-shirts and sandals to cords, flannel shirts and boots took some getting used to." He credits current dean of student life Holly Sateia with making the transition easier by hosting several "Florida nights" at her home to allow Floridians to "kick back and imagine they were back on the beach." Back in Florida once again, Phil and his family also maintain a ski house in Deer Valley, Utah, to make sure that their two sons are expert skiers "in case they, too, make the northern trek some day." Steve Horwitz responded with a more recent memory of a hike up Lobos Peak in New Mexico with his 16-year old son Zach, "It was a day hike, starting at 8,900 feet and finishing at 12,000 feet. Along the way we talked—in short gasping breaths—about my memories of the freshman trip hike. As we hiked down we were caught in a mountain thunderstorm with lightning flashes. When we finally arrived at the base soaking wet, I remembered the endless rain we had at Dartmouth those first weeks of freshman year and how nice it was when the sun finally came out—in spring!" Steve is vice president and chief technical officer for Washex Inc., a manufacturer of large industrial washers in Wichita Falls, Texas, including the machines that make the "acid wash" blue jeans. Dr. Carl Baum wrote about his first memories of Dartmouth: "What struck me at first was the almost complete absence of adults. I had this dream-like sensation that I had been dropped into a world run almost exclusively by students. It wasn't until my freshman trip that our faculty leader Don Kreider apapeared. I can clearly recall his brilliance and the red flicker of his digital watch." Carl is associate professor and director of the Center for Children's Environmental Toxicology at Yale New Haven Children's Hospital. Carl and his wife, Diane, have two children, Eli and Sophie. Sophie suffers from severe diabetes, which causes wide swings in blood sugar, requiring constant and diligent monitoring. Carl remains a dedicated advocate for stem cell research and raises money for diabetes research in the hope of helping Sophie and others with her condition. To help and learn more, please go to http://teamsophie.org. Steve Kroll is vice president, general counsel and secretary at Cancer Treatment Centers of America in Schaumburg, Illinois, and lives in suburban Chicago. He wrote not about freshman year memories but about a recent memorable visit with ski instructor /motorcycle tour guide Chris Mullery. According to Steve, while dining with classmates Steve Anderson and Barney Oldfield at a "staid Italian restaurant" on Chicago's North Shore, Chris stopped conversation at several nearby tables as other diners all leaned in to hear about his escapades. Well, that's all the memories we have space for. Don't forget the Celebration of 35 Years of Women at Dartmouth November 9-11, www.alumni.dartmouth.edu/alumnae35.
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