The class contribution to this year's Dartmouth Alumni Fund has been generous and the class' participation has been broad. The final numbers are not yet available but it is clear that we owe a debt of gratitude to Don O'Neill and Denny Denniston, our class co-head agents, and all of their assistants for their hard work and success for the past year.
F.J. "Duck" Eicke, it is time to transfer the Tanzi license plate plaque to the next in line (Pete Bleyler) for the upcoming fiscal year, if you have not already done so. I know its difficult to give up, but the time has come. After Pete comes Gerry Kaminisky and Vic Rich, as we head toward our 50th reunion.
Bill Blue has finally retired, after more than 40 years of corporate work. Bill is now involved in several not-for-profit ventures that will more than occupy his time and energy.
David Birney is becoming one of Americas finest classical actors and has recently starred in an interpretation of the Mark Twain classic The Diaries of Adam and Eve. During his spare time throughout the years David has been a driving force in the Class of '61 Legacy: The American Tradition in Performance. David, the class extends its gratitude.
Hank Gerfen, Keith Latimore, Tony Wright and Jay McKenzie have recently incurred medical problems. On behalf of the entire class, we wish them speedy recoveries.
Pete Bleyler and Maynard Wheeler set up a Classes of 1961-2011 Connections Program weekend at Dartmouth during the spring semester. The joint events included a dinner, a cocktail reception, a jazz concert at the Hop and a tour of the Colleges steam tunnel system, which was a really interesting twist. The weekend turned out to be very successful.
Alan Rozycki, M.D., a professor of pediatrics and a '63 DMS graduate, was honored with the creation of the Alan A. Rozycki Commitment to Excellence Award. "The annual award will highlight an individual whose extraordinary work has had an impact on the quality of the patient experience in general pediatrics at the Children's Hospital at Dartmouth." Al, the class congratulates you for your decades of contribution to Dartmouth, DMS, Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center and the class of 1961.
At the other end of the spectrum, Animal House and the AD fraternity have recently resurfaced in the news. In April Chris Miller '63 and his friends brought professional cameramen to Dartmouth for the A&E Biography Channel's 30th Anniversary of Animal House Special, scheduled to air this summer. One of the AD brothers returning for the event was our own Tom McDonough, who was "Mouse" in the film.
Bob Wendell just sent me an e-mail stating that I erroneously referred to Bob Neagle's hockey team as the Minnesota Timberwolves rather than the Minnesota Wild in the last issue. He is, of course, correct. I must have been watching a basketball game on TV when I wrote that article.
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