1973

In heat of summer…Chip Sleeper sent his first-ever update after a difficult 2011. “My wife, Fran, died in May after a four-year battle with a lung problem. We were together for 24 years, so this new life is a bit daunting, but I’m excited and very hopeful. Many classmates met Fran at our 30th reunion, so I thought I should share the news. I live in New York City. I had been consulting for a couple of years with a woman who wanted to start a new type of dating website and as of September I am the president of an Internet start-up: findyourfacemate.com. Very exciting…lots of work to do. My son Lydon is 30 and was married in September. He and his wife are expecting a baby boy in June (my first grandchild). Life goes on, right? I see Barry Grove often at Manhattan Theatre Club openings. I’m scheduled to travel to Maine in the next few months, looking forward to seeing Fred Frawley. The year 2011 was sad, happy, frightening, hopeful. I’m beginning to feel as if I’m coming back to life.”

Dartmouth has named the new visual arts center in honor of Leon Black and his wife, Debra, contributors of $48 million toward the 105,000-square-foot sustainably designed state-of-the-art visual arts building, opening in September. The Black Family Visual Arts Center will house the departments of studio art, film and media studies, and the nascent digital humanities program. The center will include expanded resources for students and faculty, including classrooms, faculty offices, an exhibition gallery showcasing student work, a 50-seat screening room, the 243-seat Loew Auditorium (relocated from Hood Museum) and a shared digital humanities media laboratory. The center will also provide sculpture, printmaking, photography, architecture, painting and drawing studios, as well as cutting-edge film production, animation and editing spaces. Speaking for his family, Leon said, “We hope this building fosters creativity among Dartmouth’s students and faculty—that it inspires them to dream big, be courageous, take artistic risks—and infuses them with the life-changing power of the visual arts.” Additionally, the family has commissioned a major site-specific work by renowned American abstract artist Ellsworth Kelly. The work will be installed prior to the building’s dedication on the east façade of the Hop, facing the new visual arts center. “Having worked closely with the Black family and members of our faculty on this project, I know the family’s belief in the power of the arts and artists to transform lives is a gift that will have tremendous impact,” said Provost Carol Folt. “The Black Family Visual Arts Center will be a powerful force at Dartmouth for years to come. We are indebted to Leon and Debra for their vision, passion for the arts and generosity.” The class of 1973 salutes the generosity of the Leon Black family.

Our 40th reunion will be the June 13-15, 2014, weekend, not in 2013. We will be clustering with the classes of 1974 and 1975. Put these dates on your calendar now.

227 Sylvan Ave., San Mateo, CA 94403; val.armento@alum.dartmouth.org