1980

Ipost this column from the island of Mauritius, a slice of paradise in the Indian Ocean that may best be known as the final resting place of the dodo, an extinct flightless bird last seen in the 17th century. The dodo serves as both a mascot for Mauritius and a symbol of unplanned obsolescence. Its extinction less than a century after its discovery serves as a re- minder of how quickly the forces of outside change can devastate the unprepared. At our reunion’s presidential address, President Hanlon outlined a set of bold initiatives designed to secure Dart- mouth’s place as a destination for elite talent in the rapidly evolving and increasingly competitive world of higher education. I sleep better knowing that President Hanlon, Bill Helman, Denise Dupre, John Rich and our other trustees are committed to avoiding the fate of the dodo.

Now let’s turn up the heat with “Two Truths and a Lie”! See if you can determine which of the following three stories is the fake one.

First, Rick Gemberlind demonstrated his talent for putting mind over matter by walking barefoot across a 25-foot-long strip of hot coals at a Tony Robbins seminar in New York City. Rick completed the exercise painlessly, with no marks left on his feet or coals stuck between his toes.

Second, Lanny Vickery achieved spiritual re- newal by spending an evening in the intense smoke and high temperatures of a Native American sweat lodge in the Los Angeles hills. His re-purification experience was shared with a group of tent-mates that included supermodel Margaux Hemingway.

Third, Mark Fischer helped prevent catastro- phe at Burning Man in the Black Rock Desert of Nevada when he and actor Mark Ruffalo stopped a potential arsonist from torching the iconic 72- foot Burning Man statue three days before the ceremonial fire at the close of the event.

Like many of us with roots in New York, David O’Connor has early and fond memories of watching the Knicks and Rangers play at Madison Square Garden and the Rockettes perform in the Christ- mas Spectacular at Radio City Music Hall. As the new president and CEO of the Madison Square Garden (MSG) Co., “Doc” is now responsible for running these and MSG’s other sports, media and entertainment properties. Until recently Doc served as managing partner at Creative Artists Agency and helped launch CAA Sports, which represents hundreds of the world’s top athletes. Calling all Knicks and Rangers fans! Your days of screaming at sports radio call-in hosts are over. You can dial Doc direct!

Ellen Groetch LaBerge is pleased to report that the National Law Journal has recognized her dear friend Jayne Heimlich Conroy as an “Outstanding Woman Lawyer” for 2015. The honorees were se- lected based on independent investigations that identified them as the most accomplished female attorneys working in the legal profession today. Jayne has handled several enormous product liability cases, including some very high profile ones you are likely familiar with. She also helped forge settlements for thousands of 9/11 victims. Congratulations, Jayne!

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