1982

1982

They say time bends, and if so, then perhaps ’82s have been wishing to stave off our 60s as we’ve turned to meditating, exercising, or volunteering our way out of Covid isolation. For John Henderson, who has devoted so much of his life to the people of Myanmar, this time has meant feeling helpless as tragedies unfolded far away. At least one classmate bucked the Covid-19 weight gain trend: Matt Yee lost 50 pounds! What changes caused by Covid will stick in our future personal or professional lives? What do we hope will stay the same? Matt Hoffman writes, “The inability to gather in person during Covid with friends, families, and colleagues will encourage me to have more face-to-face interactions once we’re out of the woods. Also, I plan to hug my loved ones for a second or two longer and think about not only the physical sensation, but also the individual and what (s)he means to me. I hope we will continue to have video calls, rather than text sessions, with long-distance friends and families.” Betsy Leggat says: “What will stick with me is the realization that I have more time than I thought! During Covid I allowed myself the time to exercise and do more volunteer work, and I hope that continues.” Our class president, George Thompson, sums it up: “Family hugs, hugs, and more hugs.” Melissa Cook, a member the advisory board for our class project with the Dickey Center for International Understanding, shared why she’s proud to support the creation of an academic enrichment fund for the African and African American studies (AAAS) program: “I studied Africa during my time at Dartmouth—in Leo Spitzer’s history courses and in anthropology courses. I remember sitting in the stacks looking for books— looking left, looking right, and discovering new worlds and ideas at every turn. That set me up for a career in investment research and strengthened my love of learning, travel, and understanding how different cultures work. To paraphrase the words of a former president of Dartmouth—the College should train students to go out and find the world’s opportunities or solve the world’s problems (although that presupposes that other people can’t solve their own problems)! Africa is the youngest, fastest-growing, most tech-sawy, and most dynamic continent and is the future for companies across the technology, healthcare, financial services, and other industries. African entrepreneurs and innovators are coming up with solutions to their own problems and creating products and services that will work around the world. For young people looking for the next great place to work, study, travel, and invest, Africa is the place to be. The AAAS program should be seen as core to the College’s mission and I am happy to be able to support it.” Melissa founded African Sunrise Partners LLC, a research and advisory firm dedicated to bringing investment to Africa. Look for an invitation to attend a virtual program this summer with the AAAS faculty to celebrate the endowment created by our class.

1979-1985

—Jenny Chandler, 3506 Idaho Ave., NW Washington, DC20016; jchandlerhauge@gmail.com; David Eichman, 9004 Wonderland Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90046; dme4law@sbcglobal.net