Dear Classmates:
Reunion Round-Up
'Tis the season to start planning for not one but three class get-togethers that will take place over the next twelve months, culminating in the Big 3-5 in June, 2001. (It seems not that long ago that we were celebrating 35 as a birthday rather than a reunion!).
August Canoe Trip
First, we'll be rollin' on the river this August, thanks to the hard work of organizers Al Keiller, Robin Carpenter and Dick Birnie. The trio has put together a 60-mile canoe trip down the Connecticut that will start with a van ride from Hanover to McAdoo Falls on the morning of Friday, August 25, and end with a catered lunch at the College on Sunday, August 27. In between, according to Robin, "this will not be a cruise on the Danube or a catered safari with Sherpas, but a good old-fashioned camping trip with sleeping bags, tents and outdoor plumbing".
Participants (which can include your spouse, family members and/or friends) will need to supply their own tents and sleeping bags as the plan is to stay at two different campsites maintained by the Upper Valley Land Trust. Important note: The campsite restrictions will limit the group to the first 20 who sign up. Also, while the trip down the river at that time of year should be calm and relaxing, there will be a short portage. And in case you do not get enough exercise on the paddle, a golf outing is being considered for either the Thursday before or the Monday after the river trip. Stay tuned for more information on golf, food arrangements and cost as well as a sign-up form via a separate mailing and a posting on our Class Website.
October Mini-Reunion
The next mini-reunion will be our usual tie-in with Dartmouth Homecoming. The dates are October 27 and 28, and the football opponent will be Harvard. Again, full details will be forthcoming shortly, and will include a sign-up for the Class dinner at the Norwich Inn.
35th Class Reunion
June 11-14, 2001, will see us gather in Hanover to celebrate one-third of a century as a Dartmouth class. The chosen dates reflect the preference expressed by a majority of classmates for an on-campus reunion site with full College support, including use of dorm rooms . Also worth noting: The College has set aside a small number of rooms for us at the Hanover Inn. If memories of Wheeler Hall (where we will likely stay) are a little too sharp and you are interested in reserving, call the Inn directly at 800-443-7024. Al is working with his committee to ensure a fabulous three-day program, so set the dates aside and plan to be there.
Class News
Aiding and abetting those canoeists who prefer to be close to ice machines and good china, Ted Thompson writes from Piermont, NH: "I'm not sure of the put-in for the August trip or the overnight stops, but The Breakfast On The Connecticut (603-353-4444) is a beautiful spot right on the water between Orford and Lyme. It is run by Dartmouth alums, as well. There is also the Gibson House (603-989-5160) in Haverhill Common, just a short way up from the Bedell State Park boat launch and across from Newbury, VT. The White Goose Inn (603-353-4812) in Orford is not as close to the river but comfortable. The first two inns are quite nice and would be convenient for river access." Bring your own Sherpa.
Apologies to Roger Brett, who noted that we had him rather than Bob Spence on the newsletter masthead as Co-Head Agent: "Maybe it is the proverbial situation of having missed the meeting and that's what happened!" We made the fix, Roger, and thank you for generously volunteering to help with Class activities once your life calms down a bit. Roger is "still involved with getting a new Internet start-up going. The company is Mediaplex and, in a word, we do Internet advertising. We have some very interesting and trend-setting technology that we apply to this area and so far, so good. We recently went public and are continuing to grow the business along with introducing new tech. On another note, I am on my way to getting a new hip, just one more of those deteriorating things many of us are starting to experience. I thank the stars that there is a fix for this ailment, but it is still a major process and there is a long recovery process. But I'll be ready for reunion for sure!" Good luck with the operation, and we'll see you in June 2001.
Ben Day dropped an e-mail to report that "Daughter Laura ('99) graduated from Dartmouth last year, but remains in Hanover to complete a masters in comp lit. So we still have an excuse to visit the Northland for at least this year. Our middle daughter, Alexandra, is a sophomore at Princeton (I know, where did I go wrong?). Our son, Jed, is a seventh-grader, so we are not out of the financial woods yet. I understand when they say that it's a journey, not a destination. On February 14 I retired from Lucent (yep, we're old enough to do that!) and joined Net Solutions Labs, a growing Internet outsourcing company. It is a very different experience and one full of challenge and excitement." Give a call when you're in Princeton, Ben (details at the end of the newsletter); there are some pubs here that let Dartmouth guys in.
Pete Dorsen sent an introspective note that could be the basis of a good discussion when we get together for the 35th: "Don't you wonder who is going through my type of struggle at almost 56. It seems that the majority of us are looking at how big our retirement plan is, watching grandchildren being born. I just started late and rebelled more -- more interested in being the only Jewish missionary in the inner city. Dartmouth is so very long ago -- a generation back. It's amazing how we evolve into new phases of our lives. I used to abuse pot. I used to abuse women. Now I have three young women of my own and don't smoke anything."
Another retiree heard from: Steve Smith joined the leisure class in early '99. He and Jean "have settled on the western shores of Lake Michigan in a town called Lakeside (not on most maps) and are in the process of looking for a winter retreat. This June I have organized a Colorado River rafting trip with Dick Birnie, our geological guide (practicing for August, no doubt); Petie, Gary and Bobbi Bryson; and Dean and Carol Spatz. It's an eight-day adventure that is the result of talks way back at our 25th reunion. Good things just take a while!" The Smith's can be reached at PO Box 452, 14188 Swift Lane, Lakeside, MI 49116; phone 616-469-4941; e-mail SSmith8104@aol.com.
It's a stampede. After 5 1/2 years as CEO of AMP in Australia, George Trumbull is hanging up his cleats "at least for now" and returning to the States to be closer to children, family and friends. "Lyn ands I are enjoying the time off, and are looking forward to getting to Hanover this spring and going on the canoe trip in August. We had a wonderful experience living and traveling in Asia but are very glad to be back. Living outside the US for a period does help one appreciate this great country. Over the next few months we plan on doing some travel in the US, visiting our daughter (Dartmouth '95) in Chicago and our son, who is pursuing his doctorate at Yale." The Trumbulls have settled in at 15 Shadowbrook, West Simsbury, CT 06092 (phone 860-408-9786; e-mail grtrumbull@dellnet.com).
Mike and Rebecca Bromley (Smith '97) dropped a note as they were "on our way to Roatan for a week of sun and scuba with son Chris (Whitman '97 and Gonzaga Law '01) and daughter Pam (Williams '98) -- honest guys, I tried. All are certified divers. The practice of law continues to keep me busy and interested. Enjoyed the Dartmouth Lawyers Association meeting in Aspen in February. Otherwise I hunt, hike (hope for Kilimanjaro in January), ski, snowshoe and enjoy Colorado." The Bromley's are at 110 Shoreham CT., Colorado Springs, CO 80906 (phone 719-576-0152; e-mail MBromleyPC@aol.com).
Tom and Linda Loomis and their three sons are in Wilmington, Delaware, where Tom has been "doing the financial advisor thing for the past 20 years. Middle son got married over Christmas. Had a reception at the house that included Pete Frederick '65 and his wife, Marcia; Palmer Wooglin '65; and Matt Donaldson '67. Spent New Year's with Jim and Barbara Jourdonnais in San Francisco. Had a great time playing tourist and left my heart there." (e-mail TCL4511@aol.com).
More offspring weddings in the news: last June, Bill Wilson's son Matthew (Dartmouth '90) married Jessica Gordon (Smith '90) in Connecticut. Bill is "currently involved in intense study of classical Japanese poetry -- 7th to 15th century; I've gotten to the 9th century and have a way to go. Also working on translation of early 18th century book of samurai philosophy (Hagakure) appearing as a theme in the new Jim Jarmusch film 'Ghost Dog'. Finally, I'm paddling through the south Florida mangrove streams as often as possible". Bill lives at 6291 SW 57th St., Miami, FL 33143-2101 (phone 305-665-0856).
Dean Anderson is "back in the States after 10 years in Europe. My new job is president of POMA of America (the ski lift manufacturer) based in Grand Junction, CO. Dean's new address there is 2068 Coyote Court, 81503 (phone 970-255-6651; e-mail dean_r_anderson@compuserve.com).
Writing from another bucolic setting, Terry Lowd is "enjoying life in the mountains of Hot Springs, VA, managing a rural hospital. Continue my involvement with national healthcare politics and issues affecting the delivery of healthcare in the future. My wife, Betty, has an active general law practice after years of corporate law in Washington. Daughter Kate is a sophomore at Radford University and son Alex (10) is an active fifth grader." The Lowds can be reached at PO Box 219, Warm Springs, VA 24484 (phone 540-839-3320; e-mail lowd@tds.net).
Thanks to John Engelman, newsletter editor for the Class of '68, for sending along a newspaper clipping on John Gantz. The article from The Boston Globe dealt with the difficulty of predicting the future of high-tech industries, and reflected our John's opinion that the popularity of his firm's services is proof that International Data Corp. (where he is chief research officer) often gets its forecasts right. In a business where, according to John, "no one goes back to look at the actuals…not on a rigorous basis, " IDC may be listening to because it produces data based on past performance of key tech markets and forecasts how those businesses will perform years into the future.
Our Dollars At Work
A lengthy article in the February 18th edition of The Wall Street Journal was of particular interest because it reported how Dartmouth managed to lose $2 million by investing in Meigher Communications, a magazine publishing company run by Chris Meigher '68. The article had the following to say: " 'People make investments that turned out badly,' says Jonathan King, associate vice president for investments at Dartmouth. 'This one turned out quite badly.' Dartmouth wrote of its $2 million with the Meigher venture last year. What happened? (The partners) say they ran out of time and money…the economics of magazine publishing suddenly changed…But the company was also hampered by internal missteps, bad investments that ate up precious cash and rows over strategy…Mr. Meigher…also came in for criticism internally for what seemed to be lavish executive perks." Not a pretty picture of fiduciary performance by the folks in Hanover.
In Memoriam
Parker "Chip" Linton, Jr., classmate and fellow Phi Psi brother, passed away on April 1. Chip lived in Sound Beach, NY, and is survived by his former spouse, Janet, and their children, Thomas and Johanna.
Jim Lustenader
7 Boudinot Street
Princeton, NJ 08540
Business fax: 973-359-3401
E-mail: jlustenader@dvc.com