In Our Time - Class of 1970
October 2013 eNewsletter
Visit our Website: http://www.dartmouth.org/classes/70
Class of 1970 Facebook group: http://www.facebook.com/groups/Dartmouth1970
Class of 1970 LinkedIn group: Dartmouth College Class of 1970
President’s Corner
Dear Fellow Classmates:
As my favorite season (Autumn) descends upon us (hockey, baseball, college and pro football all at
the same time, unfortunately including the Big Green’s recent gut-wrenching defeat at the hands of
the Quakers in Philly), my pleasant thoughts are diverted by the maddening stalemate going on in
Washington, D.C. Neither side wants to talk much less negotiate. While I know there are reasons
for the position taken by each side tied to their political leanings, nonetheless we can all agree it is
imposing frightful economic and personal turmoil on many of our fellow citizens.
Why can’t they just talk and settle this mess? All of us “negotiate” over big and little issues in our
personal and professional lives every day and somehow manage to resolve the vast majority of
them without this agony and anguish which postpones the consideration of other weighty issues
which must sit unattended.
In my letter to President Hanlon set forth below in which I congratulate him on his ascendancy to
the Presidency of Dartmouth, I recall President Kemeny’s efforts (not always successful but always
thoughtful and fair to both sides) to bring us together in 1969 and 1970 despite our differences in a
heated and emotional era.
Happy Fall!
Jeff Demerath, President Class of 1970
The following letter was sent to President Hanlon on the occasion of his arrival on the Hanover
plain:
President Philip J. Hanlon
Dartmouth College
Office of the President
207 Parkhurst Hall
Hanover, N.H. 03755
Re: Welcome from the Class of 1970
Dear President Hanlon:
As President of the great Dartmouth College Class of 1970, and on behalf of all my classmates, I
wanted to take this opportunity to congratulate you on your ascendancy into the esteemed office of
the Presidency of the College on the Hill! As a fellow son of “Dear old Dartmouth,” I know you
love our great institution as much as we all do and that you will treat her with the affection and
respect that each and every one of your predecessors have bestowed upon her. As a graduate, there
will be an extra measure of tender care conferred by you on our beloved alma mater – derived from
the “still North in your soul,” the “hill-winds in your breath” and the “granite of New Hampshire”
which is a part of all of us. The Class of 1970 was very much a part of the tumultuous times of the
late ‘60s – the age of Kent State, Vietnam, Martin Luther King and Bobby Kennedy. But while we
were pulled in different individual directions due to our varied backgrounds and beliefs, we were
united by a great Dartmouth President of that era, John Kemeny. Despite our divergent opinions
and persuasions, President Kemeny brought us together and unified us by teaching us to respect our
classmate’s views no matter how strongly we might disagree with his positions or ideals. You will
do the same when appropriate. Because, after all, we are all men (and daughters) of Dartmouth and
that enables us to rise above any petty disagreements and differences and to pull together for the
good of the school we love so deeply. Good luck and God speed!
Sincerely yours,
Jeffrey T. Demerath
President, Class of 1970
Dartmouth College
Class Officers Weekend September 20–21, 2013
Lead by Mark Heller, several members of our Executive Committee met in Hanover for seminars,
conversation and a bit of fun.
Mark had these comments:
Class Officer Weekend not only provides the venue to reconnect with classmates but also offers a
weekend filled with ideas, large and small, that are then discussed implemented, or modified in
order to refresh our initiatives and programs and reengage our classmates.
This past weekend, perfect weather by the way, was followed by a flurry of emails by those in
attendance, disseminating ideas to the Executive Committee.
Should we use our email system to automatically send birthday greetings?
2. Shall we say that every 70th day of the year classmates should get together for dinner or
drinks wherever that is, take a picture and share that with everyone? And where should we
share that, Facebook or somewhere else.
3. Shall we engage the Hill Winds Society (as the class of 1980 does) to call our classmates
who have been off the radar and see how they’re doing and what’s new in their lives?
4. How about pictures from classmates at some exotic locale?
5. Mini reunions? Small dinners or golf trips to Bandon Dunes or ski trips to Colorado or
Reno/Tahoe?
1.
There were also the requisite seminars on iModules, Quickbase, Metrics ( which was very
contentious in fact , one might say rebellious ), Dartmouth for Life and the breakout sessions for
Communications, Leadership, Head Agents, Treasurers, Webmasters, Gift Planning, Reunion
Chairs, etc. But lest you think we were locked away in classes, I assure you we had plenty of time
to socialize, have drinks and dinner, and generally catch up with each other. And, oh yea, Phil
Hanlon ’77 officially became the eighteenth President of Dartmouth College on Friday.
I want to go into a little more detail about one session because it addresses our current Executive
Committee discussions on Class Giving and Philanthropy. As many are aware classes are no longer
paying a large portion of their operating expenses to the Dartmouth Alumni Magazine. DAM is
going to a virtual format. They presented this, and it was visually impressive. A click here and link
there will take you anywhere you’d like to go in their archives.
We have been talking about using the money not going to DAM for gifts, scholarships, fellowships,
reunions, or class projects. We also wanted to present a clear picture/budget to our classmates about
income and expenses which would include both operating and philanthropic endeavors. I have
obtained the power point presentation “Want to think about a Class Project?” I will forward it to
our Executive Committee. They can review options to help formulate a proposal to be distributed to
all our classmates. Then we’d like to hear from you. What do you think? Which areas or interests
should we support? Should we “spread the wealth” or make a greater investment in one or two
special needs? As an overview and to begin your thought process, here are the two paradigms
presented at COW:
Wide Swath – multiple donations – establishes a broad appeal
Service, academic excellence, athletic promise, and the arts
Research, Athletes, Art Initiative, Student Prizes for Prouty Participation, Winter
Carnival Sculpture Contest, and Dartmouth Partners in Community Services
Deep Cut – one or two significant contributions
Upper Valley Social Entrepreneurship Fellowship – students work with upper valley
social and community services
The examples under each paradigm are actual programs supported by three classes. The long view
dictates that a class mission statement is developed and a strategy for funding and administration is
set before launching the initiatives.
We have a lot to discuss.
I had a meeting at Blunt the Thursday before COW for Club Officer Weekend in February. I meet
the new Director of Communities, Mark Hoffman, who sat in on our club officer meeting. He’s
only been on board since August. He’s not been to a Club Officer Weekend and this Class Officer
Weekend was his first experience with these convocations. He asked me a question on Saturday,”
What’s the difference between the classes and the clubs?” It took me a few days to formulate this
email response.
You posed a question to me Saturday about the differences between clubs and classes. Some
definitions became clear when I sat in on the class decade discussion (1965–1975) that afternoon.
The classes talk about life issues and events. We attend Dartmouth with a group of students who
become tied not only to the College, but to each other, the rest of our lives. It becomes a personal
connection. We hear about marriages, careers, divorces, kids, second marriages (sometimes three),
and then illnesses and deaths. It becomes very personal. A topic which came up in our decade
session involved , how do we notify classmates of someone’s terminal illness, dementia ,
Alzheimer’s, or homelessness? A specific example (person) was raised by a member of the class of
1969. Serious, personal stuff.
The financial connection to Dartmouth is more direct in the classes. Philanthropy, giving, grants,
fellowships, DCF, class projects are a shared exercise and decision.
The clubs operate on a business networking paradigm. We try and organize locally and conduct
luncheons, dinners, meetings, events. We focus on our areas concerns and our areas students and
potential students. People come in and out of our clubs, sometimes jobs move them, sometimes
interest or time wanes, often our students or graduates students move on in their careers. It’s a fluid
membership. Money that is raised is often raised for a local charity or community service.
Scholarship funds collected for local students are sent to Hanover, but there is often grumbling
about losing control of the decision making process of “our area’s scholarship fund.”
The clubs are still very loyal and invested in Dartmouth. The” ties which bind” are just different.
Hope this has been helpful.
I’d be interested to hear some other perspectives.
Mark Heller mheller@fodorco.com
Bill Wilson reports:
Ann and I just returned to North Carolina from a three week trip to New England that ended in
Hanover for Homecoming. Great win over Yale - Dominick Pierre is the real deal. Had dinner
(burgers and beers) in the Hanover Inn with Star (Johnson) and Bob Mlakar on Friday evening.
Apparently we missed the start of the class parade since there was no standard bearer for the great
class of 1970 (the ’72’s were absent as well). We missed Bill Holekamp who was last seen playing
beer pong in the Phi Delt basement with his son. Star and Wayne Osmond put on a great pre-game
tailgate. Denny Brown showed up looking for large gifts and stayed around anyway. The football
game started at 1:30 pm and ended at 4:57 pm (4th quarter was played under the lights) thanks to
“media timeouts.” Did any of you see the game on a medium? Despite the low 1970 turnout we had
a great time. Mlakar’s story about what happened with 2:48 left in the first half against UMass in
1967 made it worth the trip. Best regards, Bill Wilson
Denis O’Neill writes:
Hey Steve (Fox) - Denny Brown asked us to send in a line or
two about a recent impromptu reunion in Hanover of a few of us
’70’s. I’m reminded of the Robin Williams line: “If you
remember the 60’s, you weren’t there.” We remembered them in
fine fettle, planting Star - on his own porch - in front of a
computerized song program as we all took turns shouting out
favorites from the old fraternity basement days.
Wine-fueled, we lasted from 7:30 to 1:30, and the consensus was
there wasn’t a bad song in the bunch… true to the quality of the
music of our times.
Another heads-up, more later, but I’ve written a memoir of our last two years in Hanover
(compressed into one) called: WHIPLASH The way we were when the Vietnam War rolled a hand
grenade into the Animal House. It’s going to be an internet launch sometime in the fall, with the
alumni magazine running an excerpt (of the draft lottery night, Dec. 1, 1969) in the Nov./Dec. issue
that comes out in late October.
Hope I can lure a few eyes to a download. http://denisroneill.com/whiplash/
{Editor: The video on Denis’ website is well worth watching - you’ll see some
familiar faces.}
Best - Denis Denis O’Neill
Tom Peisch says, Hello, ’70’s-
Sorry I missed Homecoming. Sounds like a great time. Wilson must have lost my number during
his recent visits.
Alice and I are just back from Seattle, where we had a wonderful lunch with Bill and Carole
Koenig. Both are semi retired and look great. Daughter Erica and husband (both coaches) and two
adorable grand daughters live nearby. The years melted away.
Watch for excerpts in upcoming Alum Mag of Denny O’Neil’s new novel about draft lottery night
in Dec ’69. Remember how much fun that was? He is being interviewed by Robin Young of NPR
shortly.
Joe Avellone continues to make great progress in his campaign for Mass. Governor.
Best to all.
Tom
Gary Miller learned about a new Shared Interested Alumni Group while at Class Officers
Weekend – Dartmouth Uniformed Service Alumni.
Many of our classmates entered the military after graduation, either through ROTC, the draft, or
recruitment. As Denis O’Neill’s book, WHIPLASH, points out, we all lived through a tumultuous
period. If you hadn’t already made the commitment through ROTC, you probably were paying
close attention to the 1969 Draft Lottery. What was your number?. By the way, mine was 363.
Leading up to our 45th Reunion, I’d like to hear from those 1970’s that served their country in the
Uniformed Services. A number of us ended up making the military a career choice. I serviced 20
years as a naval aviator in the US Navy following my NROTC commissioning the day before
graduation. I’d like to gage the interest in an alumni seminar at our reunion regarding military or
national service experience by our classmates.
Dartmouth Uniformed Service Alumni (DUSA or “DartmouthUSA”) is a shared interest alumni
group. Specifically, it is a non-profit, non-partisan organization dedicated to promoting the ideals of
service at Dartmouth and supporting all those who put on a uniform in the defense of their country.
Website: http://dcusa.dartmouth.org)
DUSA Facebook Page: www.facebook.com/DartmouthUSA
We invite you to join with us and ensure that the Long Green Line of Dartmouth military alumni
continues to follow the trajectory of service, wherever it may lead.
DUSA’s inaugural event will be held on Veterans Day weekend November 9–10, 2013. You are
cordially invited to join us in Hanover for a week-end of award, discussions, lectures, home
football and hockey games, and comradeship with your fellow veterans. Details and payment
procedure can be found here.
Thanks for your interest. We look forward to your support and leadership in this effort to celebrate
Dartmouth’s military history and support our undergraduate and retired veterans and those who are
serving the Nation on active duty. Please contact Jim Weiskopf with questions.
With great appreciation for your service to your country, we are:
Lt (jg) Nathan L. Bruschi, D’10 NAVY, Executive Director
Major Christina Fanitzi, Tu ‘13 ARMY, Deputy Director
On August 13, 2013, the China Daily profiled Kesang Tashi ’70 who discusses his Tibetan beliefs
and how he became immersed in Tibetan culture while studying in the U.S. According to China
Daily, Tashi left a job on Wall Street to begin weaving Tibetan rugs. Tashi grew up in Lhasa in the
People’s Republic of China and currently lives in New Hampshire.
China Daily Article: Border man with a foot in both camps
Former Gov. John McKernan, R-Maine, is the new president of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce
Foundation, a nonprofit started at the beginning of this year. Since leaving Blaine House (Maine’s
governor’s mansion) in 1995, McKernan has dedicated himself to jobs and labor policy, one of the
foundation’s signature issues.
“We have millions of jobs in this country that are going unfilled, because we don’t have a
workforce that has the necessary skills,” he says.
One of the foundation’s programs, Hiring Our Heroes, has organized about 600 job fairs and helped
tens of thousands of veterans and military spouses find employment. The foundation has eight
divisions, including the Business Civic Leadership Center and some other organizations that were
independent entities before the foundation was created.
McKernan—who has also been named a senior adviser to chamber President and CEO Thomas
Donohue—is one half of one of Washington’s preeminent power couples. His wife, former Sen.
Olympia Snowe, R-Maine, retired from Congress in January and is now a senior fellow at the
Bipartisan Policy Center.
Born in Bangor, Maine, McKernan attended Dartmouth College and the University of Maine
School of Law before he won a seat in the Maine House of Representatives at the age of 24. In
1982, he was elected to Congress for the first of two terms, which he followed with a successful
gubernatorial run in 1986. When McKernan ascended to Blaine House, he became the first
Republican to occupy the two-story, hipped-roof mansion since John H. Reed lost his bid for
reelection in 1966. McKernan prevailed with 39 percent of the vote in a four-way race.
When McKernan took office in 1987, Maine had a hale and hearty economy. But the onset of a
regional recession and fiscal crisis midway through his first term made for a contentious reelection
battle, when he was challenged by then-Rep. Joseph Brennan, D-Maine, who happened to be a
former governor himself. McKernan won—but only barely. The final tally: 47 percent for
McKernan, 44 percent for Brennan, and 9 percent for an independent candidate.
The 65-year-old, who wrote a book in 1994 on youth apprenticeship, was most recently chairman
of Education Management, which owns more than 100 colleges. His predecessor at the U.S.
Chamber of Commerce Foundation, former Education Secretary Margaret Spellings, was named
president of the George W. Bush Foundation earlier this year.
This article appears in the October 12, 2013, edition of National Journal Magazine as People.
Class Classifieds Here’s a spot for you to advertise a vacation rental, your favorite cause, or any
other item of general interest to the class for which you would be willing to pay a small fee ($?)
which supports our Memorial Book Fund. The eNews reaches 650 classmates.
Class Officers and Executive Committee
President:
Jeff Demerath
VicePresident:
Mark
Heller
Secretary:
Bill Wilson
Treasurer:
David F.
Noyes
Wayne
Bardsley &
David Graves
Newsletter
Editor:
Steve Fox
Jeff Dahlman
45th
Reunion
Chair:
Hicks ‘Tex’
Morgan
Wayne
Osmond & Star
Johnson
Gift
Planning
Officer:
Jeff
Dahlman
Gary Miller
eNews
Publisher:
Gary Miller
Head Agents
Alumni
Council Rep:
MiniReunion
Chairs:
Class
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