The 1968 - 2018 Class Connections Program

Summer in Hanover is a very special time of year; beautiful weather, generally mild temperatures and the presence of a Sophomore Class with all the energy and enthusiasm of being together on the idyllic campus at that time of year.

Please join us as we co-sponsor with the ‘18s a luncheon barbecue during Summer Family Weekend. Saturday, July 30th, from 11:30am to 1:30pm on the patio and terrace of Collis. Meet and mingle with the sophomores and their parents, brothers and sisters. Gain an insight into their Dartmouth experience, and share with them the memories and perspectives of your Dartmouth experience. Wives, family members and significant others are more than welcome; after all, this is Summer Family Weekend.

Please contact John Engelman <john.engelman@dartmouth.edu>  if you will be participating. Thanks, we hope to see many of you back in Hanover on July 30th.

 On May 2nd, which was a picture-perfect spring day in Hanover, the Class of 1968 co-sponsored a barbecue lunch with the Class of 2018. The occasion was the First Year Family Weekend at Dartmouth, which saw over 1000 family members journey to the College to spend time with their freshmen sons and daughters to get a sense of what their tuition money had been going for during the past 8 months. Representing our class were Peter Fahey, John Engelman, John Everett, Wells and Sue Chandler, Bill Rich, Bill Clark, Gerry Bell, Ron Weiss, Mark Waterhouse and Leslie Cosgrove, and Terry and Susan Lichty. (Terry and Susan were in Hanover to celebrate the 50th anniversary of their first meeting at a Choate Road dorm on May 2, 1965).

 We spent a couple of hours enjoying the barbecue and mixing with the ‘18s and their families.  Many of the parents and students were interested in how Dartmouth had changed in the intervening 50 years, and of course the greatest change was the presence of undergraduate women at the College. But in comparing our undergraduate experience to the current experience, we marveled at the opportunities that this generation of Dartmouth students have that we lacked: extensive foreign study programs, internships, research opportunities, and facilities that we could only dream of.  We also were asked about what life was like in the turbulent sixties – student activism, anti-war protests, politics in that era and how it impacted campus life.

 Finally, it is important to note how enthusiastic the students and their parents were about their Dartmouth Experience thus far; and many were effusive about the Class Connections Program, noting how much they enjoyed the meals at the Second College Grant, and the distribution of class pins at the lobster dinner during orientation week. Clearly, this program has had a positive impact on both the students and the parents, and we look forward to sharing with the ‘18s, (and by extension, with their families), more activities and opportunities for interactions in the coming years. Among future activities were are contemplating are a tailgate picnic prior to a home football game in the fall, a sophomore summer event at the Mooselauke Ravine Lodge (sort of a re-creation of Freshmen Trips), receptions and mentoring opportunities during the ‘18s off-terms (in cities such as NYC, Boston, San Francisco, DC, etc.), occasional breakfast meetings during the academic year, and a barbecue for the 18s and their families during our 50th Reunion. If any ‘68s have suggestions for other activities, please contact me, or any of your class officers.

On the morning of Saturday, Feb. 7th at 10am Dartmouth students will be getting ready for a full day of Winter Carnival activities, and the Class of 1968 will be holding a class meeting in Zimmerman Lounge of Blunt Alumni Center.  All classmates are encouraged to attend.

 That afternoon, at 2pm, a Class Connections Program with the Class of 2018 will take place in the Top of the Hop, focused on the History of Winter Carnival. Professor-emeritus Jere Daniell ’55 will present a history of Winter Carnival, followed by ‘68s who will reminisce about their Carnival experiences.  We hope many of you will find time to come to Hanover to participate in this program. There will be refreshments – hot chocolate, hot cider, donuts, cookies and other munchies – along with an opportunity to meet and mingle with the Class of 2018. Anyone who has Carnival photos or souvenirs from our era are encouraged to bring them. We’ll also dig some up items from Rauner Special Collections Library.

 This could be a lot of fun and an opportunity to wallow in nostalgia.  No ski jump anymore, but there are women’s basketball and hockey games scheduled for both Friday and Saturday. We hope many of you will make the trip to Hanover for the Class Meeting and the Class Connections Program. If you plan on being there, it would be helpful if you would let me know.

John Engelman

As part of the Class Connections Program that pairs our class with the Class of 2018 for the four years they are at the College, (and perhaps beyond), we will be giving each member of that class a Class Connections Pin that will symbolize the connection between our two classes. We have been invited to join the Class of 2018 for a dinner at the Class of ’53 Commons (formerly Thayer Hall), on Wednesday, Sept. 10th, hosted by President Hanlon and his wife. We will distribute the pins as the ‘18s go through the buffet line, and then sit with them as we all eat dinner. This will give us the opportunity to speak with them and engage them in a conversation about the program and the College.

If you can possibly make it to Hanover on September 10th please do so.  Bring your spouses. You will not only have the chance to meet the next generation of Dartmouth undergraduates, but you’ll be able to enjoy a relaxing dinner, spend some time with other classmates, and begin a process that will culminate with our 50th reunion and the graduation of the Class of 2018.

The 1968-2018 Class Connections Program will kick off shortly after the arrival of the first members of the Class of 2018 on campus in late August.  As they depart for their Freshmen Trips, the Class of 1968 will be preparing to greet them at the 2nd College Grant, just north of Errol, NH. The plan is to cook dinner for trips as they cycle through the Grant from August 25th until September 7th.  We will not be providing dinner for every trip that travels through the Grant, but each evening we will greet and feed a different group of 12-20 bright-eyed and eager ‘18s, and their trip leaders.

I would like to organize this effort in the following manner:  We will need volunteers (classmates and spouses) in groups of 6-10 people to essentially spend 4 days and 3 nights at the Grant.  Each group will arrive around noon on their first day, provide the meal for the next three evenings, and depart around noon on the 4th day, when the next group of volunteers arrives.  We will be residing in the Management Cabin that can accommodate up to a dozen people. Amenities will be limited – no hot water (piped-in running water has to be heated on the gas stove), no internet or cell phone coverage, etc., but there is an indoor toilet and washroom.

During the day there will be plenty of free time to enjoy the beauty of the area – hiking, fishing, kayaking/canoeing, biking, and other activities that you may want to engage in.  We will be near the White Mountains and the mountains of northwestern Maine, the Appalachian Trail, Umbagog and Rangeley Lakes, and Bethel, Maine.   We will also be looking for other ways to interact with the tripees -- to share our perspectives and experiences with them, perhaps bring in guest speakers to talk about the Grant, outdoor programs, the history of the College, etc.

Jack Noon, John Everett, David Walden, and Bill Clark (and his wife Linn) have agreed to head up this effort.  So here is what I need from you, especially any classmate who has experience at the Grant, is a former Cabin & Trail/DOC member, or who just loves the out-of-doors and Dartmouth.  I have divided the dates into 4 blocks, and if you are interested in participating, please select one (or more) of these dates and let me know of your willingness to join other classmates in welcoming the Class of 2018 to the College.