Early Medalists
I always love the quadrennial recap of Dartmouth’s Winter Olympic success [“Enduring Legacy,” January/February]. Interestingly enough, the College’s winter sports medalists stretch back even further. In the 1920 Antwerp Summer Olympics, Massachusetts natives Leon Tuck, class of 1915, and George “Gerry” Geran, class of 1918, won silver for Team USA’s ice hockey squad in the late-April tournament. Tuck would later serve as Dartmouth’s coach, and Geran would play for the Boston Bruins, having earlier become the first American-born player in the NHL. Dartmouth and winter sports are inseparable—even in the summer.
JOSH HANNA ’94
Mill Valley, California
More Olympic Phenoms
Phenoms I enjoyed reading the article about all the amazing Dartmouth women who are cross-country skiers [“Chasing Glory,” January/February], but I was disappointed that Nina Kemppel ’92, Tu’05, wasn’t even mentioned. Nina was a phenom! She competed in four Olympics between 1992 and 2002 and won numerous other Nordic skiing titles. Seems like a serious oversight!
WILLIAM SAUPE ’74
Asheville, North Carolina
Thanks for the wonderful articles highlighting Dartmouth athletes’ Olympic pursuits. There is an amazingly rich history of skiing in the Upper Valley, including Dartmouth, Lebanon Outing Club, and the Ford Sayre Memorial Ski Council (which has Dartmouth roots). In my youth I remember chasing and admiring a couple of athletes with Dartmouth connections. One was Walter Malmquist ’78, Tu’88. Walter skied as both a Nordic combined skier and as a ski jumper at the 1976 and 1980 Olympics. The other was Jeff Hastings, Tu’90, who skied in the 1984 Olympics in ski jumping. Jeff skied to a fourth place on the large hill—the highest finish of any American in the modern ski jumping era.
TOM DODDS, MED ’82
Hanover
The various articles in the January/February issue regarding Dartmouth’s participation in past Winter Olympics and the preview of this year’s were wonderful, timely, and a testament to the enduring values I attribute to the culture of my alma mater. For the benefit of our historical record, I would like to note that Landis Arnold ’82 competed in ski jumping at the 1984 Sarajevo Winter Olympics, finishing 28th in the normal hill individual category. For those interested, a quick on-line search will reveal a lot more about him and his outdoor spirit that extended way beyond ski jumping.
BRIAN BANDLER ’85
Greenwich, Connecticut
Out of the War Zone
Thank you for publishing the story of the perilous journey of Omar Rashid ’29 from Gaza to Dartmouth [“From Gaza to the Ivy League,” January/February]. I’ve followed Omar and his friend Mohammed Herzallah’s near daily Instagram stories for several years with deep admiration for their ingenuity, humor, and resilience—whether they were finding a place to play soccer amid rubble or mourning their friend Medo Halimy, who was killed in an Israeli airstrike. I was thrilled when I learned that Omar was able to find a way out of a truly nightmarish life that no child or adolescent (or, frankly, any human being) should ever experience. I’ve never felt more proud to be affiliated with Dartmouth than to know that the College offered Omar a well-deserved path to safety, education, and ideally much more. I wish many other youth in Gaza could gain this same opportunity and am grateful to the Dartmouth community, including the advocacy of the Dartmouth Palestine Solidarity Coalition and the unnamed humanitarian agency referenced in the article, for what they made possible for Omar.
HANNA AZEMATI ’07
Oakland, California
I was stunned to read about the epic journey of Omar Rashid from Gaza to Dartmouth, as it follows so closely the journey of Omar Khayal, a character in my 2017 novel The Devil and Webster (which is set at fictional—though somewhat Dartmouth-like—Webster College). I can only hope Rashid’s experience will be very different from that of his fictional counterpart! I salute the dedication and bravery that have brought Rashid to Dartmouth and wish him nothing but the best.
JEAN HANFF KORELITZ ’83
New York City
An Unforgettable Influence David Downie’s tribute to the late professor Susan Blader struck home [“Her Lessons Echo Still,” January/February]. I recently received the 120-plus pages of rice paper letters that I had mailed home in 1986, during my Beijing summer with “Bai Laoshi.” Oh, the adventures she encouraged us to take! Oh, the opportunities she provided us! A good reminder that for many of us, it was the professors of Dartmouth that distinguished our college experiences from those of peers at other universities. Thank you for the walk down memory lane.
MARY M. FINEGAN ’86
Sacramento, California
Bai Laoshi filled my belly and heart with warmth and love that nourished me throughout my undergraduate years at Dartmouth and beyond. As a professor at Geisel Medical School and an adjunct professor in biology, I try to support my students with the same compassion and kindness that she gifted to me and my classmates.
DIANE GILBERT-DIAMOND ’98
Hanover
Voice in the Wilderness
I wish to compliment Sarah Jackson-Han ’88 [“Continuing Education,” November/December 2025] for her good efforts in trying to make our world a safer and more civil place—a big challenge. Some of her comments were very touching. As she said, complicated problems do not have simple solutions, but at least she is trying to make her voice heard in this wilderness of problems. Keep up the good work.
JOHN J. HEYN ’54
Pikesville, Maryland
Cover Up?
Are men still admitted at Dartmouth? All we seem to see are women on covers of DAM.
JOHN BARCHILON ’60
Estero, Florida
A Sweet Encounter
The touching article by Ty Burr ’80 on the friendship of Budd Schulberg ’36 and Maurice Rapf ’35 [“As Ever Your Best Friend,” January/February] brought to mind one of the most embarrassing, and one of the sweetest, encounters of my Dartmouth years. Perhaps as a contributor to The D, I was invited to a cocktail party in Mr. Schulberg's honor that was held in a fraternity house, probably in 1968 or ’69. As I recall, he arrived late, and by the time I got to meet him I was giddy from a drink too many, or two. I was also foolish. I told him that in the fall of 1965 I'd seen the Broadway production of What Makes Sammy Run starring Steve Lawrence, and that my date and I so hated it that we walked out at intermission. Rather than pop me in the nose or even just turn away, Mr. Schulberg told me, in a gentle voice and manner, that he had consulted on the show—could this grow any worse?—and that it got better in the second half.
But he also said he understood my reaction to the play, and he pinpointed the problem: Steve, he said, is a nice guy who wants everyone to like him, and he simply could not inhabit the role of Sammy Glick, an S.O.B. with no redeeming qualities. In short, the very opposite of Glick’s creator.
KEN PAUL '69
Roosevelt Island, New York
The Wrong Man
I was touched to read Ty Burr’s eloquent and personal story, “As Ever Your Best Friend” [January/February], about the friendship between my father, Maurice Rapf ’35, and Budd Schulberg ’36. However, I must point out that the picture identifying Budd, director Charles Reisner, and Maurice working on Winter Carnival incorrectly identifies the man on the left as my father. Unfortunately, I do not know who he is. Perhaps one of your readers can identify him.
JOANNA E. RAPF
Hanover
Editor’s Note:
An image in the January/February issue misidentified the man on the left due to incorrect information on an old publicity still. The man is Lester Cole, a writer on the film Winter Carnival, according to Rauner Special Collections Library.
Pong Panned
I see no redeeming value in beer pong now, neither in the article [“Paddle Tales,” March/April 2025; “Most Popular Stories from 2025,” DAM’s December newsletter], nor when I was an undergraduate.
There are many other ways to develop community and fraternal solidarity. Other ways exist to develop community and fraternal solidarity without becoming quasi unconscious. Current research states that even one glass of alcohol per day can be harmful. The better angels of our nature surely suggest that drinking as many as one can tolerate is a bit excessive.
Dartmouth offers many areas of fun-loving competition not requiring self-harm and regressive behavior as beer pong requires. How does beer pong fit in with Dartmouth’s philosophy of “teaching leadership through experiential learning…and personal growth” as well as its Wellness Education requirement? The article describes both student and administration concern about the risk of physical and psychological injury.
Personally, supporting the inspired current leadership of Dartmouth I wonder how beer pong fosters Dartmouth stated goals?
Toward that end what about using Dartmouth’s creative and innovative dialogue model for the October 7, 2023, invasion as a model for debating the merits of beer pong? Resolved: Dartmouth should continue beer pong despite contrary scientific evidence.
I know what I would say.
EDWARD W. BEAL, M.D. ’62
Bethesda, Maryland
Touchdown!
Hi there, DAM! I really enjoyed “Dartmouth vs. Harvard” [DAM online, October]. Lots of fun! I grew up very near Boston. My father went to Harvard, Harvard Law, and played football for Harvard. I applied to Harvard and was accepted… but I turned them down. I was recruited by Bob Blackman to play QB for Dartmouth and had a role in our 1962 and 1963 Ivy League championships. A thrill I carry to this day, decades later.
We always played at Harvard Stadium in those days, and we packed the place. The Boston Globe was always filled with coverage of the games. They once ran a cute story about how my mother would sit on the Dartmouth side of the stadium to support me and the team, but my father refused to do that. He sat on the Harvard side directly across the field, staunchly supporting his alma mater. I got a big kick out of all that! We won one and lost one in my years.
One last observation. Gotta say this. Today, I totally agree with the Reggie Williams quote about supporting Harvard in its battle with Trump and his gaggle of Hooples. Trump is trying to bully and punish that university just to show he can, and because he fears any educated, intelligent thought. I have also written to President Beilock with this opinion, urging her to stay strong and not capitulate to the evil that emanates from Trump. So there!
Anyway, your story on the historic rivalry is thoroughly a treat!
DANA KELLY JR. ’64
Los Angeles
