Class Note 1952
How are we doing? Several classmates have asked that question, so we did a little digging and this issue’s report is an update on the class of 1952. Actually, we’re doing pretty well. The numbers aren’t 100-percent accurate, but they’re close. We started in the fall of 1948 with 715 classmates (freshman Green Book) and, according to our most recent address list (updated to May 1), we are in touch with 248, plus 188 widows and partners. That means, at age 88-89, just a little more than one-third of our class (35 percent) is still listed—good bonding. Only 11 classmates have opted out, been tagged as “not interested,” after 71 years—not bad. We should note that there are another dozen classmates who have gone missing. That is, they have never been reported as deceased and they are not on the current address list. We did a little sleuthing and found that, in fact, at least two of them have passed on and three others are now listed with other classes. So, bottom line, roughly one-third of the class is ongoing and, we hope, in good health. We dug a little further to see how we have moved around since we first hit the Hanover plain. Considering just our living classmates, 28 percent of us live in the same state as when we first came to Dartmouth, many in the same city. This means 72 percent don’t! Where did we go? In 1948 73 percent came from New England and Middle Atlantic states. Today that number is down to 50 percent, but it is still impressive. When we first arrived in Hanover, only 8 percent came from the South or west of the Mississippi. Today that number is up to 38 percent. When we retire, we go where it is warm. By the way, math majors have probably already deduced that those who came from the central states pretty much stayed there. Also, we’re a domestic bunch; fewer than 1 percent have an international address. Your thoughts? We regret closing with the news that two of our most active classmates, Jonathan Walton and Robert Binswanger, have recently passed away.
—William Montgomery, 11 Berrill Farms Lane, Hanover, NH 03755; (603) 643-0261; wmontgod52@aol.com
