Class Note 1961

In June the class of 1961 reached a milestone with its 50th reunion. The reunion was an outstanding success. The integration and flow of so many outstanding events strung together across a five-day period was “the” single highlight and it was the people, mostly our many classmates, who made it all happen. 


The more significant public events included attending graduation on Sunday with the class of 2011, where two highly respected classmates, Ron Boss and Mike Gazzaniga, received honorary degrees and where Conan O’Brien delivered a superb Commencement address. On Monday there was a symposium on future healthcare delivery, chaired and moderated by President Kim and including classmate panelists Charlie Francis, Mike Jenkins and John King because of their expertise and experience in the medical care delivery field.


Outstanding class-sponsored events included symposiums and forums conducted by several talented classmates or their spouses: Duane Cox led two sessions of the ever-popular Passages session; Steve Bosworth and Mike Gazzaniga (and his daughter) conducted forums in their respective fields of expertise (world politics and the science of the brain, respectively); Bob Naegele conducted a forum on the significance and importance of religious faith at Dartmouth and in life; David Birney and Michele Roberge presented A.R. Gurney’s Love Letters as an incredible gift dedicated to the class of 1961 Legacy for the Performing Arts; Tony Horan delivered a terrific rendition of Dutton Forster’s original “The Sachem Oration Part II: 50 Years Later”; Oscar Arslanian managed his duties as MC and as the keeper of the Tanzi plaque award with his usual skill and aplomb; Terry Rogers and Dave Prewitt skillfully led the perennial reunion auction to raise additional money for the class Legacy for the Performing Arts; Ron Wybranowski produced a terrific display from six talented artists from our class; Jim Watson, Gim Burton, Pitts Willard, Terry Rogers, Glen Gemelli, Steve Dale, Bruce Johnson, Ford Daley and his Foggy Mountain Boys all contributed either vocally or instrumentally to several musical events throughout the reunion; Jim Baum, along with Tom Conger, Jim Watson, Tom Dalglish and Frank Ginn, edited and produced an outstanding 50th reunion book (Paths We’ve Taken) for our class; Nyla Arslanian, who represented the women of our class, edited and produced The Herstory of Dartmouth 1961, a slimmed-down female equivalent of Paths We’ve Taken; Patti Rich and Nyla moderated a successful forum of ’61 women; Vic Rich produced and distributed to all ’61 reunion attendees a music CD, Songs From Our College Years, 1957-1961, consisting of 25 period rock-’n’-roll songs and four Dartmouth classics; Pete Bleyler gracefully accepted his well-deserved Outstanding Alumni Award; Pete Synnott received an award from the class for his outstanding dedication to our class and perseverance under adversity; Tom Conger played MC at the closing dinner with finesse in his introduction of former dean Thad Seymour, invited guest; finally, the Rev. George Bland and Duane Cox guided the class through a memorial service for our 105 departed classmates.


Thank you, Maynard Wheeler, 50th reunion chairman, and Roger McArt, class president, and your respective supportive wives, Sandy and Sandy, and all of the other many, many other classmates who assisted in orchestrating a lifetime remembrance for all of the approximately 225 classmates who attended and participated in the best reunion our class ever had and ever will have.


—Victor S. Rich, 5 Red Ground Road, Old Westbury, NY 11568; victor.rich@rsmi.com