Class Note 1961
Well the moment is finally arriving! Our 50th class reunion is just around the corner, from June 9-14. I hope all of you are planning to attend this gala event, planned and scheduled expertly over the past several years by Maynard Wheeler (50th reunion chairman), his many capable assistants, Rog McArt (class president) and the class executive committee. Obviously all of you will not be there, which will turn out to be a loss to the class, your classmates and to you. If you still have the option to rearrange your schedule, it will prove worthwhile to attend all or a portion of this event. Remember, this is our first, and last, 50th reunion.
Why make such a big deal about this reunion? Well, as I reflect back upon our class and the last 54 years since we matriculated, we have developed into a tightly knit and well-organized class of close friends and close acquaintances who truly care for one another. For a minority of you who have never been or are no longer involved with the class, I implore you to reconsider. The class both wants you and needs you and, I hope, the feeling can become mutual. For those many classmates who are no longer with us, I can only say to their widows, significant others and families that they will never be forgotten and that they will be remembered at this reunion with a special memorial service, to which all persons connected to deceased classmates are welcome.
The class of 1961 was one of the smaller classes of that decade, if not the smallest. We had to live with that, which always made it more difficult for our class to be statistically at the top of anything in the way of Dartmouth achievements. However, that deficiency through the years has only brought the class closer together to determine how to better deal with the problem.
As a result we have become a more active and more creative class. We were the first class to have formal off-campus mini-reunions (Washington, D.C., in 1989) and to develop the program successfully through the next 21 years with a total of 10 such successful off-campus reunions. We were the first class to be permitted to donate a statue (Robert Frost) to Dartmouth, which has become one of the most popular landmarks at the College. Our class to date has had five individual classmates awarded the prestigious Dartmouth Alumni Award. We have developed into a class with consistently very high contribution percentages each year to the Dartmouth Alumni Fund. Our class has developed and funded (nearly $1,000,000) the ’61 Legacy for the Performing Arts, one of the premier support groups for the performing arts program at Dartmouth.
Most importantly, however, our class has developed into a close-knit and cohesive group of classmates who care deeply for each other and are willing to assist when necessary and where appropriate. Dartmouth did not end after we graduated. This, my friends and fellow classmates, is the true legacy of our class. I know that I speak for many within our class when I thank our entire class for the experience. We may be a small class, but there are those of us who love it.
—Victor S. Rich, 5 Red Ground Road, Old Westbury, NY 11568; victor.rich@rsmi.com
