Class Note 1964
Issue
March-April 2020
Bob Bartles contributes a Robert Frost thought, excerpted from one of his beautiful poems.
“But false hopes are what winter sells
When March begins her lies
And that first day of sweet sunshine
Is not when Winter dies.”
A poet’s talent or creativity and leadership are equally important but measured on different scales.
Ron Schram, a former member of Palaeopitus, tells us, “Leadership does not come naturally. It requires a number of skills and, like throwing a football or playing a musical instrument, those skills can be learned and definitely should be taught.”
Our class members of Palaeopitus all say they learned on the job from each other. Ron goes on to say, “We could have been so much more effective (as undergraduates and later in life) if we had been taught the leadership skills we needed: how to motivate a group, train teammates to be leaders themselves, compromise, organize a meeting, negotiate, network, communicate effectively in writing and orally, in small groups or before large gatherings.”
As Ron points out, “Dartmouth historically has not taught leadership skills. The College is academically committed to addressing the most complex problems facing society but recommended policies are not enough to solve these problems. We need a cadre of people who have the leadership skills to motivate a team to put these policies in action. Otherwise all we have is academic solutions and not real changes that make a difference in people’s lives.”
As chair of the Rockefeller Center’s board of visitors Ron led a process to develop a white paper on leadership that outlined a comprehensive four-year program of leadership training for all undergraduates.
Hunt Whitacre reminds us that our class has proudly led the effort to bring leadership instruction to Dartmouth through its funding efforts and the work of Ron Schram and Fritz Corrigan, among others.
Our next column will focus on innovation and creativity. Send in your thoughts and tell us about your original ideas and accomplishments.
—Jay Evans, 274 New Aldrich Road, Grantham, NH 03753; gjevans222@gmail.com
“But false hopes are what winter sells
When March begins her lies
And that first day of sweet sunshine
Is not when Winter dies.”
A poet’s talent or creativity and leadership are equally important but measured on different scales.
Ron Schram, a former member of Palaeopitus, tells us, “Leadership does not come naturally. It requires a number of skills and, like throwing a football or playing a musical instrument, those skills can be learned and definitely should be taught.”
Our class members of Palaeopitus all say they learned on the job from each other. Ron goes on to say, “We could have been so much more effective (as undergraduates and later in life) if we had been taught the leadership skills we needed: how to motivate a group, train teammates to be leaders themselves, compromise, organize a meeting, negotiate, network, communicate effectively in writing and orally, in small groups or before large gatherings.”
As Ron points out, “Dartmouth historically has not taught leadership skills. The College is academically committed to addressing the most complex problems facing society but recommended policies are not enough to solve these problems. We need a cadre of people who have the leadership skills to motivate a team to put these policies in action. Otherwise all we have is academic solutions and not real changes that make a difference in people’s lives.”
As chair of the Rockefeller Center’s board of visitors Ron led a process to develop a white paper on leadership that outlined a comprehensive four-year program of leadership training for all undergraduates.
Hunt Whitacre reminds us that our class has proudly led the effort to bring leadership instruction to Dartmouth through its funding efforts and the work of Ron Schram and Fritz Corrigan, among others.
Our next column will focus on innovation and creativity. Send in your thoughts and tell us about your original ideas and accomplishments.
—Jay Evans, 274 New Aldrich Road, Grantham, NH 03753; gjevans222@gmail.com