Fifty years ago, as thoughts of our first spring in Hanover entered our frozen visages, our world continued to change. On March 2, 1962, President Kennedy announced that the United State would resume above-ground nuclear testing. Protests erupted around the world. On April 23 The Daily D reported a confrontation that would come to characterize the 1960s: Forty pacifists, led by the late Anthony Graham-White, began a Hanover-to-Washington march to protest nuclear weapons and were picketed by other students. Two days later the United States detonated a nuclear device in an atmospheric explosion near Christmas Island. 


Cultural icons emerged. On March 7 the Beatles recorded their BBC Radio broadcast in Manchester. On April 10 the Dodgers played their first game in Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles. On April 16 Walter Cronkite became the anchor of CBS Evening News.


Our leaders started to emerge that spring. On April 3 class of ’65 debaters Brian Butler, Dale Beihoffer, Harry Miles and James Stanbery won first place in the novice division of the Ivy League debate tournament. A week later the class elected its officers for the next year. They were Pete Frederick, president; Punch Lochridge, VP; Mike Lewis, secretary; John Ferdico, treasurer; Tom Morton and Mike Lewis, Undergraduate Council members.


The class’s leadership tradition has continued. Brian Walsh moved back to Hanover 36 years ago. Since then he has devoted his talents to making the town and the College work and play well together. In addition to contributing to the local business community and founding several area companies, he served on the planning board beginning in 1977. For 16 years he was a selectman and selectboard chairman for Hanover. He used his position to strengthen the bond between Dartmouth and the community, recently spearheading the town-college alcohol task force to address the problems of binge drinking and sexual assault. In October Brian retired when his wife, Linda Pachett, retired from the Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center. He and Linda plan to go hiking and sailing, and he will continue his painting. His paintings were part of a show at the Howe Library in Hanover in November and December.


On Thursday, April 19, 1962, the College dedicated the Robert Frost Room in Baker Library. Frost donated the manuscript of his latest book, In the Clearing, to be held as part of the permanent collection. The next day we were welcomed to one of the most memorable events in our Hanover years. The great poet presented “A Lecture for the Class of 1965” in 105 Dartmouth Hall. Frost “said” his poems for us in what would be one of his last appearances. Our then-new class president, Pete Frederick, recently remembered with wonderful vividness his experience of 50 years ago in escorting the poet to Dartmouth Hall as one of the highlights of his academic career. I had never been much of a poetry reader before that day—since then I have relished it.


There’s still time to attend CarniVail, March 1-4 (contact Steve Waterhouse), and the mini-reunion in Williamsburg, Virginia, May 3-5 (contact Tucker Mays at 
tmays@optonline.net or 203-222-1719).


—Tom Long, 1056 Leigh Mill Road, Great Falls, VA 22066; (703) 759-4255; tomlong@erols.com