Class Note 1968
Issue
January-February 2021
I’ve always had incalculable pride in being a Dartmouth alumnus, but now after one year as your secretary I’ve learned that there’s even more in being a member of this particularly active, dedicated class of 1968. Each time I attend a class committee meeting or read committee correspondence, there’s additional evidence of our strength and purpose.
Most recently we learned that the Class Officers Association Executive Board (COAEB) and alumni relations each presented awards to our class at their 2020 virtual Volunteer Officer eXperience Conference. COAEB recognized us for our “Geezer Gifting Strategy” campaign encouraging IRA giving, and alumni relations gave us a VOX shout-out in recognition of our Frederick Douglass bust donation. We were the only class to receive multiple awards! Please see also the latest edition of editor Skip Waterhouse’sTransmission and president David Peck’s recent presidential message email for further proof of the singular accomplishments of our group!
Gary Hobin sent an update regarding his ambition to become a college professor. He got there in what he described as a roundabout way; he’s an assistant professor at the Army Command and General Staff College, where they’re teleworking from home, distancing, masking, and sanitizing for the new academic year. He enjoyed reading Philip Schaefer’s Dartmouth Veterans: Vietnam Perspectives and wondered whether our class might put together a similar perspective. I informed him of Ed Miller’s project, which has now been integrated into the College curriculum. Perhaps surprisingly, Gary has not yet been interviewed.
Richard Livingston provided a clarification regarding the credentials that appeared in the last notes. His collaboration with Catholic University actually ended seven years ago, and his main academic affiliation is with the University of Maryland. He’s been adjunct professor there since retiring from the U.S. Department of Transportation in 2007, and he’s also still a research associate at the National Institute of Standards and Technology.
Covid-19 was not the only threat to affect our class this past year. We learned recently from Bill Adler and John Blair that Ed Schneider lost his Napa Valley home to one of the raging wildfires in California, the Class Fire. Ed, his family, and his beloved dog are all safe and taking refuge at another of their residences. Your class committee has written to them to express our regrets and support.
Let’s close with some enjoyable memories and a research assignment. The amazingly learned and versatile David Soren, whom you should check out in Dick Olson’s 40th reunion book and whose new volume on the history of American popular entertainment is just out, teaches a pop culture course at the University of Arizona. His special guest next semester will be Ronnie Spector of the Ronettes, who sang at a mixer at the Hop in 1965. Ronnie wanted David to ask if any of us might have photos of that event that we could share with her. She’d love to have some memory of Dartmouth. Write to soren@arizona.edu. (Extra credit: Who was the surf band on the same show?)
—Jack Hopke, 157 Joy St., River Ridge, LA 70123; (504) 388-2645; jackhopke@yahoo.com
Most recently we learned that the Class Officers Association Executive Board (COAEB) and alumni relations each presented awards to our class at their 2020 virtual Volunteer Officer eXperience Conference. COAEB recognized us for our “Geezer Gifting Strategy” campaign encouraging IRA giving, and alumni relations gave us a VOX shout-out in recognition of our Frederick Douglass bust donation. We were the only class to receive multiple awards! Please see also the latest edition of editor Skip Waterhouse’sTransmission and president David Peck’s recent presidential message email for further proof of the singular accomplishments of our group!
Gary Hobin sent an update regarding his ambition to become a college professor. He got there in what he described as a roundabout way; he’s an assistant professor at the Army Command and General Staff College, where they’re teleworking from home, distancing, masking, and sanitizing for the new academic year. He enjoyed reading Philip Schaefer’s Dartmouth Veterans: Vietnam Perspectives and wondered whether our class might put together a similar perspective. I informed him of Ed Miller’s project, which has now been integrated into the College curriculum. Perhaps surprisingly, Gary has not yet been interviewed.
Richard Livingston provided a clarification regarding the credentials that appeared in the last notes. His collaboration with Catholic University actually ended seven years ago, and his main academic affiliation is with the University of Maryland. He’s been adjunct professor there since retiring from the U.S. Department of Transportation in 2007, and he’s also still a research associate at the National Institute of Standards and Technology.
Covid-19 was not the only threat to affect our class this past year. We learned recently from Bill Adler and John Blair that Ed Schneider lost his Napa Valley home to one of the raging wildfires in California, the Class Fire. Ed, his family, and his beloved dog are all safe and taking refuge at another of their residences. Your class committee has written to them to express our regrets and support.
Let’s close with some enjoyable memories and a research assignment. The amazingly learned and versatile David Soren, whom you should check out in Dick Olson’s 40th reunion book and whose new volume on the history of American popular entertainment is just out, teaches a pop culture course at the University of Arizona. His special guest next semester will be Ronnie Spector of the Ronettes, who sang at a mixer at the Hop in 1965. Ronnie wanted David to ask if any of us might have photos of that event that we could share with her. She’d love to have some memory of Dartmouth. Write to soren@arizona.edu. (Extra credit: Who was the surf band on the same show?)
—Jack Hopke, 157 Joy St., River Ridge, LA 70123; (504) 388-2645; jackhopke@yahoo.com