If I begin by informing you that I recently found the Hanover Inn fully booked 10 months in advance for the third week of June 2023—you should conclude that your 55th reunion planning needs to start immediately. The dates are June 12-15. Key organizers have been named: John Engelman is chair, Norm Silverman is treasurer, and Dan Hedges and Linc Eldredge are committee members. Your organizational assistance is eagerly solicited. Write to john.engelman.68@gmail.com to enlist and propose activities. Early suggestions include a book discussion, a memorial service, a class meeting to include officer elections, tours of new buildings, a “Give A Rouse” awards dinner, an address by President Beilock, a performance by the very rockin’ Peter Wonson’s Better Days Band, special-interest presentations, projections about the College’s future, and much more.

In the more immediate future, we’ll have a Homecoming mini-reunion in Hanover on Saturday, October 29 that will include a class meeting, pregame tailgating, football vs. Harvard, and a class dinner. To quote Bon Jovi’s reply to Thomas Wolfe, “Who says you can’t go home?”

Much of the time of your class representatives has been occupied lately with merging the elements of a substantial treasury, the passing of time, our already actively demonstrated interest in supporting the arts, and our dedication to the College’s presence in creative undertakings. We have responded with the formation of the Class of 1968 Arts Legacy Committee. This entity, along with its budget committee, will allot a significant percentage of class funds annually for 15 years to underwriting works in the fine and visual arts, music, performance arts, education, and other related fields to be placed or staged at or publicly related to Dartmouth and its arts facilities and organizations. The nine original members of the committee are Roger A. Anderson, Dave Gang, Cedric Kam, Don Marcus, Mark Waterhouse, Ron Weiss, Eric Hatch, Peter Werner, and myself, with David Peck and Jim Lawrie serving ex officio. More members will be added later. Again, your participation and suggestions for projects to be supported or acquired for donation, personal donations, and leads to outside sources of funding are most welcome. We’re very excited about this beginning and there’s much still to be arranged and decided, so we hope you’ll participate in developing this activity by attending class meetings and reunions and by reading more details in The Transmission.

Correspondence from Canada: Classmate Glenn Cranker started out with us back in 1964 in premed, switched to prelaw, and rather quickly found his place practicing international law for 40 years with a large firm in Montreal. He’s retired now, and he wrote from his 150-year-old farmhouse in Knowlton, Quebec, which serves him as a convenient base for gardening, cross-country skiing, kayaking, and hiking. Lockdown? What lockdown?

Now a nod for editorial consultation goes to Gerry Bell, whose latest novel under the pseudonym Adah Armstrong is an entertaining detective whodunit titled Return the Favor. Get it now on Amazon.

—Jack Hopke, 157 Joy St., River Ridge, LA 70123; (504) 388-2645; jackhopke@yahoo.com