Hail, noble ’72s, far and wide!


As I compose this, here in Hanover the holidays are just concluding and even now there is only the slightest trace of snow under foot. Our students and staff are away, creating an almost ghostly respite from the hustle and bustle of academe. At nightfall the words of Dartmouth’s “Twilight Song” come to life: “Softly now the evening twilight Thro’ the trees is stealing down, And the evening blush is falling O’er the College and the town.” It’s an almost spiritual experience few of us are blessed to share.


And so begins the New Year, which I hope will be kind to everyone. Best of all, our 40th reunion is just around the corner! Fuzzy Thurston and your reunion team are putting the finishing touches on what will be an outstanding three-day gathering, an event truly not to be missed, an excuse, nay, a reason to drop everything and head to Hanover in June. Road trip!


More reunion details will be forthcoming on a regular basis as June approaches, but we need to know how many classmates may be coming as soon as possible so we can plan our events accordingly. Truly, the more the merrier! 


You’ve probably already caught on that the Blues Brothers has emerged as the impromptu theme of our reunion, so with emphasis on our Friday evening dinner and entertainment at Collis Common Ground I invite you to dig through your closets, hit up the local thrift store or otherwise pilfer, purchase or purloin appropriate apparel. I think we’ll pass on the pyrotechnics and the car chases, but the rest is, well, negotiable? And to keep us in the mood, brother John Rockwell is already hard at work assembling tunes appropriate to the occasion for our tent. 


Just a few news bits about classmates this time around. Former N.H. congressman and still musical guru Paul Hodes has been nominated by President Obama to the National Council on the Arts, the 14-member council that oversees the National Endowment for the Arts. He’s awaiting Senate confirmation following an exhaustive vetting process. Since leaving office Paul has been doing some consulting in New Hampshire and Washington, D.C., and has recently founded a not-for-profit political advocacy and messaging organization, the Economic Innovation Institute. Kudos on both fronts, Paul! 


Joe Davis has reminded me, and I apologize for having overlooked this until now, that our esteemed classmate Wade Judge has a son in the class of 2012, Clark, who is the president of the Dartmouth men’s rugby club. Clark is among five Dartmouth men named this year to the USA Rugby Men’s National College Academic Honor Roll. Dartmouth had the most selections of any school in the country. First played in 1877 on the Green, Dartmouth rugby has become an international powerhouse. Their new Corey Ford Rugby Clubhouse is a “must see” when you come back for our reunion in June! 


Until next time, best wishes always in green!


—Lauren “Duff” Cummings, P.O. Box 580, Hanover, NH 03755-0580; lauren.cummings@ dartmouth.edu