The days are getting longer.


As I write this column the Eastern seaboard is digging out from its fourth major snowfall and the mayor of Boston is advising residents to stay home so streets can be cleared. As you read this column the presumption is the snow is long gone. Not certain of the status of the lawsuit the news reported New Hampshire filed against Punxsutawney Phil. 


The Manhattan Theatre Club, under the leadership of executive producer Barry Grove, has grown during 45 years from a prolific off-off-Broadway venue into an acclaimed theater organization on Broadway in the Samuel J. Friedman Theatre on West 47th Street and the historic New York City Center complex on West 55th Street. It is committed to the creation of new plays and musicals, and presented the world premiere of The World of Extreme Happiness the same February night President Hanlon was in New York City. Advisory: The play is not about the College or alumni.


Leslie “Lee” Lowry, who was a few years behind me at Cornell Law, is with Jensen Baird Gardner & Henry in Portland, Maine, and represents clients in all aspects of real estate and land use planning, including securing municipal, state and federal regulatory approvals, acquisition and financing transactions, leasing, and title and conveyancing matters. He has worked on projects such as the Bangor Mall, Maine Mall, and a large variety of retail and residential developments. He is a past member of the City of Portland zoning board of appeals and is currently a member of the planning board.


Wesley Pugh, who obtained a master’s from Harvard and a doctorate from the University of Pennsylvania, is a professor of education at Cheyney University in Pennsylvania, the oldest degree-granting black college or university in the United States. He received the 2011 Lindback Distinguished Teaching Award. Wesley firmly believes, “Excellence can be found at any institution of higher education. The Ivy League does not have a lock on excellence!” He is highly regarded by his students, one of whom wrote in a thesis preface: “I salute you and appreciate your scholarship, encouragement and insightful questions. You are a gifted leader, but, more importantly, a wonderful human being.” Recall that this is the man who intercepted the football at a key moment and ran it back for enough yardage to give Dartmouth a chance to set up Ted Perry’s incredible field goal for the 1971 win against Harvard on its home turf.


You should receive the magazine with this column right around the time of the first official Dartmouth Alumni Day of Service, spearheaded by the newly established alumni service committee of the Alumni Council. If anyone has any experiences to share, please do so.


By now most everyone should have read at least some of the material related to Moving Dartmouth Forward, the plan to address high-risk behavior on campus and create a safe and inclusive environment for student living and learning. Whatever your view, please share your thoughts with the College.


—Val Armento, 227 Sylvan Ave., San Mateo, CA 94403; val.armento@alum.dartmouth.org