Class Note 1973
Many of us were just in Hanover!
Info gleaned at reunion will appear in the next issue, due to column timing.
A few classmates unable to attend reunion sent messages. The Paris Air Show presented a conflict for Jennifer Parser, who was a member of the North Carolina Department of Commerce delegation, since there is a large aviation-related industry in North Carolina; thanks, Wright Brothers! “Wishing you all the best, please extend my greetings to those who are there.”
Tom Parker sent word: “Regretfully, I will not make our class reunion. I have been elected chief justice of the Alabama Supreme Court and have just started my six-year term. I have my conference with all of my judges in the state at that time, so I am going to have to join all our classmates at the following reunion.” Tom was sworn in as chief justice in January, after serving as an associate justice since 2005. In his career Tom has served as the deputy administrative director of courts, general counsel for the trial courts, director of the Alabama Judicial College Alabama Administrative Office of Courts, and state assistant attorney general, and he is the founding executive director of the Alabama Family Alliance, now the Alabama Policy Institute, a conservative think tank.
Also unable to participate, Trevor Rees-Jones, who along with his wife, Jan, established the private Rees-Jones Foundation in 2006 that works with nonprofit organizations primarily in north Texas to defend the welfare of children suffering from abuse or neglect, afford relief to those facing mental health challenges, provide youth with opportunities for enrichment and character development, encourage healthy families and communities, enhance the lives of those dealing with disabilities, and promote the humane treatment of companion animals. The foundation also selectively supports U.S.-based international projects, such as CURE Clubfoot Ethiopia, which provides treatment for infants and toddlers with clubfoot throughout Ethiopia. A chance meeting occurred between Trevor and Thad King, who was on a bike excursion with a group of friends. “A real coincidence, running into Thad in a place in northern Ethiopia that’s about as remote a place in the world as you can find! Thad was a good friend at Dartmouth, it was great to see him! But, wow, what an unbelievable circumstance to run into anyone you know in KorKor, northern Ethiopia!” As our alma mater notes, ’round the girdled earth they roam.
Handbook of Strategic 360 Feedback, coedited by Dave Bracken, professor of graduate studies at Keiser University and principal at DWBracken & Associates in Atlanta, was published recently and is a definitive work on strategic 360 feedback. This approach to performance management is characterized by having content derived from the organization’s strategy and values, creating data sufficiently reliable and valid to be used for decision-making, integration with talent management and development systems, and being inclusive of all candidates for assessment.
Still time to contribute to the Alumni Fund to help the class reach its 50-percent participation goal. Any amount gratefully accepted.
—Val Armento, 227 Sylvan Ave., San Mateo, CA 94403; valerie.j.armento.73@dartmouth.edu
