Fall at last and at Dartmouth the routines begin once again—another class matriculates, classes begin in earnest, the leaves are just beginning to show their colors and the Dartmouth green is busy again with touch football pickup games, Frisbees flying from all ends of the campus and dogs chasing tennis balls. And there’s even early speculation about a winning football season. Who could ask for more?


An even better, there is real news to report about two of our classmates—both from the world of arts and culture. First, John “Duke” Hart, already an award-winning producer of film and theater, just picked up his latest—a Tony for producing Once, a new musical based on the play of the same name. It’s an incredible work—even more appreciated by those of us who saw it in its early production run in Cambridge at the American Repertory Theatre.


John was up at Harvard last spring and Nancy and I had the chance to see firsthand his talent as the play was developed for its eventual Broadway run. The music and the acting are truly incredible and for those who want to see John’s image in real time, just go to the Tony website and click onto the Once award speech link. When it comes to producing, John is the real deal.


Next, I received a hand-written note (yes, can you believe that people still write personal hand-written notes?) from our own Susan Cory, who has just finished her first mystery novel, Conundrum, now available through Amazon and Barnes and Noble. According to Susan, “It’s about an architect (who could that be?) in Cambridge, Massachusetts (Susan went to Harvard Graduate School of Design) for her 20th graduate architecture school reunion.” Susan promises that since this is a series, Dartmouth may come up in the next plot. Congratulations, Susan.


Stay in touch, so do send those e-mails and handwritten updates in.


—Jim Bildner, 5 Boardman Ave., Manchester, MA 01944; (617) 495-6513; jim_bildner@harvard.edu