From the depths of the Grand Canyon and the frothy river rapids comes a note from Dave “Duke” Robertson.Together with Dick Cates ’74, Gregg Kelley ’74, Carrie Lowell, Doug Richmond, John Lowell, Diane Manning, Mark and Judy Thomas ’74, Carl Stoner, Tu’75, Anne Stockmar Upton ’76, and John Upton, he braved the descent into the Grand Canyon with Dartmouth banner and flag in tow, just in case there was any question about the origins of this determined crew. He writes, “We had an excellent time, except for Annie Upton, who slipped on rocks and suffered a fractured fibula. She administered herself first aid by standing in the river, which maintained a not-so-balmy 48 degrees thru the trip. Everybody took a turn in the ‘wet seat,’ absorbing the spray as our guide expertly motored the raft through the rapids and falls. No tip-overs for this trip, likely because the river is so low. A grand time was had by all and a few river-chilled beers were consumed.” Sadly, Scott Lochridge and Frank Crowley were sorely missed as they deprived the gang of their humor and stories.

Our fearless Dartmouth Alumni Council representative, Brent Douglass, sent a letter to all of us in late June highlighting his outing on campus at the most recent meeting of the council. Apparently, many of us had voiced concern at the recent decline in overall success of the intercollegiate athletic program. According to Brent, interim director Peter Roby ’79 provided a thorough and very credible presentation regarding the status of Dartmouth athletics. Mr. Roby was very clear in expressing his own concerns (similar to those shared by some of you) regarding recent trends in the performance of Dartmouth athletic teams and shared his thoughts about why this has happened. There is now much optimism about the future as Mike Harrity (formerly of the U.S. Military Academy at West Point and the University of Notre Dame) has been named the new athletic director.

Finally, news has arrived that James Howard Reynolds III has authored a new book, A Traveler’s Guide to the Highway Geology of Iceland: A Geologist’s View from the Road of Iceland’s Volcanic, Glacial, and Shoreline Features. I have been to Iceland on a few occasions and look forward to seeing it through the eyes of someone who likely knows what they were looking at.

Vox clamantis in Tejas.

—Stephen D. Gray, 3627 Avenue M, Galveston, TX 77550; (650) 302-8739; fratergray@gmail.com