Foiled again! As fast and furiously as Jim Burns, Joe Jasinski, and I work to broaden coverage of our 900-plus cool classmates in the newsletter and on the class Facebook page and website, Louise Erdrich wins another award—this time the Pulitzer! Congratulations, Louise! The Night Watchman wasnamed America’s top work of literature this year, described as “a majestic, polyphonic novel.” (You know you’re not in the same league when you have to look up even the word used to describe a classmate’s Pulitzer!) I love that Louise publicly thanked professors Richard Corum, A.B. Paulson, and Brenda Silver. I also love that her Pulitzer for literature added to David Shribman’s for journalism may make us the first double-Pulitzer class in Dartmouth history. Go, ’76! A shoutout as well to Carol Vaughan Bemis, longtime board member of Graywolf Publishing, whose poet Natalie Diaz won this year’s Pulitzer for poetry.News comes from several we haven’t heard from in a while. Bill Kobokovich practices law in his native Maryland, leading the group that manages bad-faith litigation at Travelers Insurance. His wife, Carla, also a lawyer, works for Erickson Living, which develops and manages continuing care communities. Their daughter, Amanda, works for the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security helping countries prepare for and respond to pandemics. Their son, Zack, is a second-year law student at George Mason University. Rob Erickson is a pastor at Heritage Presbyterian Church in Alexandria, Virginia, his fifth church in 35 years of ministry. He sent a beautiful photo of his family, including his wife, Joan, and three sons from their son’s “micro-wedding,” featured and feted on Martha Stewart’s blog for its creativity during the time of Covid. My Cape Cod buddy Ben Ayres has retired from a teaching career that took him to Vermont, Fiji, Manhattan, Pennsylvania, and Massachusetts, in that order. In addition to a daily discipline of writing, reading, and walking his chocolate lab, Tobias, Ben has been called back into action by his wife, Amanda, a school administrator, to assist with field trips and a library redesign. Rick Zimmerman and Steve Melikian,our intrepid and effervescent reunion chairs, are plotting a warm and welcoming 45th. Save the dates: June 16-19! No diets, depilation, tucks, or toupees allowed. We love you just the way you are! As I write, we have had a rugged stretch, losing four stellar classmates: Peter Jeton, our North Star of character, compassion, and gratitude and the husband and soulmate of our own Nancy Kepes Jeton; Tom Souza,our wise, witty wordsmith and class historian; Dabney Hofammann, larger than life, affable outdoorsman and accomplished surgeon in his native Alabama; and Mark Stebbins, philanthropist, successful business owner, record-breaking All-American swimmer, two-year team captain, and beloved son of New Hampshire. You may read more about our shining stars on our class website or the Dartmouth Alumni Magazine website. If you would like to write their wonderful families, just let me know.

—Sara Hoagland Hunter, c/o DAM, 7 Lebanon St., Suite 107, Hanover, NH 03755; sarahunter76@gmail.com