Dear classmates, we’re officially now on the road to our 50th, as staggering and exciting an acknowledgement as that is. We’ll soon have a new College president, and we look forward to her addressing our class at the 50th. Welcome to our class president Naomi Baline Kleinman, whose experience and wisdom will help the class generate a memorable 50th. Joining Naomi as your class officers are Sharon Ali (VP, operations), Kipp Barker (VP, communications and official 45th reunion bear hugger)and John Pancoast (treasurer).Thank you for approving me as your class secretary. I will try to make this space as fun and informative as Sara Hoagland Hunter did so consistently. As a former newspaper and wire service editor, it’s all about the news. So here we go from the 45th reunion in June: Outgoing class president Stephen Melikian reports that the class panel moderated by David Shribman was excellent. Gary Love, Fern Bennett Phillips, and Andy Gettinger spokeabout their professional pivots. Gary [he of the amazing Gary Love ’76 Prize] went from being an entrepreneur to government service in San Francisco; Fern moved from corporate America to starting her own company, Little Big Farm Foods; and Andy jumped from anesthesiologist and professor at Dartmouth Hitchcock to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The meal highlight was Friday night at the dining hall formerly known as Thayer and now called Class of ’53 Commons. There was universal shock at how good the food was. The class memorial service, organized by Cindy Shannon led by Judy Burrows Csatari and Sharon Ali, was moving and important. In May Jennifer Kemeny gave a fab mini-reunion Zoom address with outstanding reminiscences of President Kemeny and our era delivered with affection, humor, and style. Jim Beattie planned this as a warmup to the June reunion and the 50-plus classmates who attended enjoyed a total treat. Jim and Martha Johnson Beattie were also giants at the reunion, hosting a breakfast for all the women of our class. In non-reunion news, Portland, Maine, architect and American Institute of Architects fellow Scott Simons travelled to Egypt last spring to help plan a campus from scratch for a new Egyptian Leadership Academy in El Gouna, a resort city on the Red Sea. As crotchety 60-somethings, we can all wonder about social media’s worth, but it is joyful to see active classmates such as Lynne Brooks skiing in Michigan and hiking the White Mountains, while Bruce York and his wife, Kim ’77, take on Whistler, Jackson Hole, and about every trail in the Cascades. Bruce also skied at least once in 91 consecutive months as of June. And in May they traveled to Scotland and Iceland. Please send me news at steve@stevebellcommunications.com and know that it doesn’t have to be a report on you conquering Everest or running through Death Valley with only a Kind bar and a beer. We’re interested in you and your lives because we’re classmates and friends. Reminder: For comprehensive reunion photos and general information, please go to our class Facebook page, “Dartmouth Class of 1976,” or class website, https://1976.dartmouth.org.

—Steve Bell, 15 Harbour Pointe, Buffalo, NY 14202; steve@stevebellcommunications.com