Class Note 1978
Issue
September-October 2021
I feel a keen sense of loss at the recent news that the College is selling the license of WFRD-FM. The station went on the air February 19, 1976. In the inaugural broadcast, Richard Mark ’77 described WFRD as “a radio station fought for, built, and manned completely by Dartmouth students.” We were present at the creation, but the station will be a memory by our next reunion.
Jordan Roderick worked around-the-clock for weeks to make sure the FM studios on the third floor of Robinson were completed in time. “I feel amazingly lucky to have been at the station during our time together,” he writes, adding: “I have a hard time getting worked up over the sale of WFRD or the state of Dartmouth Broadcasting. Radio, as we practiced it, hasn’t existed in quite a while. On the other hand, the democratization of media means everybody gets to be their own general manager! I’ll bet that the 18-year-olds on campus today are burning the midnight oil on a whole array of fun things.”
“Radio was fabulous in rural New Hampshire at a time of media scarcity,” recalls Peter Hirshberg. “Everything was opportunity.” But times have changed. “When we were there we had practically a captive market. Today students are plugged into whatever their iPhones are playing. Likewise, as content creators we had only one other option: The Daily D. Today Dartmouth creatives are prolific on YouTube, TikTok, and podcasts.”
Peter and Jordan (just one letter away from a legendary ’60s musical group!) are absolutely right. If age teaches you anything, it is that nothing is permanent. Time moves on, but those of us who were there to witness WFRD’s birth will continue to cherish the memories.
I caught up with Jim Newman on a recent edition of “D78 Conversations.” (Check out the video in the “Classmate News” section of our class website.) He lives in Monterey, California, and teaches at the Naval Postgraduate School, “where we teach mid-career military officers about space.” Who better to teach them than a former astronaut who rode the rocket on four shuttle missions and spent 43 days in space? Jim is also conducting research in the field of cube-sats, which are cube-shaped nanosatellites, 4 inches to a side. “We put very interesting payloads in them; for example, Planet Labs, where they stack three of these together with a telescope in one end and put a bunch of them in orbit around the earth. They’re actually trying to image the earth every day.” There are now hundreds of these tiny satellites in space, and the number is growing. Good luck trying to keep track of them, Jim!
Sad to report that John Kreider passed away on May 19 at the Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center. He was 65 and had suffered longstanding heart issues. On behalf of the class, I want to express condolences to his family. Look for a remembrance of John on the class website: http://1978.dartmouth.org/in-memoriam.
Send news!
—Rick Beyer, 1305 S. Michigan Ave., #1104, Chicago, IL 60605; rickbeyer78@gmail.com
Jordan Roderick worked around-the-clock for weeks to make sure the FM studios on the third floor of Robinson were completed in time. “I feel amazingly lucky to have been at the station during our time together,” he writes, adding: “I have a hard time getting worked up over the sale of WFRD or the state of Dartmouth Broadcasting. Radio, as we practiced it, hasn’t existed in quite a while. On the other hand, the democratization of media means everybody gets to be their own general manager! I’ll bet that the 18-year-olds on campus today are burning the midnight oil on a whole array of fun things.”
“Radio was fabulous in rural New Hampshire at a time of media scarcity,” recalls Peter Hirshberg. “Everything was opportunity.” But times have changed. “When we were there we had practically a captive market. Today students are plugged into whatever their iPhones are playing. Likewise, as content creators we had only one other option: The Daily D. Today Dartmouth creatives are prolific on YouTube, TikTok, and podcasts.”
Peter and Jordan (just one letter away from a legendary ’60s musical group!) are absolutely right. If age teaches you anything, it is that nothing is permanent. Time moves on, but those of us who were there to witness WFRD’s birth will continue to cherish the memories.
I caught up with Jim Newman on a recent edition of “D78 Conversations.” (Check out the video in the “Classmate News” section of our class website.) He lives in Monterey, California, and teaches at the Naval Postgraduate School, “where we teach mid-career military officers about space.” Who better to teach them than a former astronaut who rode the rocket on four shuttle missions and spent 43 days in space? Jim is also conducting research in the field of cube-sats, which are cube-shaped nanosatellites, 4 inches to a side. “We put very interesting payloads in them; for example, Planet Labs, where they stack three of these together with a telescope in one end and put a bunch of them in orbit around the earth. They’re actually trying to image the earth every day.” There are now hundreds of these tiny satellites in space, and the number is growing. Good luck trying to keep track of them, Jim!
Sad to report that John Kreider passed away on May 19 at the Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center. He was 65 and had suffered longstanding heart issues. On behalf of the class, I want to express condolences to his family. Look for a remembrance of John on the class website: http://1978.dartmouth.org/in-memoriam.
Send news!
—Rick Beyer, 1305 S. Michigan Ave., #1104, Chicago, IL 60605; rickbeyer78@gmail.com