At our Commencement a while ago, President Kemeny gave us our marching orders. If you listened carefully, the sound of a creaking door of wisdom opened and we had a brief look inside the glowing soul of our class. Somewhere in there were the phrases “to make this a better world, a more compassionate world, for all of us.” And many of us have taken these words to heart and action! In this vein, the ’81 executive committee has created an award named after President Kemeny to honor those members of the class who have applied their talents to uphold the spirit of these words. Lisa Robinson Spader and Marshall Brown are the recipients of the inaugural Class of 1981 John G. Kemeny awards. The awards will be presented officially at a buffet breakfast at the Hanover Inn 9 a.m. Saturday, October 21 (Homecoming Weekend). Lisa is the cofounder and president of Global Pearls, whose mission is to empower local change-makers in developing countries. Partners are in Guatemala, Honduras, Peru, Morocco, Cameroon, Kenya, India, Ukraine, and Nepal. Marshall is a social entrepreneur who focuses on habitat restoration, environmental improvements, and building sustainably. He works in New York at Spadefoot Design and Construction, where he focuses on improving the shared common aspects of communities, such as rivers, bays, and community natural spaces.

Some other classmates are literally marching. Chip Bettencourt started his pursuit of the 48 White Mountain 4,000-foot peaks on Moosilauke on a foggy, rainy, chilly (sound familiar?) June day. He came up with a brilliant idea for a mini-reunion July 31-August 1 at Ravine Lodge; details on the class page or in the class newsletter. It will include a night’s stay, ’tails and meals, and a chance to climb the mountain or just hang out and linger a while. Tracy Bennett scored the hat trick of Caminos (the Madrid, the San Salvador, and the Primitivo) and says there is more in the tank for the Via de la Plata, starting in Seville in April.

The Rev. Nancy Milholland is shooting to score a different kind of hat trick on the ice with her tournament hockey team. She met up with the Hon. Janice Ellis in Seattle at the Kraken practice ice complex. Lawyer Chris Toll sends salutations to all “afflicted with law degrees” and asks for you to sign up for membership in the Dartmouth Lawyers Association (DLA) and consider coming to the DLA winter meeting at Snowbird, Utah, Jan 25-28, 2024. Even if you are not a DLA member or afflicted with a law degree, all are encouraged to take advantage of the ski trip. Inquire at DLA.org.

There is a wonderful campaign to honor coach Buddy Teevens ’79 by breaking the record for Dartmouth football season ticket sales for the upcoming season. If you are so inclined, please join in through the athletic department.

Stay safe and engaged.

—Emil Miskovsky, P.O. Box 2162, North Conway, NH, 03860; emilmiskovsky@gmail.com; Ann Jacobus Kordahl, P.O. Box 470443, San Francisco, CA 94147; ann@annjacobus.com