Class Note 1982
Issue
January-February 2025
Someone came through with news! Trigger warning—there’s a connection to the just past election, and in our divided age, who wants that in an alumni column?! But hold your horsies. Regardless of party affiliation, many of us are out there knocking on doors and attending fundraisers during election season. Classmate Tee Lotson took it a step further—into the realm of adventure. Here we go!
A mere two weeks before the Democratic Convention in Chicago, Tee decided to work the event. Having enjoyed a similar gig at the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta, she thought it would be worthwhile. It was immediately clear that housing was problematic—rooms were either astronomically expensive or required transportation. Who else but a fellow ’82 could save the day?! Classmate and Chicago resident J.J. Hanley agreed to put Tee up for eight days. So with a bed and a flight, Tee set off.
Tee served as a “speaker tracker” with top-level security credentials, responsible for every detail that makes a successful speech, from arrival at rehearsal to returning speakers to their families after they talk. She worked from 10 to 1 a.m. almost every day and saw the incredibly generous and gracious J.J. only occasionally in passing but had time to take her to dinner once. It was intense but Tee learned tons and made a host of new friends, of course. Here are her takeaways for future ’82 conventioneers, in no particular order.
Follow the music to your free concert. Tee caught James Taylor rehearsing, even though his bit was cut, and was inches away from John Legend, Stevie Wonder, Pink and her daughter, and Patti LaBelle. Bring snacks or you’ll be gnawing on furniture. For the first few days nothing is open and there’s nowhere to buy food. Souvenirs are pricey. The good deals are farther from the venue. Political pins are a big deal! Grab ’em when you see ’em because you might not see ’em again. Political groupies are real. They’re just like sports groupies. People were stunned she knew nothing about some speakers, and she was stunned they knew nothing about sports figures. To each his geek space, I say. Other Dartmouth alums will be there as delegates, behind-the-scenes operators, journalists, news reporters, local officials, or influencers. Not surprisingly, Tee met them all. Jake Tapper ’91 was continually on the air in his booth, or she would have accosted him as well to say hello. Internet content creators are today’s rockstars. She witnessed young people losing it over them as a previous generation did The Beatles. Finally, it was fantastic, and she highly recommends it. Would she do it again? Yes, with training in advance. It was physically taxing and left her limping afterward. But witnessing our democracy in action was worth it. The limp was gone in days but the lessons learned are forever.
Finally, I’m saddened to report that we lost classmate, Phillip Montgomery (Phillip Wilson at Dartmouth) recently. An obituary is forthcoming.
—Philippa M. Guthrie, 2303 Woodstock Place, Bloomington, IN 47401; (812) 325-7512; philippaguthrie@yahoo.com; David Eichman, 9004 Wonderland Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90046; dme4law@sbcglobal.net
A mere two weeks before the Democratic Convention in Chicago, Tee decided to work the event. Having enjoyed a similar gig at the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta, she thought it would be worthwhile. It was immediately clear that housing was problematic—rooms were either astronomically expensive or required transportation. Who else but a fellow ’82 could save the day?! Classmate and Chicago resident J.J. Hanley agreed to put Tee up for eight days. So with a bed and a flight, Tee set off.
Tee served as a “speaker tracker” with top-level security credentials, responsible for every detail that makes a successful speech, from arrival at rehearsal to returning speakers to their families after they talk. She worked from 10 to 1 a.m. almost every day and saw the incredibly generous and gracious J.J. only occasionally in passing but had time to take her to dinner once. It was intense but Tee learned tons and made a host of new friends, of course. Here are her takeaways for future ’82 conventioneers, in no particular order.
Follow the music to your free concert. Tee caught James Taylor rehearsing, even though his bit was cut, and was inches away from John Legend, Stevie Wonder, Pink and her daughter, and Patti LaBelle. Bring snacks or you’ll be gnawing on furniture. For the first few days nothing is open and there’s nowhere to buy food. Souvenirs are pricey. The good deals are farther from the venue. Political pins are a big deal! Grab ’em when you see ’em because you might not see ’em again. Political groupies are real. They’re just like sports groupies. People were stunned she knew nothing about some speakers, and she was stunned they knew nothing about sports figures. To each his geek space, I say. Other Dartmouth alums will be there as delegates, behind-the-scenes operators, journalists, news reporters, local officials, or influencers. Not surprisingly, Tee met them all. Jake Tapper ’91 was continually on the air in his booth, or she would have accosted him as well to say hello. Internet content creators are today’s rockstars. She witnessed young people losing it over them as a previous generation did The Beatles. Finally, it was fantastic, and she highly recommends it. Would she do it again? Yes, with training in advance. It was physically taxing and left her limping afterward. But witnessing our democracy in action was worth it. The limp was gone in days but the lessons learned are forever.
Finally, I’m saddened to report that we lost classmate, Phillip Montgomery (Phillip Wilson at Dartmouth) recently. An obituary is forthcoming.
—Philippa M. Guthrie, 2303 Woodstock Place, Bloomington, IN 47401; (812) 325-7512; philippaguthrie@yahoo.com; David Eichman, 9004 Wonderland Ave., Los Angeles, CA 90046; dme4law@sbcglobal.net