I think we all agree that numbers and statistics are an important part of our daily lives. They often identify us (we are ’85s), measure us (GPAs, SAT scores), preoccupy us (weight, age, income) and even entertain us (name the only major league baseball player with more than 500 hits for four different teams. Hint: He looks like my dad). Numbers can constrain us (word count limits) and challenge us (how many times or how fast can you …). Numbers can also increase our self-esteem (lots of Facebook friends) or decrease it (a double dose of humble pie in my case when my total number of Facebook friends is less than my Dartmouth GPA). And as we all know in our often-competitive lives, the only number that seems to matter is No. 1. Fortunately, we have some No. 1 pioneers in our class.


Our No. 1 classmate at the South Pole is David Pablo Cohn. Pablo wrote to tell me he is “hanging out doing support tech here at the South Pole, enduring a record-breaking storm. Satellite link is down with a main power generator failure last night and they’ve not been able to get flights in since last week. Having the time of my life.” Wow, if that doesn’t resonate of comfort and pampering, I’m not sure what does. For more on Pablo’s adventure, please see http://somerandom.com/cohn/pablo-at-the-pole. 


I received a note from Jim Sapienza about another No. 1 event for a classmate. Jim conveyed that Mike Fadil is getting married for the first time. While I have no other details and cannot even verify this, it was a perfect news item for this column. So Mike, if you see this, please share this exciting news and if this is completely bogus, blame Jim.


From the “almost too coincidental to be true and linked to your column theme” files, I received some news that Jeff Davidoff had been appointed chief marketing officer for ONE, a global anti-poverty advocacy group (see one.org for more details). 


Our No. 1 traveler appears to be our own Russ Mitchell. Mitch’s holiday card reads like a United Nations itinerary, partly for his work in the clothing industry and partly for family fun. If you’re looking for a fine custom-tailored suit combining the tastiest Irish hops, the whitest Idahoan snow and finest South African gems, Russ is your man. If you’re looking for a holiday card to make your own passport look meager, he is also your man. Speaking of holiday cards, please consider this a belated card wishing everyone a happy 2011. It can also serve to improve my holiday card completion rate.


I bet our only classmate who had a daughter born on October 17, 2010, weighing 7 pounds, 6 ounces was Mikey Lehman. Marley Lehman joined the extended Dartmouth family as the No. 1 daughter for Mikey and wife Leigh and No. 1 sister for brother August. No official word on the inspiration for Marley’s name.


You may be focusing on your own numbers, but I will leave you this time with a couple for your contemplation. No. 2—as in two months until the next column. And 100 percent—your secretaries’ goal for column submission. For those looking for numerical synergy between these two numbers, please send in your news.


—John MacManus, 118 Ringwood Road, Rosemont, PA 19010; (610) 525-4541; slampong@aol.com; Leslie A. Davis Dahl, 83 Pecksland Road, Greenwich, CT 06831; (203) 552-0070; dahlleslie@yahoo.com