Her spell on them remains. Hanover on October 17-19 provided a great gathering place. Foliage was at near-peak, temperature was perfect for October in New England and look at all who were part of our 50th birthday celebration: Adelaide Hulbert, Alicia Lindgren, Allison Strawn, Bruce Chafee, Burgie Howard, Caroline Carsten, Cathy Freud Windsor, Chris Keating, Chris Robinson, Christopher Giza, Claire Nicholson, Craig Saltzgaber, Dave Lindahl, Debbie McCollum, Dierdre MacDonald, Dina Bloom, Ellen Stein, Gary Greene, Greg Dow, Greg Hulbert, Greg Nerland, Harry Carrell, Jack Bocock, Janet Quigley Clay, Jen Brown, Joe Leake, John Hueston, John Marchiony, Jonathan Fisher, Jonno Williams, Julide Woodward, Julie Mannes, Karen Blodgett, Kathy Bannon Keith, Kendall Burney Wilson, Kim Clausen McDermott, Krista Corr, Lisa Richardson, Liz Babb Fanlo, Liz Fries, Liz McClintock, Lori Rheingold, Lynn Nerland, Lynne TenHoopen, Mabelle Hueston, Marie Longo, Mark Greenstein, Mary Francis Sabo, Mary Markland Gannon, Mike Maguire, Mike Moody, Ned Groves, Neil Maher, Peter Gibson, Peter Westley, Peter Zelten, Rob Hunger, Sam Kinney, Sara Goran Everhard, Sarah Cotsen, Sarah Geithner Adam, Sarah Moorefield Adams, Sarah Page, Scott Isherwood, Scott Rabschnuk, Sean Nicholson, Shantha Gona Farris, Susan Burnley, Susan Sambrook, Suzie Nachman Mercado, Terry Galvin Anderson, Tony Stearns, Walter Tsui, Werner Tillinger, Will Ogden and Wini Kinney. 


That’s 75 hearty classmates, and it may be the largest post-grad gathering of classmates outside of reunions. A high number flew in from California, a good number came from overseas and a few who could not attend sent in good wishes. Congrats to us. And thanks to organizer Krista Corr and evening hosts Sam and Wini Kinney. 


As 18-year-old ’shmen many of us viewed those 50-year-old Homecoming attendees and wondered, maybe hoped, that we would be doing that too. And here we are: generally trim, energetic, upbeat and evidencing very little gray.


May it all continue! The real challenge is to get 75 classmates attending our 100th birthday party. Mark the dates—October 17-19, 2064—on your 100-year planner. Heck, we’ll just buzz into Hanover in our George-Jetson-like aero-cars with our oxygen tanks and defibrillators. Some will possibly celebrate having a fifth-generation descendant at the alma mater. (A good start: Our class has at least 30 children on campus now.) At Homecoming 2064 we’ll arrive with the 300th “class” of Dartmouth students, who will celebrate the 400th anniversary of Kronenbourg beer and 500th anniversary of Shakespeare’s birth. 


Those class of 2068 ’shmen will be armed with mitochondrial DNA evidence whether Shakespeare was just a very good publisher of a once-obscure local woman’s awesome works. Some will investigate such mysteries at Cafe Baker, the five-story edifice once known as a library, but soon to be a digital portal to 2 quintillion pieces of online information. (Another good start: In 2014 the coffee shop within Baker Library is its most populated room, day and night.) They’ll show us geezers digital photos from fall 2014 and snicker at how we looked “like immature 50-year-olds.” Many freshmen socializing outside Baker during Homecoming will be getting passed up at the Yale vs. Dartmouth game. Any Yalies in attendance can celebrate the 180th anniversary of Yale beating Dartmouth 113-0. (We didn’t invite Yale back for another 87 years.) Count on this: Dear Old Dartmouth will still be there.


Pics are worth a thousand words, so if you haven’t done so recently, view our class of ’86 site, continually beautified by us and Walter Tsui. Homecoming photos and a few short video clips are now at www.dartmouth86.com/archives/2952.


—Mark Greenstein, 107 Fenn Road, Newington, CT 06111; msg@ivybound.net; Davida Dinerman, 12 Kings Row, Ashland, MA 01721; davida@dinerman.com