Almost 60 years removed from our years on the Dartmouth campus, we ’53s continue to take the challenge that President Eisenhower laid before us at graduation as we continue to make worthwhile contributions to our society.


John C. “Jack” Zimmermann has worked on a solution to one of our nation’s biggest issues. How do we improve graduation rates among at-risk inner-city students? The Jones-Zimmermann Academic Program is a proven path to getting below-grade middle school students back on track to graduate. In place now for 10 years via three university/inner-city scholarships, they have produced an astounding 85-percent graduation rate.


Additionally, David Godschalk,the Stephen Baxter Professor Emeritus at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, has co-authored a book titled The Dynamic Decade, which tells the story of the sweeping makeover of the 200-year-old campus of UNC. Six million square feet of new buildings were constructed and a million square feet of historic buildings were renovated during one vibrant 10-year period. To make this massive growth work required bold thinking, to which Dave was a major contributor. The book offers valuable lessons to all concerned with sustainable university growth.


Once again the class with the most reunions in Dartmouth’s history enjoyed two wonderful holiday parties. Thirty-four gathered at the Yale Club in New York City on December 12 and 21 at the Parker House in Quechee, Vermont, on December 13 to renew friendships, exchange stories, adventures and successes, and enjoy rekindling relationships that have endured 64 years since we first met as freshmen in the fall of 1949. Many thanks to Cathy Callendar and Bob Malin in New York and Bonnie and Davie Siegal up in Hanover for making all the arrangements. Speaking of reunions, have you signed up yet for our sensational 60th? Great plans are afoot to make this reunion the most interesting, the most exciting, the most compelling, the most restful and the most enjoyable ever!


With sadness I note the passing of three of our classmates; Pierce Law, Robert Yates and Albert Murphy, and offer our sincere condolences to their families.


—Mark H. Smoller, 4 Schuyler Drive, Jericho, NY 11753; (516) 938-3616; dartmark@gmail.com