Class Note 1993
Issue
May-June 2022
Hello again, ’93s, and happy spring…at last. A couple of public service announcements this month and one personal plug.
As I (Dwight) write this issue’s column it is Black History Month and I want to share a little bit about the Black Alumni of Dartmouth Association (BADA) especially since our class president, Veree Hawkins Brown, is its budget chairperson. From alum Norman Brown ’74, “The great news is that BADA will be 50, yes, 50 years young this year! As some of you might know our Black alumni association is the oldest such organization that has been established at a major American college or university.” With its origins dating back to 1972, BADA’s mission is “to develop a strong and enduring club structure in order to further the interest, welfare, and educational purposes of Dartmouth College and the Black alumni community of Dartmouth College.” BADA is a thriving organization with more than 3,000 members and a full calendar of events and with its 50th anniversary there will be a celebratory reunion happening Memorial Day Weekend. If you haven’t already, please save the date. According to Veree, “Events begin Friday of Memorial Day Weekend at lunch and go through late lunch on that Sunday. We will honor the early Black alums who made it all happen and hold events including students so that we can build community with them. There are some surprises in store as well!” For more information on BADA and the reunion please check out bada1972.org or reach out to Black.Alumni.of.Dartmouth.Association@Dartmouth.edu.
Next up, how many of you knew we have a compassion committee? Given the challenges presented by the ongoing pandemic, we wanted to remind everyone about the Dartmouth Class of 1993 Compassion Committee. This committee hopes to strengthen our Dartmouth community by providing emotional support to other ’93s during difficult times in their lives. The committee plans to reach out to classmates who may be experiencing personal illness, a family member with an illness, a death in the family, significant injury, or work, life, or spiritual transitions. Multiple ’93s who have volunteered to share their personal and professional experiences can give emotional support and advice during a time of need through cards, telephone calls, and referrals. We also hope to schedule some virtual events during the next year promoting health and wellness. This committee will be able to provide nonfinancial assistance only, and all interactions will be confidential. If you, or a classmate you know, might benefit from speaking to someone on the committee (or you would like to volunteer to provide assistance), please email Regan Stanger at rrstanger@gmail.com.
Lastly, a quick personal update (don’t change the channel). Having spent two decades living in N.Y.C. and working for various apparel companies, the disruption of Covid afforded me the opportunity to start thinking about other paths and ideas I had been sitting on, eternally waiting for the right time. Not sure you can call a pandemic an “opportunity,” but it did provide the space to finally open the retail store I had been ideating for years. So last year I opened Stoke ACK (the airport code for Nantucket) on Nantucket, Massachusetts. It’s a surfing, apparel, lifestyle, and coffee shop downtown at 48 Centre St. (website is stokeack.com). If you’re on the island, please come say hi. I would love to see your faces.
That’s all for another edition of Class Notes. As always, please drop us a line with news, thoughts, musings, ideas for future columns, etc. You can find us at Dwight Fenton (dwight.e.fenton.93@dartmouth.edu) or Natalie Weidener Kupinsky (natalie.weidener.kupinsky.93@dartmouth.edu).
—Dwight Fenton, 200 E 72nd St., Apt. 20K, N.Y.C., NY 10021; dwight.e.fenton.93@dartmouth.edu; Natalie Weidener Kupinsky, 9733 Beman Woods Way, Potomac, MD 20854; natalie.weidener.kupinsky.93@dartmouth.edu
As I (Dwight) write this issue’s column it is Black History Month and I want to share a little bit about the Black Alumni of Dartmouth Association (BADA) especially since our class president, Veree Hawkins Brown, is its budget chairperson. From alum Norman Brown ’74, “The great news is that BADA will be 50, yes, 50 years young this year! As some of you might know our Black alumni association is the oldest such organization that has been established at a major American college or university.” With its origins dating back to 1972, BADA’s mission is “to develop a strong and enduring club structure in order to further the interest, welfare, and educational purposes of Dartmouth College and the Black alumni community of Dartmouth College.” BADA is a thriving organization with more than 3,000 members and a full calendar of events and with its 50th anniversary there will be a celebratory reunion happening Memorial Day Weekend. If you haven’t already, please save the date. According to Veree, “Events begin Friday of Memorial Day Weekend at lunch and go through late lunch on that Sunday. We will honor the early Black alums who made it all happen and hold events including students so that we can build community with them. There are some surprises in store as well!” For more information on BADA and the reunion please check out bada1972.org or reach out to Black.Alumni.of.Dartmouth.Association@Dartmouth.edu.
Next up, how many of you knew we have a compassion committee? Given the challenges presented by the ongoing pandemic, we wanted to remind everyone about the Dartmouth Class of 1993 Compassion Committee. This committee hopes to strengthen our Dartmouth community by providing emotional support to other ’93s during difficult times in their lives. The committee plans to reach out to classmates who may be experiencing personal illness, a family member with an illness, a death in the family, significant injury, or work, life, or spiritual transitions. Multiple ’93s who have volunteered to share their personal and professional experiences can give emotional support and advice during a time of need through cards, telephone calls, and referrals. We also hope to schedule some virtual events during the next year promoting health and wellness. This committee will be able to provide nonfinancial assistance only, and all interactions will be confidential. If you, or a classmate you know, might benefit from speaking to someone on the committee (or you would like to volunteer to provide assistance), please email Regan Stanger at rrstanger@gmail.com.
Lastly, a quick personal update (don’t change the channel). Having spent two decades living in N.Y.C. and working for various apparel companies, the disruption of Covid afforded me the opportunity to start thinking about other paths and ideas I had been sitting on, eternally waiting for the right time. Not sure you can call a pandemic an “opportunity,” but it did provide the space to finally open the retail store I had been ideating for years. So last year I opened Stoke ACK (the airport code for Nantucket) on Nantucket, Massachusetts. It’s a surfing, apparel, lifestyle, and coffee shop downtown at 48 Centre St. (website is stokeack.com). If you’re on the island, please come say hi. I would love to see your faces.
That’s all for another edition of Class Notes. As always, please drop us a line with news, thoughts, musings, ideas for future columns, etc. You can find us at Dwight Fenton (dwight.e.fenton.93@dartmouth.edu) or Natalie Weidener Kupinsky (natalie.weidener.kupinsky.93@dartmouth.edu).
—Dwight Fenton, 200 E 72nd St., Apt. 20K, N.Y.C., NY 10021; dwight.e.fenton.93@dartmouth.edu; Natalie Weidener Kupinsky, 9733 Beman Woods Way, Potomac, MD 20854; natalie.weidener.kupinsky.93@dartmouth.edu