Class Note 1951
Issue
November-December 2022
I plan occasionally to devote this column to news of a ’51 classmate who has lived his life especially fully and, in his declining years, continues to do so. Finding joy in old age will be a theme in these reports. Dwight Allison fits that spec to a T.
An intentional approach to spending one’s scarce time chips—making life happen rather simply letting it happen—has been a key to Dwight’s fulfilling life of contribution. He had three careers after earning his Tuck School M.B.A. and Harvard law degree: He practiced law with a large Boston law firm; joined an energy firm, becoming its chairman; then moved to the financial services business as CEO of the Boston Co. Along the way he became a champion of community foundations, which he saw as essential contributors to meeting human needs and improving the quality of life in major U.S. cities. He chaired the Boston Foundation and, later, the U.S. Council on Foundations, among other philanthropic and corporate boards.
Each move reflected an openness to taking risks, a commitment to meeting human needs, and growing clarity as he explored the central questions of “Who am I?” and “What is my role?”
I spoke with Dwight recently and learned that, in his 90s, he is still finding joy in discovering new interests and challenges. He is inspired by the work of the Center for the Study of Life in the Universe. The center’s aim, and Dwight’s late-in-life fascination, involves “redirecting the current self-destructive trajectory of society toward a more vibrant community that transcends individual, human, and geopolitical boundaries.” Other goals: living together in mutually enhancing ways to bring forth a vibrant, flourishing Earth community and inspiring a new, closer relationship with the earth itself in a period of growing environmental and social crises.
I was inspired by Dwight’s lifelong and continuing exploration, contribution, and enjoyment.
I’d love to hear your stories! Give me a call.
We have learned of the deaths of Jim Conroy, Joe Holton, and Paula Spound (wife of Joe).
—Pete Henderson, 450 Davis St., Evanston, IL 60201; (847) 905-0635; pandjhenderson@gmail.com
An intentional approach to spending one’s scarce time chips—making life happen rather simply letting it happen—has been a key to Dwight’s fulfilling life of contribution. He had three careers after earning his Tuck School M.B.A. and Harvard law degree: He practiced law with a large Boston law firm; joined an energy firm, becoming its chairman; then moved to the financial services business as CEO of the Boston Co. Along the way he became a champion of community foundations, which he saw as essential contributors to meeting human needs and improving the quality of life in major U.S. cities. He chaired the Boston Foundation and, later, the U.S. Council on Foundations, among other philanthropic and corporate boards.
Each move reflected an openness to taking risks, a commitment to meeting human needs, and growing clarity as he explored the central questions of “Who am I?” and “What is my role?”
I spoke with Dwight recently and learned that, in his 90s, he is still finding joy in discovering new interests and challenges. He is inspired by the work of the Center for the Study of Life in the Universe. The center’s aim, and Dwight’s late-in-life fascination, involves “redirecting the current self-destructive trajectory of society toward a more vibrant community that transcends individual, human, and geopolitical boundaries.” Other goals: living together in mutually enhancing ways to bring forth a vibrant, flourishing Earth community and inspiring a new, closer relationship with the earth itself in a period of growing environmental and social crises.
I was inspired by Dwight’s lifelong and continuing exploration, contribution, and enjoyment.
I’d love to hear your stories! Give me a call.
We have learned of the deaths of Jim Conroy, Joe Holton, and Paula Spound (wife of Joe).
—Pete Henderson, 450 Davis St., Evanston, IL 60201; (847) 905-0635; pandjhenderson@gmail.com