Can you visualize the College Green as a forest? Well, that’s the way it was when Eleazar Wheelock decided that he needed a green in front of his new Dartmouth Hall. He managed to cut down all the trees, but he was stuck with the stumps. His answer? Each class before they graduated was required to take out one stump. The final one came out in 1836. Our only non-academic obligation was to swim the length of the pool!


During his 10 years at Williams College Harry Sheehy, Dartmouth’s new director of athletics and recreation, led his school to 17 Division III national team championships. At Dartmouth Sheehy will now oversee 34 Division I varsity sports. His mantra: “Losing will end at Dartmouth.” 


Since we all know Hanover isn’t San Francisco, how come we had an earthquake on June 23? Epicenter: Quebec; Richter Scale: 5.2. No big deal, but it rattled a few of us and created cracks in the walls of our retirement community.


Dartmouth’s Hood Museum of Art has received $1.25 million from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation to further interaction with professors and students. The two new grant positions will help meet the growing demand for use of the museum’s collections by Dartmouth classes. Last year the Hood brought nearly 5,000 items out of storage at the request of professors. 


Mary and I recently had an interesting interview with Dagmar Thorpe Seely, the 2010 Native American Scholar at Dartmouth. The fellowship is largely funded by the Fred Stockwell Fund. Details will appear later in Howie’s newsletter,


—John Jenkins, 80 Lyme Road, Apt. 371, Hanover, NH 03755; (603) 643-2757; mmjenkins@valley.net