After my second column I was beginning to fear that I might lack material. John McIndoe came to my rescue, sparking a conversation between his freshman friends and Topliff dorm mates Bruce Jolly (who says he was an interloper from Brown Hall), Don Boardman, Bob Komives and Lee Arbuckle.

Don wrote to his Topliff mates that it was crucial to have been in one dorm for the duration. He said, “When my daughter graduated with her class of 1989, she had moved several times during her four years. She developed lots of friends, but through other organizations rather than in her living spaces. I very much like the idea of staying in the same residential area for all four years, even if you spend a term or year off campus.” He said he thinks the clusters that the class of 2019 will live in are a good idea, but maybe too large. (See a January 2015 article in The Dartmouth that describes the clusters at thedartmouth.com/2015/01/30/113281.)

Bob Komives reminded us of “hallway hockey, broken windows, flooded (on purpose) bathrooms, peanut butter-and-bacon sandwiches delivered by the sandwich man, fishing and being fished away from books, being in awe of my dorm mates.” John McIndoe added, “Especially the hockey games and the many good parties with much song in Charlie Dobbins’ and Art Jean’s room. Especially the two back-to-back gatherings on Freshman Father’s Weekend—lots of dads, lots of bonding, lots of beer.”

The discussion of dorm experiences segued nicely to a question Ted Bracken brought us from the Alumni Council: To what extent did an intellectual experience or experiences you had while an undergraduate at Dartmouth continue to resonate after you graduated—whether in the work you do or have done or in your life overall?

I had marvelous notes from Lee and Stu Keller addressing that very question. Both were eloquent and both demand space in the next column. (Did I mention I went from fear of sparse pickings to an embarrassment of riches?) Lee said, “I found the first two years very stimulating. The questions of ‘who am I?’ ‘what do I want to do in life?’ and ‘how do I prepare for that?’ became more robust than they had been for me in adolescence.” Stu noted, “I came from a modest background with no connection to Dartmouth on a full scholarship via the Navy ROTC program and was immediately accepted into a circle of classmates from the dorm, fraternity and classroom, some of whom have remained lifelong friends.” Stu remembered John Sloan Dickey saying at graduation, “Now go out into the wide, wide world. Remember, we will be with you all the way.”

“It took me nearly 50 years,” Stu said, “to learn the meaning of ‘with you all the way.’ ”

I’d love to include your answer to Ted’s question in the ongoing conversation. Drop me a note at johnbairdrogers@comcast.net.

—John Rogers, 6051 Laurel Ave., #310, Golden Valley, MN 55416; (763) 568-7501; johnbairdrogers@comcast.net