The years have thinned our ranks, lined our faces, and turned our hair, but they have not lessened the joy of seeing our classmates and reconnecting with them. It was obvious that time had not dimmed our spirits. Indeed, it only enhanced those qualities, which made this reunion, in a sense, grander than all others. It was certainly the happiest that I can remember. From the time we boarded the bus to Mount Moosilauke until the last ’53 left town, our spirits were high as we basked in the light of Dartmouth and shared our stories. The evening and dinner at Moosilauke Ravine Lodge, with laughing, singing, and dancing, set the tone for the weekend. We shared a fun bus ride and delicious meal and were introduced to the new lodge. And what a lodge that is! How welcoming were its gorgeously placed timbers! What an entrée to such a singular weekend! Our Saturday class meeting was fun, as were the tours, the panel, and the singalong that night. Associate professor of anthropology Jeremy DeSilva treated us to a brilliant lecture, “Underground Astronauts: The Search for Early Human Fossils in South Africa.” He held our rapt attention as he related his and others’ efforts to find and identify human and humanoid fossils. Many thanks to chairman Put Blodgett and his hardworking committee of Dave Halloran, Bob Henderson, Allen Collins, Dick Fleming and his attendance committee, Forest Anderson, Dick Blum, Peter Bridges, Leo Clancy, Bob Malin, Don McMichael, George Sarner, Fred Stephens, Bernie Sudikoff, and, of course, Angela Stafford ’91. We had a great time. Kudos to Ron Lazar and his wondrous group of agents: 72.4 percent of our classmates contributed to the Dartmouth Fund this year, a record for reunion classes. And with 130 fewer members this year than at the last reunion, we gave $100,000 more. Remarkable! Sadly, I must report the loss of our dear classmates David Lewis, Kelly McBride Jr., Pete Patterson, Prasong Sukhum, Lee Tuttle, and Ed Weltman and offer the condolences of the class to their families.

—Mark H. Smoller, 401 Lake Shore Road, Putnam Valley, NY 10579; (845)603-5066; dartmark@gmail.com