Dear classmates, by all accounts, our 35th reunion was a banger! The turnout was high at nearly 400, the eagerness to connect across green lawns and dinner tables was palpable, and the exchange of mobiles and Instagram accounts (for those still on social) seemed constant. We raised more than $7 million for the Dartmouth College Fund, the most by any class. If you did not make it, just start planning to come for our 40th now—no excuses later.
And allow us to introduce ourselves, your new class secretaries Robin Byrd and Candace Locklear. We want to thank Ned Ward for his decade of service and his willingness to guide us as we step in. We will alternate the exciting task of reaching out to shake detailed updates from you to craft this compelling bimonthly column, so expect to hear from us.
From Candace: It was my third reunion and worth all the effort to fly from Oakland, California, to Hanover, thanks to the strong encouragement of D.D. Danforth Burlin and Libby Carrier. I saw Brooks Entwistle, who came from Singapore, and Dave Tamman, who traveled from London! Many shared they sought out folks they didn’t know that well during school, which made for some new connections. Over breakfast with a group I had the chance to talk to Anton Anderson, who was in a special program for minorities with me before college. With a prompt, he shared how Dartmouth opened doors for him as a Black man and how he overcame his fears to walk through them—one for the newsletter. It also turns out sleeping in the dorms ain’t so bad! One crew smartly set up a speakeasy with alcohol in a suite of dorm rooms, which allowed for more intimate conversations over Campari and sodas.
From Robin: It is always refreshing to be back home on the Hanover Plain. The nonstop laughter while catching up with besties, the sweet memories elicited by the senior year film, and seeing our names in Dartmouth Hall among other alumnae supporters made my cross-country trek worth repeating. Baker Tower at dusk and other familiar sights were as inspiring as the new developments. Sharon Geary Barnes was excited about the reimagined Hop taking shape and how the College will elevate the arts. A favorite moment for Stacy Higgins was honoring our beloved professors King and Pease by inviting them to share their perspectives on the College and teaching. We hope it was touching for them to see the impact they had on so many of us.
We are at the age where many people are retired or about to be. We thought this may be the right time to pose a “Big Question” for the next column, so consider this, dear readers, and we will bug you for answers via email: “Since graduating 35 years ago how is your ‘second life’ starting to take shape?” Whatever your response, please sound off and we will print the best we can hustle from you.
—Robin Byrd, P.O. Box 660553, Arcadia, CA 91066; (951) 269-9213; robinwinters@msn.com; Candace Locklear, 5829 Colton Blvd., Oakland, CA 94611; (510) 292-8216; candace@mightypr.com