Class of 1975

Dave Dunbar submitted the following to me. Countdown to 50! Get ready for the big one! Our 50th reunion co-chairs, David Cook and Tom Denison, are hoping you’re already saving the dates—Friday, June 13, to Sunday, June 15—for what promises to be an outstanding gathering on the Hanover Plain. We’ll reconnect with classmates, meet new friends, and explore once more the enduringly beautiful campus. It’s also Commencement weekend, so we’ll be the only reunion that weekend to share the spotlight with the graduating class of 2025. Go to 1975.dartmouth.org for details on the reunion program and watch your inboxes for the open registration date and other information. Dave, the reunion team, and I are looking forward to seeing you all in the Upper Valley next June!

In related news Dave had lunch recently in the Oyster Bar at Grand Central Terminal in Manhattan with Art Beaver and Bob Sullivan, who took trains into town from Bedminster, New Jersey, and Mount Kisco, New York, respectively. Lots of laughs and catching up over briny bivalves. 

Perhaps one of the most important reunion contributors is Robin Derry, as she will be looking after our culinary enjoyment. She states that she “retired from grading undergraduate papers and university classroom teaching in the summer of ’22. We had lived in Alberta, Canada, for 15 years at that point, dividing up the years between Edmonton and Calgary. We got in a lot of phenomenal skiing and hiking during those years, being in easy access to both Banff and Jasper. We moved back to New England to be closer to family, and contra dancing, which I love a lot and has become a big part of our lives, both for exercise, love of the music, and joyful people.” Perhaps we need a contra dancing outing next June!

She adds, “We now live in Northampton, Massachusetts, in walking distance to town and Smith College, where I started in 1971. I have a couple of Smithies as research assistants, helping with many of the logistics of a book manuscript. It’s pretty cool to be able to still have working relationships with bright students. I’m doing my best to manage the menus and catering for our reunion. I want to make sure you are all well fed!” Us, too!

On a final note, I was in Hanover in October to speak with students in the Sadie Alexander Association (SAA). If you are unfamiliar, you should check it out. The SAA’s mission is “to make the economics department at Dartmouth more welcoming to first-generation, low-income, minority, and other underrepresented students. We strive to sustain students’ interest in economics by providing community, mentorship opportunities, and advocating for change in the department.” It was a great evening, and I am always re-energized by these interactions with inquisitive, enthusiastic, and ambitious students.

Vox clamantis in Florida.

—Stephen D. Gray, 4396 NW 53rd Court, Ocala, FL 34482; (650) 302-8739; fratergray@gmail.com