Class of 1978

First, some literary news: Alfred Nicol writes that Wiseblood Books has published After the Carnival, his fourth full-length collection of poetry. “Nicol is unafraid to confront the mysterious, painful, and evil elements of human existence,” the publisher notes. “Yet there is goodness here, too.” Congratulations, Alfred!

Fifty years ago was the summer of 1975, our first as fully fledged Dartmouth students. I asked you to tell me, in 10 words or less, how you spent it.

Many of you—Barbara Dau, Rick Beyer, John Jordan, Jim Lattin, Marc Brovender, Steve Ornstein, Steve Strauss, Michael Whitcomb, Amy Simon Berg, Jack Reeder, Nancy Neville, Lisa Miles McNamara—were camp counselors, lifeguards, and suchlike. Bob Ceplikas described it as the “best job of my life.” Harvey Weinberg was a golf caddy earning $20 a day; “simple, happy times.”

Camp Dartmouth was also an option. John Myer enrolled for summer term; so did Ed Dohring, rooming with Eric Remole. Betsy Fairbanks remembers the term as “definitely awesome! Year of physics, less so.” Jon Keeve and Paul Kuhn worked DOC crews; “lots of interesting experiences” (Jon), “black flies in attendance” (Paul).

I wanted to award a “toughest summer job,” but there was too much competition: driving a forklift in a paint warehouse (Craig Woods); metal-quality testing in a foundry (Paul Conkling); McDonald’s by day, USPS sorting warehouse by night (Mary-Ellyn Tarzy).

Doug Benham worked in a factory tool shop. He took a lot of good-natured ribbing as “the college boy.” But when he left several of the toolmakers shook his hand and told him to make sure he finished his degree: “You don’t want to spend your life working in a place like this.”

“Sweetest gig” would also be tough to choose. Catherine May Dias worked for the Fourth International Congress on Enlightenment at Yale. Todd Hemphill “bummed around Europe for three weeks with Dave Banta.”

Not surprisingly, some of you were multitaskers, even in the summer. Curt Oberg “sealed driveways with my older brother, trained for football, hung out with high school buddies.” Scott Riedler spent his time “selling door-to-door, busing tables, touring California with Steve Cohen.” Dan Galyon “cleaned schools, fixed a car, played piano, grew a heart.”

Some of you were downright mysterious about how you spent your summer. “As I had before, on Nantucket,” Massachusetts, Paula McLeod wrote. “Then it all changed.” Tony Cort was “doing things I wouldn’t want to be on the internet.”

For some it was a painful time. Marc Capobianco had surgery. Mara Dinsmoor, future M.D., helped her mother recover from surgery for lung cancer; Mrs. Dinsmoor lived another 35 years.

There were life lessons around many corners. Jeff Miller “guarded a private road, learning that wealth didn’t build character.” George Niedt, M.D.,worked at Anheuser-Busch and learned about “beer, gardening, and, unfortunately, alcoholism.”

Hamp Bekarian “returned to Lebanon, spent summer telling people about Dartmouth life.“

Diane Stewart was moved to haiku: “I can’t remember./Only that it was my last,/my last days at home.”

Thank you all.

—Anne Bagamery, 13 rue de Presles, 75015 Paris, France; abagamery78@gmail.com; Rick Beyer, 1305 S. Michigan Ave., #1104, Chicago, IL 60605; rickbeyer78@gmail.com