Class Note 1990

This month I asked ’90s: “How did your freshman roommate(s) or freshman hallway or freshman dorm affect the path of your next three years at Dartmouth?” I received many responses, enough for three columns! Here’s the first installment. Andy J. Williams Affleck: “My freshman dorm did not affect my path forward at Dartmouth so much as it affected my look backward. My father was in the class of 1953 but died when I was only a baby so I never knew him. One day I found myself in Blunt and I noticed a shelf where they had freshman books going way back. So I pulled out my father’s book and looked him up. John M. Williams III lived in 107 Mid Mass. The same room I lived in. That connection has always meant so much to me. Alas, if my own child were to attend Dartmouth, he wouldn’t get the same room. It was turned into a lounge.” David Clark: “I realized that I needed a single the next three years.” Jennifer Gittes (Taplin): “North Mass was all female in 1986. I met some of my closest friends freshman year in that dorm, and several of those friendships have lasted over long distances ever since. I felt a sense of belonging, comfort, mutual respect and understanding among those women, and that sense of belonging lasted throughout our four years in Hanover. My freshman roommate, Wendy Heisterkamp, was kind, considerate and nonjudgmental. Her enthusiasm for art, exercise and unconventional ways of thinking and looking at life were contagious and mind expanding. Claire Talwalker, who now teaches at Berkeley, was keenly aware of the injustices of neocolonialism and underdevelopment and helped me to better understand them, too. Wendy Whitcomb was, and still is, in love with all things French. She was reading Victor Hugo and taught me how to count in French (well, to 10). Maria Deknatel introduced me to Isabel Allende, who has turned out to be one of my favorite authors. Elise Saks was organized, cheerful and always happy to help. It’s no wonder she became a teacher and then a doctor. These women made me love where I was and feel confident about navigating the road ahead.” Koko Hogan: “Two words: Jack Lunch.” Lauren Kehoe: “I was in McLean in the River Cluster my freshman year. Except for Sophomore Summer I stayed in the River all four years and I loved it. I had tons of cluster friends, lost 25 pounds freshman year doing all that walking and learned to play pool on the table in the basement of (I think) French.” Tony Dowling: “Mark Underhill changed my life. I shaved my head and donned a saffron robe.” Amit Malhotra: “Other freshmen who lived in Smith Hall with me included Joe Gerakos, David Boals, Sharif Mahdavian, Brendan Mullaly, Jun Ono, Eugene Park, Peter Pasi and Brian Gold. Pretty much all of us rushed the same fraternity (Gamma Delt) and spent the next three years as brothers.” Scott Facher: “I’ll try to wax poetic. By taking a left at the top of the stairs on the second floor of Streeter I uncover the two upper chambers of my heart: Brad Drazen lived with me in the left atrium and Dan Offit, Paul Simpson and my ‘Thunder Road’ buddy Rob Crawford lived (and still live) in the right chamber. With Dr. Jonathan Sollinger downstairs I knew so well that I’d never go into cardiac arrest. So I begged Jono to live with me in the Motor Lodge sophomore year and we had Dan Offit and Chris Colasanti down the hall.”


—Rob Crawford, 47 Black Oak Road, Weston, MA 02493; robertlcrawford@yahoo.com; Walter Palmer, 87 South St., Rockport, MA 01966; palmerwalter@mac.com