Class Note 1984

Well, as many of you know, the class of 1984 recently celebrated its 35th reunion. Though turnout was excellent, I was not among those in attendance. I suspect that several of the readers of this column were also unable to attend. Fortunately, my co-secretary Juliet Aires Giglio was in Hanover for the festivities. Juliet gave me a rundown of the event, so I could share some of the excitement with the rest of our class. Well, hearing about it made me feel even worse. As a service to those of us who stayed home, I will relay Juliet’s story of our reunion, with a few minor changes, in hopes of making those of us who missed reunion feel a little less badly.

If you missed the reunion, this is exactly how it went down. If you attended the reunion, perhaps you should skip to the class of 1968 notes, or something in that neighborhood of the magazine. Nothing to see here. Move along.

David Cumberbatch, who is one of our three class vice presidents, opened the reunion by making a lovely toast in the class tent. During his remarks, David, who is an attorney and seems to spend an awful lot of time in Paris, accidently knocked over a candle, setting fire to a few of the tables in the tent as well as a portion of the stage. Not to worry, co-vice presidents Kaya Kazmirci (who lives in Turkey) and Derek Chow (who lives in Colorado) were ultimately able to extinguish the flames. The damage was limited to about 40 percent of the tables in the tent, which were completely destroyed. The 1984 ice sculpture did not survive. That was pretty much the first night.

The next day there were several panel discussions. Sarah Strauss, who is a professor at the University of Wyoming (one of the square states in the middle, I believe), moderated a lively session. Sarah and Allyson Bouldon (our new class president) then led everyone back to the class tent, where Allyson accidently tripped over one of the tent stakes, causing a collapse of a significant portion of the tent. Fortunately, damage was limited to a large stack of cookies and several of the remaining tables. Bill Hamlen, who was attending his first-ever reunion, was slightly injured. Bill, who recently moved back to Hanover, immediately put his house up for sale.

Undeterred, Karen Trost, who had organized the “35th reunion singers” took to the non-charred portion of the stage to lead a rousing rendition of several Dartmouth songs. Unfortunately, several amplifier cables fell into the puddle that had, until recently, been the 1984 ice sculpture. The resulting short-circuit left the class tent in the dark. Jolie Epstein Kapelus, who was probably attending her second reunion ever, was last seen sprinting across the Green, toward the safety of the class of 2008 tent.

Then it rained.

So, there you have it. That’s essentially how Juliet relayed the story. We really didn’t miss much. No reason to feel bad.

—Eric Grubman, 2 Fox Den Way, Woodbridge, CT 06525; (203) 710-7933; grubman@sbcglobal.net; Juliet Aires Giglio,4915 Bentbrook Drive, Manlius, NY 13104; julietgiglio@gmail.com