Class Note 1999

Welcome to the spring column of the ’99 Class Notes. I am eagerly awaiting the sunshine and warm weather that this month brings. Do you remember winter in Hanover and how it snows six months of the year here in New Hampshire? If you do, you might remember ice skating on Occom Pond. In January mini-reunion co-chair Michelle Leich re-lived some good times skating on Occom Pond by attending the Dartmouth on Location skating party at the Rink at Brookfield Place in Battery Park in New York with other ’99s and Dartmouth alums.

Speaking of mini-reunions, the 99th day of 2019 is coming up on April 9! Help us celebrate our class day by participating in a mini-reunion or virtual reunion that our class has planned. Check your email or our class Facebook page for more information. If you are not receiving class emails or are not on social media, please reach out; I’d love to help connect you back to our class.

Jennifer Dixon, an assistant professor in the department of political science at Villanova University, has recently published her first book, Dark Pasts: Changing the State’s Story in Turkey and Japan (Cornell University Press, 2018). Jennifer writes, “Dark Pasts investigates the sources of stability and change in states’ narratives of past atrocities, arguing that international pressures increase the likelihood of change in official narratives of dark pasts, while domestic considerations determine the content of such change. Drawing on an in-depth, macro-historical analysis of the post-World War II trajectories of Turkey’s narrative of the 1915-17 Armenian genocide and Japan’s narrative of the 1937-8 Nanjing massacre, the book unpacks the complex processes through which international pressures and domestic dynamics shape states’ narratives and the ways in which state actors negotiate between domestic and international demands in producing and maintaining such narratives.” Dark Pasts is available from Cornell Press and Amazon.

In November Jeff Fine, David Wagner, and Eric Jenkins met in Hanover for the Alumni Council meeting. Jeff writes, “We had a snow-filled weekend in Hanover (yes, in November!), making it such a picturesque weekend. Hearing from current Dartmouth students is always an insightful and memorable experience.” Jeff also said that “meeting with admission’s dean Lee Coffin was one of the highlights of the weekend.” Jeff enjoyed “learning how much the admissions process has changed in recent years and how competitive Dartmouth has become,” and he “highly encourages everyone to volunteer as an alumni interviewer.”

While you might feel like your news isn’t momentous enough for a class column, let me assure you that we would love to hear what all our classmates are doing. Even if you haven’t earned a promotion or recently had a family life change, please reach out and let us know what you do in this great life of yours. Until next time.

—Jackie Rioux Gladstone, 21 Westwood Circle, Dover, NH 03820; (603) 834-0517; jackie.dartmouth99@gmail.com