I am writing in response to a letter by William Dowling '66 that appeared in the March 5 edition of The Dartmouth. To be honest, I had never felt more offended or insulted as I did after reading Mr. Dowling's piece on the intellectual mediocrity of Dartmouth students and alumni.
Where does this man get off questioning the capabilities of individuals who have enjoyed a Dartmouth education? Mr. Dowling claims that there have been a dearth of Dartmouth graduates who have "mattered in American Society." I am not sorry that Mr. Dowling feels inferior when his Harvard friends drop names of their famous alumni like John Adams or Teddy Roosevelt. I do feel sorry for his complete ignorance of Dartmouth history. Apparently, Mr. Dowling feels that Dr. Seuss is the only Dartmouth alum who kind of "mattered" in America. Maybe he doesn't recall that some of his fellow alumni have included Robert Reich, a former U.S. Secretary of Labor, C. Everett Koop, the former Surgeon General of the United States, Nelson Rockefeller, a former Vice President of the United States, or Daniel Webster, who could arguably be the most important U.S. statesman of the 19th Century.
This is all besides the point. What right does this man have to decide what kind of person "matters" or doesn't matter in American society? If I do not become President of the United States or write the great American novel, apparently, my life would not have mattered. I have a friend who graduated in my class and she teaches at a public school in New York. She is making a difference. She is trying to improve America. She will never write an epic poem or become Secretary of State, but she "matters."
It is distressing that a Dartmouth alumni could believe that Dartmouth has trouble attracting, as Mr. Dowling bluntly points out, "students with the extra dimension of talent and intelligence and originality that makes people matter in life." This is an obvious reflection of how completely out of touch alumni are with the students of Dartmouth College. Every year, Dartmouth produces a new crop of special individuals who are going out into the world and making a difference. What makes these individuals special is the unique environment that exists at Dartmouth. If I had just wanted to sit in my room and study, occasionally venturing outside to go to some poetry reading, I would have gone to Harvard. I did not want that, I wanted the experience that Dartmouth had to offer. It seems that James Wright and Mr. Dowling are both excited at the prospect of turning Dartmouth into the New Hampshire branch of Harvard. Why? So they can improve the "Dartmouth Reputation?"
I graduated in 1998, a member of the "beer-swilling louts" that are causing so much embarrassment to the hallowed name of Dartmouth. I have worked hard to become a Vice President at a company in New York City. I am going to make a difference. I will "matter." Mr. Dowling, I feel sorry that you believe your life has not mattered; I cannot imagine anything more depressing than living your life and feeling like you have not accomplished anything. Unfortunately, the fact that you are bitter at how your life has turned out is no excuse to insult me or my fellow Dartmouth alumni.
