The Class of 1954 returned to Hanover this week to celebrate its 50th reunion, beginning Thursday evening with a cocktail party and culminating Sunday morning with the commencement exercises for the Class of 2004.
Reunion activities include a hike up Mt. Moosilauke, a golf outing at the Hanover Country Club, tennis matches, a lecture by Rockefeller Center Director Linda Fowler on presidential primaries, tours of campus and the presentation of the 1954 Gift to the College.
Exceeding expectations, the Class of 1954 has already met its target contribution for the 50th reunion of $7.5 million, Class Newsletter Editor and Reunion Treasurer William "Pete" Barker said. Barker expects over 90 percent of active alumni to give to the College this year. The class has donated over $25 million in the last 50 years.
The Class of '54 counts 555 active members out of the approximately 685 who graduated. According to Barker, 260 members of the class will return for the reunion, with 31 of those 260 returning to campus for the first time since graduation.
Fifty years ago, World War II hero Dwight D. Eisenhower was president, Humphrey Bogart graced the cover of Time magazine, Senator Joseph McCarthy initiated a communist witch hunt on Capitol Hill and almost 700 members of the Class of '54 left Hanover armed with liberal arts degrees and the spirit and vigor to tackle any challenge they might face.
Many members of the Class of '54 answered the call to duty and pursued distinguished careers in the military, serving in combat situations ranging from Korea in the 1950s to the Persian Gulf War in the 1990s.
One graduate, Lt. Col. Robert Drawbaugh, joined the Air Force Ravens, a unit of courageous soldiers who routinely volunteered to fly perilous missions low and slow over the enemy in the "secret war" in Laos during Vietnam.
Col. Howland Russell, who spent 30 years in the Air Force, remembers then College President John Sloan Dickey addressing an ROTC commissioning on campus and reminding the young servicemen that "Dartmouth was fulfilling its national responsibility by providing officers who would be able to think, think for themselves and think from wide and deep perspectives."
Graduates of the Class of '54 pursued many other careers. Norman Veasey recently retired as the chief justice of the Delaware Supreme Court when his 12-year term expired. From 1999 to 2000, he headed the Conference of Chief Justices, and in March the U.S. Senate recognized him for his "legacy of commitment to public service."
John Cunningham has acted on Broadway and in over 30 movies and television shows, making many guest appearances on the TV drama Law and Order.
Bob Rafelson produced, wrote, and directed several award-winning films, and his company helped create and produce the pop group the Monkees. He co-wrote, co-produced and directed the 1970 classic Five Easy Pieces, which starred Jack Nicholson and was nominated for four Academy Awards.
Jon Moore served as the U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations for Special Projects and currently is an associate at the Joan Shorenstein Center for the Press, Politics and Public Policy at Harvard's Kennedy School of Government.
"Dartmouth is not just a four-year experience," said Jerry Goldstein, and his fellow classmates have demonstrated it in their numerous contributions to the College.
David McLaughlin, current chairman of the American Red Cross, served as President of the College from 1981 to 1987 and will give the 50th Class Address on Saturday. During his presidency, McLaughlin helped relocate the medical school and presided over a substantial increase in the endowment.
"Dartmouth's sense of place and her commitment to celebrating the liberal arts and ongoing learning, in both the classroom and in the residential experience," remain "constants that make Dartmouth a unique educational institution," McLaughlin told The Dartmouth.
Stephen Mullins and Thomas Kelsey were instrumental in the movement that helped save the Dartmouth varsity swimming program in 2002. Englishman Don Wheatley helped introduce rugby to Dartmouth, and architect Lo-Yi Chan has contributed his expertise to shaping campus architecture over the past 20 years. The class boasts three former trustees, including McLaughlin, Richard Page, and John Steel, the first trustee to win as a write-in candidate (the recently-elected T.J. Rodgers '70 is the second). Several campus awards bear the name of Milton Kramer, a former editor-in-chief of The Dartmouth and a Rhodes Scholar who died in a tragic automobile accident the summer after he graduated.
