"Boy, it's been so long," Hanlon said. "I don't even know the whole set of events that go into it. I know there's a big football game and other sporting events. I know there's this parade. I know there's a bonfire."
Back as a freshman in 1973, Hanlon's Homecoming was the first after a four-year hiatus that started in 1969, when the heightening tensions surrounding the Vietnam War temporarily halted the celebrations. Nancy Vespoli '77, president of her class, said her freshman the College's Homecoming in 1973 differed in several key areas from current celebrations. More sports teams have been integrated into the revelry, and the parade has expanded. Homecoming was not even known as Homecoming. In addition, first-year students did not run around a bonfire and several bonfires were held before every home football game at Dartmouth.
"I mean, we just stood around the fire, and we had a lot of fires because there were several home games every year," Vespoli said.
Because there were multiple fires built every fall, Hanlon could not recall many details about his first Homecoming besides that he volunteered to help build the bonfire.
"Back then the football games were all alike, where there were bonfires before every game," he said. "It wasn't just Homecoming, and so I actually don't have a recollection of the Homecoming weekend as being something really different than the others."
Despite the hazy memories, Hanlon remains excited about this year's Homecoming and the rest of his first year at Dartmouth.
"I'm looking forward to the bonfire," Hanlon said. "That'll be fun." Hanlon and his wife Gail Gentes plan to attend at least two more Homecoming events the football game against Yale University and the parade. They plan to bring one of their two dogs to the parade.
"We'll see how that works," Gentes said. "She's never been in a parade before, and she's not very well-behaved, but she likes to ride in cars, so I think it'll be okay."
Gentes said she is most anticipating the bonfire.
"I've heard so much about it," Gentes said. "You know, we met a lot of students over the summer, and one of the things I consistently heard from students is their favorite first-year experience was the bonfire."
As Hanlon relives his past memories, Gentes will be forming entirely new ones: a 1974 graduate of Wells College in Aurora, N.Y., Gentes never attended any sort of homecoming events.
"I went to a small women's college, and as far as I know, we did not have a homecoming," she said. "There were no football games and I quite honestly did not participate much in the athletics there."
Though the large turnout of Hanlon's class members at the inauguration two weeks prior makes it unlikely that many will return again, Hanlon remains excited to interact with alumni as they flood back to campus.
"They have such love for the institution," Hanlon said. "That's clear right off the bat, but they're also interested in what's going on, concerned about some things, excited about some things. It's always fun to sort of catch up with them."
Vespoli echoed Hanlon's sentiments about Homecoming's importance for the alumni and the rest of Hanover.
"It brings the community together," Vespoli said. "All the students. All the different classes."
