NOVEMBER 2010 NEWSLETTER DARTMOUTH COLLEGE CLASS OF 1981 Newsletter Editors: Peter Oudheusden • [email protected] • Robert Goldbloom • [email protected] 1981 President Greg Clow named photo: Nicole Bengiveno/The New York Times/Redux “Class President of the Year” During the 2010 Class Officer’s Weekend, held in Hanover in early October, Greg Clow was named Class President of the Year for 2010 for classes 26 years out and older. When asked about winning the award, Greg said, “This came as a big surprise. I know we had worked hard with a strong class executive committee, and the terrific participation of our class in mini-reunion attendance and DCF giving, but to be singled out like this was special. It goes without saying that winning this award would not have happened without the support of the other class officers and all of my classmates.” The Class of 1981 also won a “Special Recognition” award as part of the “Class of the Year” competition. This recognition places our Annette Gordon-Reed pictured in the New York Historical Society. class in the top echelon of the 77 alumni classes represented at Dartmouth. The citation for the First Classmate Elected to Dartmouth Board of Trustees award stated that "the vision, hard work and During its November meeting, the Dartmouth Board of Trustees elected Annette Gordon-Reed ’81 as a new trustee - the first member of the Class to serve on the Board. She will be filling the seat vacated by Al Mulley ’70. Mulley will step down from the Board upon assuming his role as the director of the Dartmouth Center for Health Care Delivery Science on November 15. Gordon-Reed, who will join the Board at its next meeting in February, is a legal scholar and historian, whose 2008 investigation of slavery in the American colonial period and the early American republic, The Hemingses of Monticello: An American Family, won 16 awards, including the 2009 Pulitzer Prize in history. This year, Gordon-Reed was awarded the MacArthur “genius” Fellowship for her scholarship on Thomas Jefferson and was a recipient of the National Humanities Medal. She is currently a faculty member at Harvard, serving as Professor of Law at Harvard Law School, Professor of History in the Faculty of Arts and Sciences, and the Carol K. Pforzheimer Professor at the Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study. A history major at Dartmouth, she graduated with high distinction in 1981 Greg Clow with Ken Johansen ‘60, President of the and earned a JD from Harvard Law School in 1984. Gordon-Reed is a member of Dartmouth Class Presidents Association the Dartmouth Alumni Council and serves on the Enrollment & Admissions and strategic planning of this class are exemplary. The Student Affairs committees. She lives in New York City with her husband. The class president and the 1981 Executive Committee couple has two children. are to be saluted.” All in all, our class had a very Steve Mandel ’78, chair of the Board of Trustees, said, “We are delighted strong showing, with seven officers in attendance to add such a distinguished scholar to Dartmouth’s Board. Annette will bring a and several others as well including: Greg Clow, valuable perspective that will enhance and complement the talents of our current Pam Gehret, Molly Van Metre, David Edelson, Julie trustees. My fellow Board members and I greatly look forward to working with her.” Koeninger, Robert Goldbloom, Nancy Baskin, Patsy Gordon-Reed said, “I am deeply honored by this opportunity to serve Dartmouth. Continued on page 4 Continued on page 2 www.alum.dartmouth.org/classes/81 Continued from page 1 Why I Love Facebook As an undergraduate, Dartmouth fueled my passion in history, and I am grateful that pursuing that by Pat Berry ‘81 passion has led me back to campus. I have enjoyed immensely serving the College as an alumna Over morning coffee, I learn it’s Steve Pignatiello’s birthday, that Abner Oakes volunteer, and I am delighted to have the chance to will be clubbing in DC next month, and that Molly Sundberg Van Metre’s become even more deeply involved in the life and daughter, Mary, a ‘14 and a swimmer, will anchor the Big Green women’s 200 governance of the College.” medley on Friday. I stalk my daughters’ photos and This article was reprinted from Dartmouth Now learn what’s troubling my Montclair neighbors. After a few eye-opening minutes, I’m off to work, but it’s there through my day: access to what’s happening in my expanding world. If you’re already on Facebook, won’t you join the “Dartmouth Class of 1981” group? Jerry Pierce Santos just joined. So did Juliette Rossant. Mike Steinharter’s on board. So are Winnifred Levy and Ellen Brout Lindsey. Need another reason? Think 30th Reunion—you’ve heard we’re having one, right? The chatter is picking up. Post your topics, your whereabouts, your photos. And maybe we’ll see each other over coffee. Then, perhaps you can explain how Abner has enough energy to go clubbing. Laura Smoller in Arkansas “I’m still trying to carry on Charlie Wood’s legacy, teaching at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock, where I am professor of medieval history, with courses on topics ranging from the history of apocalyptic thought to “Magic, Science, and the Occult from Antiquity to Newton.” I’m finishing up a book called “The Saint and the Chopped-Up Baby: The Cult of Vincent Ferrer and the Religious Life of Medieval and Early Modern Europe,” based on research supported The Class of 1981 group page on Facebook can be reached by logging in to Facebook, and then searching for “Dartmouth Class of 1981.” I’m finishing up a book called “The Saint and the Chopped-Up Baby... Resistance is Futile You should have heard the series of “Awww”s in part by the Guggenheim Fellowship I held in as we passed around a picture of Cooper 2004-05. I also publish in the history of astrology (at right) on David Edelson’s cell phone at and prophecy. My husband (Bruce Smoller ‘79) and I Class Officers Weekend. If you have family have two boys, Jason (Brown ‘09) and Gabriel (Vassar news, business news, Class of 1981 news, ‘11). Here in Little Rock we enjoy the company of my feel free to send it in to Robert Goldbloom at freshman roommate (and sister-in-law) Robin Sullivan [email protected] (‘81), and her two girls.” NOVEMBER 2010 NEWSLETTER Page 2 1981 Class Officers Top 10 Reasons to Come to Our 30th Reunion - continued President We’re most of the way through our countdown: Greg Clow REASON #10: Nostalgia [email protected] REASON #9: A Beautiful Place to be in June 30th Reunion REASON #8: Support the College June 16-19, Vice President REASON #7: Make it a Family Vacation 2011 Pam Gehret REASON #6: Experience the 2011 Campus [email protected] REASON #5: Networking Treasurer Just to help build the incredible suspense, we’ll do the Final Four [reasons] Molly Van Metre one at a time: [email protected] REASON #4: Educate Yourself Secretary Abner Oakes Isn’t this why we went to Dartmouth in the first place? [Well, most of us, anyway.] [email protected] “Alumni College at Reunion” offers many interesting learning opportunities over the entire reunion week. Last year, over the weekend alone [the equivalent time to when Secretary our class’s 30th is scheduled], lectures by Professors Ackerman, Virginia, Swayne, Julie Koeninger Rassias, Saccio, Pease and others covered a wide range of timely topics representing [email protected] all major disciplines. No doubt that at our 30th Reunion some of Dartmouth’s most illustrious and beloved teachers will present lectures designed not only to educate, Newsletter Editor but to inspire and entertain as well. Peter Oudheusden The professors and topics chosen are largely determined based on the [email protected] expressed demand of the alums coming to reunion. So, if you have any suggestions – for topics and or professors -- now is a good time to speak up. Either let us know, Newsletter Editor or contact Reunion Chair Nancy Baskin. As the reunion nears, we will be able to tell Robert Goldbloom you the lectures that are actually scheduled. [email protected] [Stay tuned for the rest of the countdown in future issues] Webmaster Greg Clow [email protected] Head Agent Abner Oakes also active in the blogging sphere... Hallidie Grant Haid Abner has just started educational consulting on his own. He also has started a [email protected] new blog, www.dacha.com, which is really terrific. Abner’s own posts are great. He’s also culled and organized a Head Agent lot of interesting material David Edelson from others, including blogs [email protected] with policy, technology and Mini-Reunion Chair educator perspectives. Do Alex Doty check it out: www.dacha.com [email protected] (Editor’s note – If you have a small business or Alumni Council Rep avocation which you would like Mark Davis to let your classmates know [email protected] about, send us an email.) 30th Reunion Chair Nancy Baskin [email protected] Page 3 DARTMOUTH College CLASS OF 1981 www.alum.dartmouth.org/classes/81 Continued from page 1 Fisher, Lynne Gaudet, Jake Gehret and Andrew Lewin. In other Class Officer Weekend news, Greg Clow, A mini-reunion who also serves as our class webmaster, was elected of sorts for Lydia president of the Dartmouth Webmasters Association Herman Lazar, for a two year term. Greg had previously served as Steve Quatrano vice president.