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June 10, 2008
105 Dartmouth Hall

President Bill Hutchinson '76 opened the meeting at 1:05 pm.He reminded alumni that voting for the Association of Alumni officers and Executive Committee was ongoing and that polls would remain open until 1:20 pm, after which the ballots would be tallied and the results announced.

He also noted that the meeting would be governed by Roberts Rules of Order. After each item on the agenda, questions would be entertained. He advised alumni to raise their hands in order to be acknowledged, and to speak into the microphone, as the meeting would be taped.

Secretary's minutes: David Spalding '76 introduced the members of the Executive Committee present and gave special thanks to Bill Hutchinson for his leadership and for handling the divisions within the Executive Committee and among the alumni body.He reported that the minutes of all the Executive Committee meetings are posted online at the association's Web site. The minutes of the last annual meeting are also posted there. He concluded his report; no questions were asked.

  1. Remarks by the president: Bill Hutchinson noted that the history of the past year may be read through the Executive Committee minutes. In essence, the year started with the final stages of one lawsuit and within four months another lawsuit was begun. It was a litigious year.There was a concerted effort on the part of some Executive Committee members to make the Association of Alumni independent from the College, and to differentiate its function from the work of the Alumni Relations effort.The committee was divided on the two issues of the lawsuit and independence, making the atmosphere contentious and dysfunctional. The disagreements on the committee reminded him of the “Hatfield-McCoy” feud, and made him worry about the destructive nature of the proceedings.He had hoped that after contentious debate, people of differing opinions could sit down together and treat each other as family, but that was not to be. His ongoing wish is to see the bitterness and acrimony end.Bill learned a lot this year and believes that people with differing views can learn from one another.If service is done well, he noted, you receive more than you give. This year has been rewarding, although frustrating at times.He thanked his committee and the Office of Alumni Relations, which he said has demonstrated integrity, professionalism, and hard work. In conclusion, Bill said, “It's been swell. Adios.”No questions were asked.
  2. Appointment by the president of the regular committees:These appointments will be deferred for the next president to make.
  3. Treasurer's report: David Spalding reported that on August 7, 2007, the Executive Committee voted to have Frank Gado '58 (second vice president) open a separate bank account.At the January 8 meeting, it was disclosed that there was $13,900 in the account. By a 10-0 vote, the committee voted to pay $13,500 out of the account to Frank Gado, in partial reimbursement for a mailing he funded from the Association of Alumni.Tim Dreisbach '71 reported that all of the money in the account came from alumni donations. At the moment, there is $1 remaining in the account.Frank noted that he laid out $30,000 of his own money, and was reimbursed about half that amount. Of the money in the Association's independent account that was subsequently used to reimburse Frank, the bulk of it was donated by his friends and classmates with the express intent that it be used to reimburse him. He believes there is a need for an independent treasury and hopes the next Executive Committee will focus on this.David Spalding noted that Frank did not lend the association any money, and any future reimbursement would be up to the new Executive Committee.The cost of conducting the association balloting comes out of the Alumni Relations accounts. This year, $75,000 was budgeted, and we should be close to the mark. Thus ended the treasurer's report. There was no other business from the Executive Committee.
  4. Communications from the President or Board of Trustees of the College: none.
  5. Election of honorary members: none.
  6. Report of the Committee on Nominations and reports of special committees: There were no special committees appointed this year. The Association Nominations Committee put forth a slate of candidates for election as officers and Executive Committee. There was also a petition slate. The results will be made known as soon as the balloting has ended and the numbers tallied.

David Spalding introduced the two candidates for president: John Mathias '69 from the nominated slate, and J. Michael Murphy '61 from the petition slate, and thanked them for their efforts during the election.

The meeting was temporarily adjourned at 1:28 pm. At 1:45 pm it was reported that 65 in-person ballots had been cast. At 2:10 pm the meeting was reconvened to announce the results of the balloting.

On the proposed constitutional amendment, 19,821 voted in favor, 3,017 opposed. The amendment passed with 86 percent approval, surpassing the required threshold of 66 percent.The constitutional amendment reads that

"The Executive Committee of the Association will consist of eleven officers: the president, the first vice president, the second vice president, the secretary-treasurer, and seven additional members. Candidates for all offices will be nominated by a Committee on Nominations appointed by the president; other candidates may be nominated by petition from the membership. Ballots in the election may be cast by mail or electronic transmission."

The results of the officer and Executive Committee elections are as follows:(N) designates candidates nominated by the association's Nominating Committee; (P) designates petition candidates.

President:

John H. Mathias Jr. '69 (N) (14,919)

J. Michael Murphy '61 (P) (9,705)

First Vice President:

Cheryl A. Bascomb '82 (N) (14,908)

Bert Boles '80 (P) (9,704)

Second Vice President:

Douglas H. Keare '56, '57Th, '57Tu (N) (14,909)

Paul Mirengoff '71 (P) (9,659)

Secretary-Treasurer:

David P. Spalding '76 (N) (14,502)

F. Marian Chambers '76 (P) (9,913)

Executive Committee Members

Marian Zischke Baldauf '84 (N) (14,504)

Veree Hawkins Brown '93 (N) (14,286)

John S. Engelman '68, (N) (14,414)

Ronald G. Harris '71 (N) (14,183)

Kaitlin Jaxheimer '05 (N) (14,221)

Otho E. Kerr III '79 (N) (14,361)

Ronald B. Schram '64 (N) (14,560)

Frank Gado '58 (P) (9,474)

Zach Hafer '99 (P) (9,486)

Alexander X. Mooney '93 (P) (9,453)

Richard Roberts '83 (P) (9,452)

Marjory Grant Ross '81 (P) (9,397)

John Steel '54 (P) (9,829)

Charles J. Urstadt '49, '51Tu (P) (9,568)

The annual meeting adjourned at 2:15 pm.

Respectfully submitted,

Patricia Fisher '81
Director, Class Activities
Office of Alumni Relations, Dartmouth College