In Pursuit of Excellence 

Dartmouth College Recognizes with Deep Appreciation the Extraordinary Achievements of the

Class of 1961
2018 Class of the Year – 26 Years Out and Older

The Class of 1961, a Class of the Year winner in 2015, does not rest on its laurels, but continues to set ambitious goals and objectives – and to meet them!

For the second year in a row, the class set the gold standard for Dartmouth College Fund participation. It led all alumni classes with 77.3 percent of classmates contributing a total of $242,607, significantly surpassing its goals of 75 percent and $215,000. The class activated a ten-member SWAT team in mid-May that, with a systematic approach, organized communication, and flawless teamwork, added 185 participants to the DCF rolls by fiscal year end.

This culture of classmate generosity and participation extends to the class’s participation in its dues program and its funding of class projects. With dues participation at just over 59 percent, and with a significant number of classmates opting to contribute further to class projects, the class continued its legacy of giving back to the College. Once again, classmates gave to the Class of 1961 Legacy for the Performing Arts, which funded $58,000 in programming at the Hopkins Center. The class did not stop there. Thanks to classmate contributions and funding from the class treasury, the class established the Robert Frost Endowment for the Arts and International Relations, reflecting the class’s longstanding interest in Robert Frost, the arts, and its 17-year support for and commitment to student-centered learning.

The class put its comprehensive and recently formalized communication plan into action this year, using a multi-faceted strategy to rally classmates to join in Newport, Rhode Island for a major mini-reunion, encourage classmate participation in a 61st day of the year virtual reunion, and to distribute class agent updates, obituary notices, executive committee minutes, and other relevant class news.

For all its outstanding efforts to connect classmates to each other and to the College, the Class Officers Association Executive Board is honored to recognize the Class of 1961 as a 2018 Class of the Year.