Class Officers Weekend 2015
IN PURSUIT OF EXCELLENCE

Dartmouth College
Recognizes with Deep Appreciation
the Extraordinary Achievements of


JOSEPH D. MATHEWSON '55

2015 William H. Scherman '34 Award
Class Newsletter Editor of the Year
26 or More Years Out

With unparalleled dedication to the Class of 1955, you have produced an impressive nine newsletters in the past year and encouraged classmate dialogue and engagement leading up to the 60th Reunion. You have consistently delivered insightful feature stories and interviews highlighting both personal and professional classmate accomplishments, as well as philanthropy to the College and the world at large.

Of special note were stories that classmates shared about their interests and talents in the arts and literature with the intent of creating an exhibition of their artwork and published books at reunion. Articles remembering "superstar" professors were poignant and inspiring. The newsletters also featured biographies and thank you letters from students who received '55 Memorial Awards, and scholarships from the Class Scholarship Fund and Class DCAC Fund. There were reports of reunion giving and the remarkable success story of class support for the 52 different endowment funds established in perpetuity by the class. Also impressive was the promotion of 'Fifty-Five Cares', an initiative to help classmates and spouses navigate the medical, legal, and spiritual world. And finally, there were numerous engaging photos of classmates and families from trips and mini-reunions, and a compelling build-up and invitation to the 60th Reunion that was impossible to resist.

You graduated magna cum laude from Dartmouth with a major in international business. During your time at Dartmouth you were a member of The Dartmouth, the Green Key Society, ROTC, the Undergraduate Council, Palaeopitus, and Beta Theta Pi. You are also a graduate of the University of Chicago Law School and did graduate work in European politics at the Bologna Center of John Hopkins University School of Advanced International Studies.

You are a former Supreme Court correspondent for The Wall Street Journal and the author of The Supreme Court and the Press: The Indispensable Conflict. You also covered business for the Journal, were a reporter for WBBM-TV in Chicago, and served as press secretary to Illinois Governor Richard Ogilvie. You live in Chicago, and in 1997 you joined the faculty of Northwestern University where you continue to teach journalism.

You served ten years as trustee of Dartmouth College. You also served as a trustee of the Tucker Foundation and editorial advisor to the Dartmouth Alumni Magazine. You are a past recipient of the Dartmouth Alumni Award. You are a parent of a '79 and a grandparent of a '10, '12, '14, '16, and '17.

Joe, your willingness to share your editorial skill and talent as newsletter editor since 2005 sets a clear standard for what a class newsletter can do for Dartmouth and for any class. It is no accident that 80 percent of your class prefers the class newsletter to learn about the College and the class. It is with the greatest pride that the Class Newsletter Editors Association honors you with the 2015 Class Newsletter of the Year Award.