tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-378086102024-02-28T14:16:49.327-05:00Dartmouth Traditions"Lest the old traditions fail." A place to reminisce about how Dartmouth used to be before things started slip-sliding away. (Alums are welcome to add to this collection with their own rememberances ... E-mail me at muser@tiac.net and I'll post them. Comments are moderated and, usually, only comments WITH YOUR REAL NAME will be allowed.)George W. Pottshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15559745926094694653noreply@blogger.comBlogger51125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37808610.post-72209862472473175722020-07-04T12:09:00.000-04:002020-07-04T12:10:48.281-04:00More Dartmouth Idiocy<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/0b/Dartmouth_Hall%2C_Dartmouth_College_-_general_view.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><img border="0" data-original-height="600" data-original-width="800" height="300" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/0b/Dartmouth_Hall%2C_Dartmouth_College_-_general_view.JPG" width="400" /></span></a></div>
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: x-large;">Dartmouth College is <b>mandating</b> implicit bias training for all students and faculty ... see: <a href="https://legalinsurrection.com/2020/07/dartmouth-college-mandating-implicit-bias-training-for-all-students-and-faculty/" target="_blank">Legal Insurrection Post</a>.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: x-large;">Thank God it forgot about cleansing us alums! (I particularly have a cherished implicit bias against the thought police.)</span><br />
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George W. Pottshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15559745926094694653noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37808610.post-23016893670583988322020-06-26T15:30:00.000-04:002020-06-26T15:30:10.834-04:00Whew!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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<a href="https://www.insidehighered.com/sites/default/server_files/media/20200611_baker_weathervane_rg003_vista_0.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="449" data-original-width="800" height="223" src="https://www.insidehighered.com/sites/default/server_files/media/20200611_baker_weathervane_rg003_vista_0.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: x-large;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: x-large;">I can’t say how relieved I am that the 600-pound racist weather vane has been removed from Baker Library at Dartmouth College. May I humbly suggest that it be replaced with a Big Green square ... crossed by a wide yellow stripe.</span><br />
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George W. Pottshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15559745926094694653noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37808610.post-40382333513845542982017-08-13T03:47:00.001-04:002017-08-13T03:50:52.019-04:00Senior Canes<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Here is a nice well-researched piece on the former tradition of "senior canes" by Joe Asch ... see: <a href="http://www.dartblog.com/data/2017/08/013388.php">Dartblog Entry</a>. I confess ignorance on this subject and am glad to see this history lesson. Joe has done a thorough and nostalgic job on another vanished Dartmouth tradition.<br />
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Perhaps things might have gone better if we had been tagged the Dartmouth Native Americans?<br />
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George W. Pottshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15559745926094694653noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37808610.post-61775187246890165772017-06-03T14:37:00.000-04:002017-06-03T14:53:09.725-04:00Melting Snowflakes<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Another Dartmouth tradition is about to be deep sixed ... the requirement that students be able to swim 50 yards to graduate ... see: <a href="http://www.dartblog.com/data/2017/06/013305.php">Dartblog Entry</a>. It appears that many snowflakes must melt when they hit water. Traditions are disappearing faster on the Hanover plain than they are being created. That makes for a bland four years. So sad.<br />
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George W. Pottshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15559745926094694653noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37808610.post-89246330174481553962016-06-04T14:19:00.001-04:002016-06-04T14:19:43.175-04:00One More Tradition Busted<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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What is it about Dartmouth that it can't maintain traditions? We find out now that one more tradition is too burdensome to continue ... and that is for the President of the College to hand out diplomas at the graduation ceremony ... see: <a href="http://www.dartblog.com/data/2016/06/012706.php">No Diplomas from Phil</a>. In a few years time I suppose graduating seniors will watch this once joyous rite only on virtual-reality YouTube and receive a facsimile of their diplomas via e-mail?<br />
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George W. Pottshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15559745926094694653noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37808610.post-17277405430312075312015-11-16T07:23:00.000-05:002016-04-12T11:45:31.186-04:00Student Racism<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
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Please read in detail about what recently happened at Dartmouth College where a group of black students went on a rampage denouncing their white classmates with profane vitriol ... see: <a href="https://www.campusreform.org/?ID=6990">Campus Reform Story</a>. Now, as an exercise in turnaround is fair play, imagine that this was a demonstration of white students at Howard University ... and replace the chanted word "white" with "black" and you will see racism in its purest and ugliest form.<br />
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Yes, these black-student protesters at Dartmouth clearly do not have fully-formed senses of social consciousness ... and probably will eventually live to regret their impetuousness. But they nevertheless put a KKK stamp on their repulsive actions that will quietly resonate in the ivied halls of Hanover.<br />
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I do however doubt that the administration there will have the gumption to give them their due ... rather taking the attitude so prevalent these days that "blacks will be blacks." But, to me, lack of push-back against such disgusting demonstrations only makes matters worse ... giving these miscreants a sense of what they did was sanctioned and even encouraged. This is exactly the wrong message from a college that should know better.<br />
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Afterward: I'm batting 1000 ... see: <a href="http://www.dartblog.com/data/2016/04/012566.php">Dartblog Entry</a>.<br />
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George W. Pottshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15559745926094694653noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37808610.post-49430529236302571502014-11-11T20:37:00.000-05:002014-11-12T02:47:06.902-05:00Bile Green<div class="separator" style="background-color: white; clear: both; color: #333333; font-family: Georgia, serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 20.7999992370605px; text-align: left;">
This blog was originally published in <a href="http://fletchcast.blogspot.com/">Fletcher's Castoria</a>.</div>
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Can Dartmouth sink any lower? For a rarity at the college on the hill, a conservative was invited to speak to the undergraduates. Apparently the college Republicans had invited Rick Perry, outgoing governor of Texas, to speak at an open event and he drew a number of anal-sex questions from the audience ... some of which were printed on a flyer that was passed out by a sophomoric sophomore, Ben Packer. A typical example was, "<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #111111;">Do you [Rick Perry] dislike bootysex because the peeny goes in where the poopy comes out?"</span></div>
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<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; color: #111111;">Another green weenie in the audience, senior Emily Sellers, asked the governor if he might engage in anal sex for a large campaign contribution. Wow … such disrespect from seemingly liberal artists! And freshman, Timothy Messen, snidely queried if Rick Perry thought that homosexuals were equivalent to alcoholics. Obviously not everyone in the audience was so crass, but to read more of the details of this sour event see: </span><a href="http://www.breitbart.com/Breitbart-Texas/2014/11/10/Dartmouth-College-Student-Asks-Rick-Perry-Explicit-Question-at-Public-Event" style="color: #999999; text-decoration: none;">Breitbart Story</a>.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Because of a recent similarly scatological story coming out of Harvard ... see: <a href="http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2822770/Get-bottom-Anal-sex-class-offered-Harvard-University.html" style="color: #999999; text-decoration: none;">UK Daily Mail Story</a>, and an overwhelming vote of the Dartmouth faculty to abolish fraternities and sororities, I was commenting to my wife that college professors must live in a parallel universe ... and she agreed. They must have dispatched pedagogical space ships to bring some of their more naively insipid students along with them.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Obviously, the Dartmouth administration cannot and should not punish these miscreant students like it once attempted to stifle campus conservatives for "vexatious" speech. But it surely would be appropriate to embarrass them (and a few of the more notorious faculty members) in some public way.<br />
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<b style="color: black; font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: medium; line-height: normal;">Afterward: Here is a link to a related article: <a href="http://www.powerlineblog.com/archives/2014/11/dartmouths-politically-combustible-women-and-minorities.php">Powerline Piece</a>.</b><br />
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George W. Pottshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15559745926094694653noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37808610.post-53001083572759451452014-05-07T11:00:00.000-04:002014-09-19T11:21:26.239-04:00Happy (at Dartmouth)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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For a upbeat view of the old college on the hill please view: <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NjAWUcUN3jQ">Class of '16's Jake Gaba's take on "Happy" (at Dartmouth)</a>.<br />
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(Tip of the hat to Rick Roesch).<br />
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<b>Afterward: To see what happens to six Iranians who try this same lip-syncing trick ... see: <a href="http://www.powerlineblog.com/archives/2014/09/verboten-in-tehran.php">Powerline Blog Video</a>.</b><br />
<b><br /></b>George W. Pottshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15559745926094694653noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37808610.post-9688713653587693072014-04-07T08:59:00.000-04:002014-04-07T09:00:37.096-04:00Phil Hanlon's ChallengeThe following rant was recently posted on another of my blogs: <a href="http://fletchcast.blogspot.com/">Fletcher's Castoria</a>.<br />
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The new president of Dartmouth College, Phil Hanlon was recently initiated into the ways of hyphenated student protests when the<span style="color: #1a2a37;">“Concerned Asian, Black, Latin@, Native, Undocumented, Queer, and Differently-Abled students”<span class="apple-converted-space"> aka, Freedom Budget (a name as nutty as these students), </span></span>recently occupied his office with a list of 72 demands … which apparently include some knee-slappers. For instance they insisted that Dartmouth must include one "queer studies" class in every department (such as “Queer Projective Geometry” and “Queer Inorganic Chemistry”). I say “apparently,” because I started doing research, trying to find their full list of 72, but then said to myself, “why should I indulge these children with my efforts? Isn’t this protest just an infantile cry for attention … which they clearly don’t deserve?” So I didn’t.</div>
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Anyhow, this was not a shining moment for Dartmouth’s pixy prexy … a Dartmouth-graduated math major like myself. He did not literally kick these militant students out of his office and have them sent to Coventry. Instead he and his <em><span style="color: #202020; font-style: normal;">Dean of the College, Charlotte Johnson, pampered</span></em> these wing-nuts with negotiations and then let some of them bivouac in his office for 48 hours. How humiliating for him and for Dartmouth College … not a shining start for his new presidency. If you want to read more on this tempest in a teapot see the following from the <a href="http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702303987004579479501134392562?mg=reno64-wsj&url=http%3A%2F%2Fonline.wsj.com%2Farticle%2FSB10001424052702303987004579479501134392562.html" style="color: #999999; text-decoration: none;"><i>Wall Street Journal</i></a>.</div>
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I think that the real lesson to be drawn from this disruption … and other recent travesties … like the forced resignation of Mozilla’s CEO, Brendan Eich, for a single political donation (see:<a href="http://www.informationweek.com/strategic-cio/executive-insights-and-innovation/mozilla-ceo-brendan-eich-resigns/d/d-id/1174124" style="color: #999999; text-decoration: none;"><i>Information Week</i> Story</a>) … is that acceding to the irrational demands of those hyphenated groups only makes matters worse. Arthur Miller had it right when he compared the McCarthy era to the Salem witch trials in his play, "The Crucible." There are times when an illogical fervor grabs a society’s psyche and, if nobody pushes back, can result in very scary consequences. The unwillingness of us (I’m talking about you and me, friend … and President Hanlon) to push back against such blatant silliness only causes more silliness … and eventually, if not checked by some courageous souls, much more dire consequences.</div>
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My suggestion to Dartmouth’s Phil Hanlon is don’t be cowed … do your best to purge your campus of such “diverse” detritus and start emphasizing a new diversity … a diversity of true liberal (small “L”) thought. Encourage rational and studied debate on any subject … but do not pamper the childish confrontations and loopy demands of any hyphenated radicals. It’s pretty easy to tell the difference.<br />
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<b>Afterthought: Some might say that all this carping on my part is easy since I do not have to deal with a self-perpetuating and incestuous Board of Trustees who might deny me my next budget request. True, but then, if those in lofty positions are not willing to stand on principle, then their imagined positions are really not that lofty after all.</b></div>
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George W. Pottshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15559745926094694653noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37808610.post-70760151489708389472011-12-09T20:51:00.000-05:002011-12-09T20:51:04.465-05:00"College" on the Hill<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBdmWyOJwQjMKvvAtwYBpqqpOTtIy8pXS3V4WrSQkKG8d1PEILVrzRJzRLPsz9_rU6BPicyhbqlizKLTA_wDAV5yU3hP56hlBj7cuvRc6ky7U06fHXy8mC9WJ37eUp6vWayXJ5ow/s1600/Daniel+Webster.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" mda="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBdmWyOJwQjMKvvAtwYBpqqpOTtIy8pXS3V4WrSQkKG8d1PEILVrzRJzRLPsz9_rU6BPicyhbqlizKLTA_wDAV5yU3hP56hlBj7cuvRc6ky7U06fHXy8mC9WJ37eUp6vWayXJ5ow/s1600/Daniel+Webster.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Daniel Webster</td></tr>
</tbody></table>Now here's a tradition worth fighting for and preserving (just like Daniel Webster did) -- the appellation, "Dartmouth College," and not "Dartmouth University." For a well documented statement of said reasons see: <a href="http://www.dartblog.com/data/2011/12/009920.php">Dartblog</a>George W. Pottshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15559745926094694653noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37808610.post-38945878547787999422011-01-05T09:13:00.003-05:002011-01-05T09:17:09.511-05:00Pareto Principle<div style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"><strong>80-20</strong></span></div><div style="text-align: center;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">The Pareto principle (or the 80-20 rule) states that often 80% of the results come from 20% of the participants (or words to that effect.) See <a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pareto_principle">HERE</a>. The exact percentages can often vary but the upshot is often the same … disproportionality. Dartmouth seems to have fallen into this same paradigm insofar as class attendance is concerned. Joe Asch has pointed out this imbalance in the popular Dartblog to which he often contributes. See <a href="http://www.dartblog.com/data/2011/01/009326.php">HERE</a>. He has also frequently lamented in this same blog how Dartmouth students are experiencing increased difficulty getting into classes of their first preference.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">Now if, according to Joe’s above blog entry, 33% of the student sign-ups are in 63% of the available classes, then 67% of the student sign-ups are in 37% of the available classes! No wonder that there is (to echo Joe’s complaint) so much denial of student-requested first-choice class sign-ups. This also suggests to me that there may be a large number of somewhat spurious classes at Dartmouth with just a sprinkling of students (Native-American Studies, Gender Studies, etc.?). But, it is also encouraging to me that the vast majority of Dartmouth students are apparently eager to attend those classes in which they might learn something useful in their coming careers (Economics, History, Physics, Government, Chemistry, etc.)</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div><div style="text-align: left;">Perhaps we should also pay professors based upon the Pareto principle – 37% of the professors should get 67% of the available faculty salaries … dependent upon the number of students they attract to their courses. I'm just half kidding.</div><div style="text-align: left;"><br />
</div>George W. Pottshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15559745926094694653noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37808610.post-64552871322459711942010-11-06T19:37:00.003-04:002010-11-06T19:45:30.470-04:00Congress Street<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5P6Qsao_zUpZwqBEgiBBbFOVctp5SvAY7aLm2a-5qDpSeBZs-Zk8Dot648aElwSbBFyxKk-2fH-Snqki8kx_7k0o_QWCCA3BuEcJSnbKDtAxQOX3Oxpk9RwwcqLvfAq5WNECUGA/s1600/prostitute.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" px="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5P6Qsao_zUpZwqBEgiBBbFOVctp5SvAY7aLm2a-5qDpSeBZs-Zk8Dot648aElwSbBFyxKk-2fH-Snqki8kx_7k0o_QWCCA3BuEcJSnbKDtAxQOX3Oxpk9RwwcqLvfAq5WNECUGA/s1600/prostitute.jpg" /></a></div><br />
This aptly named side street in Saratoga Springs, New York was once the traditional destination for a few randy Dartmouth men who had struck out with their dates at Skidmore (The Skids). To get a better idea of the true purpose of this diversion read this fictionalized account of one Halloween there: <a href="http://purprose.blogspot.com/2010/10/trick-or-treat.html">Trick or Treat</a>.George W. Pottshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15559745926094694653noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37808610.post-65098739777118965112010-11-02T14:24:00.008-04:002010-11-16T21:12:26.497-05:00Wales's Tails<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvAN6j43-KDUU9ryZ6SJYFtHk9eSTo4YU93F0MkQz0nJlA4WwHRfI4pnkaaQNMUaVBpQptA2WqWg3CGW4t8s8_R-LwnE6XtZrvWSAFtryuSl8KeAZb7uix7siVkuYjpcQ9ozLaVw/s1600/whale+tail.bmp" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" nx="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvAN6j43-KDUU9ryZ6SJYFtHk9eSTo4YU93F0MkQz0nJlA4WwHRfI4pnkaaQNMUaVBpQptA2WqWg3CGW4t8s8_R-LwnE6XtZrvWSAFtryuSl8KeAZb7uix7siVkuYjpcQ9ozLaVw/s1600/whale+tail.bmp" /></a></div><br />
<br />
Recently on Dartblog, Isaiah Berg mentioned that Dartmouth fraternities/sororities were playing the drinking game, “Tails” (see <a href="http://www.dartblog.com/data/2010/11/009246.php">here</a>). That rocked me back on my heels … as over 50 years ago at Sigma Nu we played a drinking game “Wales Tails” (in order to speed up the inebriation process.) May I assume that the current game is one and the same? To test this theory of tradition persistence I thought I would describe the game we played and see if it is equivalent to what fraternities and sororities are playing today.<br />
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The premise of this game was that the Prince of Wales had lost his cut-away tuxedo (his tails) and was trying to find it by accusing others at the table (usually from 4 to 7 others) of taking it. There was a pitcher or two of beer at the table and everyone had a plastic cup that was to be constantly filled with same. One person would be chosen as Prince (usually a senior) and he would begin by saying, “The Prince and [the number of players at the table, not counting the Prince].” <br />
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Then, “The Prince of Wales has lost his tails … Wales … tails … [a number] sir!” The number given would be the person being accused and it was the seat number of a person at the table counting counterclockwise from the Prince. This person was to immediately respond, “Nay sir, [and then the number of another person at the table … or ‘Prince’] sir.” This person accused was to respond in kind and this new person would offer up another culprit’s number (or “Prince”), until someone screwed up in answering at which point the loser had to take a slug of beer.<br />
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Now this seems simple enough, but there were a number of nuances that went along with this game:<br />
<br />
1) The Prince could declare a “tightening round” whereby the loser would have to chug-a-lug his beer instead of just taking a gulp.<br />
<br />
2) The Prince could declare a “rotating Prince” whereby the person accused automatically became the Prince and all numbers changed in kind dynamically counterclockwise around the table. This could get quite complicated really fast and pity the poor player who did not have all his faculties due to over imbibing.<br />
<br />
3) The person accused could call his own number (or “Prince” if things were rotating) and then respond with a denial and an accusation of another player … or even himself again, etc.<br />
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4) The person accused could call another number but simultaneously turn to stare at another player who was not that number. This was called an “elementary head fake.”<br />
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This game would often go on until the wee hours of the morning … or the keg tapped out.George W. Pottshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15559745926094694653noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37808610.post-30347646283203241802010-06-28T18:25:00.005-04:002010-08-13T14:31:49.897-04:00Grabowsky's Musings<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheETIRFGDYptOrK8XnsOXkkOLU3__ludIfNgjEofn50ioLM4B3Tm64sE7RCUamP_3Y9UJc_sqKz8nj6ww5VvQh1qATeQCkCV5Qutpcs79w9JoDAHxzJrJ3RzQahpf7BwOwW7HhFA/s1600/Dartmouth+Shield.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" ru="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheETIRFGDYptOrK8XnsOXkkOLU3__ludIfNgjEofn50ioLM4B3Tm64sE7RCUamP_3Y9UJc_sqKz8nj6ww5VvQh1qATeQCkCV5Qutpcs79w9JoDAHxzJrJ3RzQahpf7BwOwW7HhFA/s320/Dartmouth+Shield.png" /></a></div><br />
The following is the <em>Traditions</em> section from “Then and Now” in the 50th Reunion publication of the Dartmouth Class of 1960, <strong>Musings Unlimited</strong>. The following compendium was put together by Axel Grabowsky '60 and we are all the better for it. Thank you Axel ...<br />
<br />
"President Jim Kim tells a funny story about the circling of the bonfire on Homecoming Friday evening which captures the essence of “traditions.” After the speeches from the steps of Dartmouth Hall are all done and the bonfire is flaming away lustily, our new president decides to partake in that primeval Dartmouth tradition of running around the bonfire. He does half a dozen laps and figures that’s enough of one strenuous tradition for one night. He stops at a cluster of alumni, faculty and administrators who all applaud his run and says something to the effect that six laps is enough . . . no need to do the last two class numerals plus 100 laps. Everyone stares at him and then they proceed to tell him what the “real” tradition is. By the time he hears seven (or maybe a dozen) different versions I suspect he realizes that traditions are a very personal thing. Every class, every alumnus or alumna, every faculty and administration member has their own version. And particularly the alumni, the more so the older we get, have our own “real” real version.<br />
<br />
With that in mind let me run down Dartmouth’s hallowed traditions, well-beloved, usually somewhat lost in the fog of history . . . but our traditions nonetheless. (Some of this comes from the Sept./Oct. 2008 Alumni Magazine with revisions as needed.)<br />
<br />
Bonfire: Supposedly it started in 1888 to celebrate a baseball victory. “Then” and “now” it is one of the essentials of celebrating Homecoming. In the late 1950s we scoured the countryside for creosote-laden railroad ties, fallen-down barns and outhouses, crates, pallets and cartons from Thayer and local merchants and pretty much anything else combustible that we could get our hands on reasonably legally and for free. The College helped us move our material to the center of the Green, and then we built the pyre ourselves. The tradition lives on strongly with a few modernizing changes. The College buys the materials to be burned and brings it to the Green; the lumber and other stuff is lifted up the side of the pyre by fork-lifts, everyone working on the bonfire wears a hard hat and only a certain number of people can work on it at any one time. There are as many traditions as to the required height of the pyre as there are undergraduate classes or perhaps even alumni. (In October 1959, there were 28,530 living undergraduate alumni and a total of 29,658; on October 9, 2009 there were 56,697 living undergraduate alumni and a total of 71,087.)<br />
<br />
I have divided our traditions into three groups: the grand old or essential ones, the “nice to have” ones and the minor ones . . . and I expect to be properly castigated for making these divisions.<br />
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The Homecoming Parade and the Circling the Bonfire: The returning classes parade through town and around the Green to the steps of Dartmouth Hall. The freshmen “then” and the first year students “now” equally enthusiastically circle the bonfire until it collapses. That’s the tradition . . . I think.<br />
Ice Sculpture: “Then” as “now” the DOC designs and builds a usually monumental ice sculpture in the middle of the Green. “Then” just about every fraternity and dormitory also built smaller ice sculptures on their front lawns. “Now” only a very few fraternities still do.<br />
<br />
Freshman/First Year Student Trip: An enduring tradition for new students before classes even begin, “then” and “now” expertly planned, arranged and managed by the DOC. There are some differences, though. About 100 ‘60s hiked into the woods and mountains of New Hampshire; more than 95% of the ‘10s made the trip, although in addition to hiking, they also mountain climbed, canoed, kayaked, rode horses . . . you name it. One of the best parts of the trip is the telling of ghost stories at the Ravine Lodge.<br />
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The Dartmouth Indian: He came a cropper in the 1960s. Suggested replacements such as an anthropomorphized beer keg named “Keggy” or a similarly anthropomorphized moose called “Dartmoose” haven’t quite caught on. Neither has been the attempt to “mascotize” the Lone Pine. The Big Green would seem to be a reasonable placeholder . . . although certainly not for everyone. Indian Head Senior canes, going back to 1898, hung on a little longer but were discontinued by 1972. Clay pipes ceased to be a tradition in 1992. <br />
<br />
Pong: “Now” labeled the “quintessential Dartmouth drinking game.” It is a tradition less than 50 years old. The better your aim, the thirstier you get.<br />
<br />
The following traditions are in turn nice to have, sometimes delightful, and sometimes hard to fathom why they lasted at all.<br />
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Sink Night initiates the new brothers and sisters into Greek-letter and similar houses. At Wetdown the newly elected student government members were originally pelted with food and water on the Green. When food and water was replaced by flogging with belts, the tradition died in the 1960s. <br />
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The a capella choral competition, aka "fraternity hums", going back to 1899, pitted the various fraternities against each other on the steps of Dartmouth Hall in the spring. Misogynistic lyrics in 1975 apparently ended this truly delightful tradition. <br />
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Freshman headgear was very much still in fashion “then.” It disappeared from the scene in the early 1970s. <br />
<br />
Rubbing Bentley’s Nose in Hopkins Center has become a well-entrenched tradition “now.” Then” we used Dean Craven Laycock’s nose in Baker but not nearly as assiduously. <br />
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The Trip to the Sea is the Canoe Club’s annual 218-mile paddle (and sometimes race) from Hanover to Long Island Sound, re-staging John Ledyard’s escape from Dartmouth in 1773. Paddling through Hartford, CT in the buff is definitely a new “now” tradition. <br />
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Milk Punch, a combination of left-over liquor, milk, vanilla ice cream, and chopped ice, was served in a large galvanized wash tub in fraternities on Sunday morning to, as one of our classmates wrote, “purge the demons and ethers” of the weekend . . . usually to no avail. Not even the supposedly well-worn jock strap, usually floating in the punch, cleared anyone’s head. <br />
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Finally, road trips, mostly to women’s colleges, “then” were traditional, always much fun, always dangerous and a few times fatal. There is not much need for road trips “now.”<br />
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Here, in no particular order, are some minor traditions; some have held on over the last 50 years, some have died and some have started new:<br />
<br />
Fraternity Play Contest, rushing the football field at halftime, Sanborn tea, Salty Dog Rag, 24 hours to Moosilauke, Baker Bells on Request, Keg Jump, Ledyard Challenge, old and new chariot races, polar bear swim, Senior Fence, tennis balls at Princeton hockey games, toga parties and the Tuck Bicycle Races."George W. Pottshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15559745926094694653noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37808610.post-60139587716360681302010-06-13T19:55:00.015-04:002010-11-06T03:14:57.317-04:00I Remember …<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNVqngGIRQEnmpClD-OH_Ct_DSenhvl9N7DOv2wssaYoVBDm08nqTJSBWvWatg4hHzDO_WQV26QJIQ2wjVb9fBtpu65uKS_1Y5Pfg2i9FJj17K7VX7Z7Jle1fHYRNyqDwM09kP7A/s1600/flounder.bmp" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="194" qu="true" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNVqngGIRQEnmpClD-OH_Ct_DSenhvl9N7DOv2wssaYoVBDm08nqTJSBWvWatg4hHzDO_WQV26QJIQ2wjVb9fBtpu65uKS_1Y5Pfg2i9FJj17K7VX7Z7Jle1fHYRNyqDwM09kP7A/s320/flounder.bmp" width="320" /></a></div><br />
Ripples on the water are funny. Sometimes you throw a big stone in the pond … KERPLOP! … and there is very little ripple. (Competitive divers are judged on how little splash and ripple they make.) And sometimes a small pebble hits the water just right and it sends out a crescendo of wavelets. So it is with life. <br />
<br />
In the book and movie <em>Animal House</em>, many of the brothers of the late 1950’s Alpha Delta Phi (AD) fraternity at Dartmouth were given nicknames: Bluto (after a character in Popeye), the Pinto (for the piebald coloring on his nether region), and Flounder (for his pale complexion and close-set eyes). The perpetual success of the <em>Animal House</em> movie has consequently engraved the representations of these characters on the American psyche.<br />
<br />
This past weekend I attended my 50th reunion at Dartmouth and, among the many festivities designed by the college to encourage future generous donations was a moving Memorial Service for our 124 classmates who had “passed on” (out of a graduating class of around 650). This interdenominational service was very well attended and filled with prayers for the deceased and a few old Dartmouth songs. But one of the traditions that was herein continued was to read aloud the names of all our deceased class members and, as each name was recited, we who knew him would stand (or keep standing) and say “I remember [the deceased classmate’s name].” <br />
<br />
Going through 124 names was a moving experience. Some got a plethora of responses … and a few got none save the minister's reading of their name. I stood and testified for Ned “Pat” Patrick (dorm-mate and our Freshman class President), Ned Nabers (a classics scholar in my freshman and sophomore dorm), Dick Reynolds (a fraternity brother and cool saxophone player in the Barbary Coast band), Mike Menaker (who snaked my date from Colby Junior College), Jim Sniderman (a fraternity brother), Robert Postel (a frequent seat-mate in class and aide in getting me married to my current wife), Jay Emery (a fraternity brother and all-around good guy), and Bruce Thorton (a fraternity brother). But it was the deceased (and unknown to me) Jessee "Nick" Fate who then made a indelible impression on me. After his name was read and his friends said in a cacophony, “I remember Nick Fate,” someone shouted from the back of the chapel, “FLOUNDER!"<br />
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Nick Fate has obviously left a very big ripple.George W. Pottshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15559745926094694653noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37808610.post-36698176244317768902010-03-11T20:06:00.020-05:002010-03-12T10:25:19.920-05:00Walking Tall<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhV4-DtqEcMbnv9i0OrsbDnG-eVV1qRvToOPQngTz7FvlnzopG2UAoFjBEgksWuf04P_-gdL5-zuI9hjTA6BTsvNvWU40ELt4wUT0KWGc1py_oY91s15W-nAszLXUtGEIx23dkJRQ/s1600-h/tallest+man.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 180px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5447556861894736082" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhV4-DtqEcMbnv9i0OrsbDnG-eVV1qRvToOPQngTz7FvlnzopG2UAoFjBEgksWuf04P_-gdL5-zuI9hjTA6BTsvNvWU40ELt4wUT0KWGc1py_oY91s15W-nAszLXUtGEIx23dkJRQ/s400/tallest+man.jpg" /></a>My mother used to chide me, "You don't make yourself any taller by claiming someone else is short." Apparently, many opponents of Joseph <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_0" class="blsp-spelling-error">Asch,</span> in the current election for Dartmouth College's Board of Trustees, don't believe this platitude. The have been circulating many half-truths, <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_2" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">innuendos</span>, and even slimes besmirching Joe. I won't name these opponents but I'm sure most of you have received e-mails, letters, and even whispers to these effects. What I would like to do here briefly is tell you why I voted for Joe ... and ask you to do the same. If you have been a reader of <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_3" class="blsp-spelling-error">Dartblog</span>, you know that when Joe cuts himself, he bleeds green. (If you haven't, please link to <a href="http://www.dartblog.com/">http://www.dartblog.com/</a>.) He clearly loves our college and has offered many suggestions in the hope of helping President Kim solve Dartmouth's current financial crisis, re-<span id="SPELLING_ERROR_4" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">enfranchising</span> Dartmouth alums, bolstering the academic and social experiences of our students, and recapturing what was once the glory of our sports teams. All, in my humble opinion, <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_5" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">noble</span> endeavors.<br /><br /><div>It would seem that this is what trustees are supposed to do and this is why Joe would be a valuable addition to this august body. But one thing most clearly distinguish him from his opponent ... he has <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_6" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">committed</span> to trying to restore parity to Dartmouth's Board of Trustees. "Parity" means that we alums would have the potential once again of having equal say in who represents us on this group. I can't see why this is a bad thing (like some who have been disparaging Joe of late.) I have never been able to follow the logic of those who decry an equal voice for us alums ... like we so recently had. To me, a self-perpetuating Trustee Board almost guarantees that we will dig more fiscal, pedagogical, and public-image holes at our college for our children's children. We might avoid this bleak outlook by taking this small first step and voting for Joe Asch '79 for Dartmouth's Board of Trustees. I have. And, if you do, I sincerely thank you.</div><br /><div>George W. Potts '60</div>George W. Pottshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15559745926094694653noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37808610.post-23151122099080548022010-01-21T08:21:00.011-05:002010-01-21T12:34:03.332-05:00A Dartmouth Trustee to Trust<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoR9P26WLJobwSr_pWniZ_LcC128g2Tew5zKjM1cgRZqa7WGGD0ILMqk3HHDCinVc-ctVSsHyEQ6hQeJ4rPPeiKflD7NX5CP-gFfUZKHi5O1G-dX2NQ9GNA_hkD4hNciRHxBl2Rw/s1600-h/Joe+Asch.jpg"><img style="MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 270px; FLOAT: left; HEIGHT: 338px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5429192657746912786" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoR9P26WLJobwSr_pWniZ_LcC128g2Tew5zKjM1cgRZqa7WGGD0ILMqk3HHDCinVc-ctVSsHyEQ6hQeJ4rPPeiKflD7NX5CP-gFfUZKHi5O1G-dX2NQ9GNA_hkD4hNciRHxBl2Rw/s400/Joe+Asch.jpg" /></a>I know it's been a while since I have posted here ... and much has happened in Hanover in the interim ... some good, some bad. But now there are two openings for the college's Board of Trustees that need to be filled with thinking and probing champions of the institution we all love so much. My classmate, Mort <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_0" class="blsp-spelling-error">Kondracke</span>, is running and, although I sometimes find his cable-TV <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_1" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">knee jerks</span> a little too left-leaning, I do believe that he would be open-minded and a contributor to many of the tough decisions that will need to be made while Dartmouth digs itself out of its current fiscal hole.<br /><br /><div></div><div>There is another candidate for Dartmouth's Board of Trustees that I am more enthusiastic about -- Joseph <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_2" class="blsp-spelling-error">Asch</span>. Joe has been a major contributor to that very popular Dartmouth blog, <a href="http://www.dartblog.com/"><span id="SPELLING_ERROR_3" class="blsp-spelling-error">Dartblog</span></a>. There he has mainly posted important and quality analyses about many of Dartmouth's financial problems (warming to President Kim's serious treatment of same), championed Dartmouth's many sports teams, pointed out some irksome <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_4" class="blsp-spelling-error">misallocation</span> of our school's pedagogical assets, and shared his taste for quality food and drink. He has not yet addressed the degeneration of many Dartmouth traditions that have <span id="SPELLING_ERROR_5" class="blsp-spelling-corrected">occurred</span> over the last 20 or so years ... but I'm working on him for that. His background well demonstrates his financial analytic talents, his love for his A<span id="SPELLING_ERROR_6" class="blsp-spelling-error">lma</span> Mater, and his liberal (small "l") worldview. To verify that he is eminently qualified for this position, please visit <a href="http://joefordartmouth.com/">Joe for Dartmouth</a> where you might also reference, download, sign, and submit a Petition for his Trustee candidacy. I hope you'll find him as attractive a candidate as I do.</div><div></div><div></div><div>George W. Potts '60</div>George W. Pottshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15559745926094694653noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37808610.post-35521897997418265902009-03-26T09:12:00.003-04:002009-03-26T09:28:51.357-04:00Just Say No<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_W_hDzOP1bfjxpbe4u3vL-oTJ2HCnyTI_P9-2YHI9039AhbeGYHePHhBvKeakjSVXZmmwS5WeQ8q6s62_mR68WSVxlkeb7CdnqkoKifn07rKEeLnja1KPVrL6L7YJ4-xZZ7jfRw/s1600-h/Saddam.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5317487026862832114" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 300px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 245px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_W_hDzOP1bfjxpbe4u3vL-oTJ2HCnyTI_P9-2YHI9039AhbeGYHePHhBvKeakjSVXZmmwS5WeQ8q6s62_mR68WSVxlkeb7CdnqkoKifn07rKEeLnja1KPVrL6L7YJ4-xZZ7jfRw/s400/Saddam.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><div>I just got my ballot from The Association of Alumni of Dartmouth College asking for me to vote for or against the new Association Constitutional Amendment and for a slate of candidates for this organization … all of whom strongly support this amendment … amazingly, not one single dissenter. From reading the enclosed promotional material, I get the eerie feeling that I am being asked to participate in a sham democratic process that will put another nail in the coffin of true alumni/ae participation in the future of Dartmouth. It’s kind of like when Saddam Hussein used to be “democratically” re-elected in Iraq with 99.9% of the vote.<br /><br />Basically, this amendment appears to me to insure that this association can no longer be dominated by the types that initiated the lawsuit against the college last year that attempted to stop the college’s Trustee board-packing scheme. This is done by making the Association of the Alumni effectively self-perpetuating and for the nomination of dissenters so complex that few will have the stamina to complete it. Therefore, I will vote “no” for this amendment and not vote for any of the candidates proposed by the existing Association.<br /><br />If you don’t see any more posting on this blog in the next twelve months, it would be rational for you to assume that the Wright-thinking PC police have hauled me off to the boarded-up Hovey Grill in the Dining Hall to be re-educated in the ways of a true Liberal education.</div>George W. Pottshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15559745926094694653noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37808610.post-68016853306265356832009-02-13T15:25:00.001-05:002009-02-15T02:07:18.832-05:00Winter CarnivalHere follows a series of e-mails discussing Dartmouth Winter Carnival and its ice sculptures of olde:<br /><br />Big D-ers,<br />This coming Friday starts Winter Carnival and this morning the “Boston Globe” published a photo of the 1935 center-campus ice sculpture “Odin”. This has inspired me to this request for your input for the blog site “Dartmouth Traditions”. What I am asking for is your memories of past ice sculptures … both center campus and in front of fraternities/dorms … or, better yet, included JPEG pictures of same. The one I remember most was the center-campus standing Indian with his drawn bow … how this was done in ice still baffles me.) I’ll assemble them into a blog entry that should highlight one of Dartmouth’s most enduring traditions. (I even helped design and build the Sigma Nu ice sculpture in 1959, yet I can’t recall what it was.)<br />George Potts ‘60<br /><br />George,The Sigma Nu statue in 1958 was a rocket with features of Secretary of State John Foster Dulles titled "Dull Ice". A picture appeared in Time Magazine and we received letters from upset Republican ladies even though most of us approved of and liked Dulles at the time.John Bousum<br /><br />George...I remember clearly the Sigma Nu ice sculpture you designed for our Senior year (you say 1959, but technically it was 1960, I believe). I believe the theme for that Winter Carnival was the Gay 90's or some such. We came up with an image of an old carriage with a couple of drivers and we called it "The Good Ol' Drays." Weren't we clever? You did most of the work, I recall, and worked well into the cold nighttime hours in an attempt to complete the statue for the 'judges' who were scheduled to come by fairly early the next morning.<br />It really was very well done, but I don't recall that we won any prizes.Bob Caulfield<br /><br />George --<br />Thanks for including me in your mailing after all these years. I'm not much help. I think somewhere I have a picture of the Wheeler Hall statue we made for freshman year. Usual pun of a mouse on a wedge of holey cheese -- Swiss Skis -- if I recall it, but that's about it. I'm not good at JPEG, but I can send you the picture if that's something you want. Anyway, nice to hear from you.<br />Wah-hoo-wah --<br />Bob<br /><br /><br />Why the hell did somebody not take a picture of that? does the college have a archivist or some body like that who might have take one? I wimped out and stayed inside because it was too<br />cold. It was a good statue.<br />Mike<br /><br />John: Ah, you have stirred the memory. Dimling and I were tasked with the project and, as you will recall this was the era of Sputnik and the beginning of the ICBM race with Russia. John Foster Dulles was the quintessential hawk and the project turned out pretty well----we got 2nd or 3rd place. I sent the picture and a letter of explanation and, as your correctly recall, we got some very interesting replies ranging from completely off the wall to coeds looking for an invite to Winter Carnival. I think it was the next year that a major TV network did a special on Winter Carnival. Hard to believe that we looking back at this from the perspective of half a century...!!Earle<br /><br />Earle, et al --A great memory. But I think your recollection of the mail you received -- and it was you, and not "we" who received it, since it was you who sent the letter to Time -- has been a little dulled by the passage of time. I seem to recall that some of the letters from females were offering more than just to come to winter carnival. Of course I was young and impressionable then, so perhaps any suggestion from a young female had more impact than it deserved.John<br /><br />I'm digging through boxes of old photos to find something for you. Your idea is great . . . my memory less so. Ergo, I'm searching. I'll let you know if and when I find something. Axel<br /><br />All,<br />Thanks for all your e-mails. I am assembling them into the "Dartmouth Traditions" blog entry which I will publish shortly. Today starts the 100th anniversary of Winter Carnival and it has met with a minor catastrophe. See <a href="http://www.dartblog.com/data/2009/02/008551.php">http://www.dartblog.com/data/2009/02/008551.php</a> I guess this might be thought of as representative given the state of the college, our nation and the world. But all is not lost if I can interpret the spirit of tradition that seems to be exhibited by the response to this setback.<br /><br />Studernts come to save the day -- <a href="http://thedartmouth.com/2009/02/13/mirror/collapse/">http://thedartmouth.com/2009/02/13/mirror/collapse/</a><br /><br />George Potts '60<br /><br />References:<br /><a href="http://thedartmouth.com/2007/02/09/news/ninetyseven/">http://thedartmouth.com/2007/02/09/news/ninetyseven/</a><br /><a href="http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P1-104671637.html">http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P1-104671637.html</a><br /><a href="http://www.nationmaster.com/encyclopedia/Dartmouth-College-traditions#Winter_Carnival">http://www.nationmaster.com/encyclopedia/Dartmouth-College-traditions#Winter_Carnival</a><br /><a href="http://www.bostonherald.com/entertainment/travel/view.bg?articleid=1148476">http://www.bostonherald.com/entertainment/travel/view.bg?articleid=1148476</a><br /><a href="http://www.rare-posters.com/dartmouthski.html">http://www.rare-posters.com/dartmouthski.html</a><br /><a href="http://www.dartmouthimages.com/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=28_257&products_id=323&ponv=7&matte=&metal=&wood">http://www.dartmouthimages.com/catalog/product_info.php?cPath=28_257&products_id=323&ponv=7&matte=&metal=&wood</a>=George W. Pottshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15559745926094694653noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37808610.post-54313063911904059992008-12-22T14:18:00.000-05:002008-12-22T14:19:56.341-05:00Interfraternity Play ContestI am not sure when the Interfraternity Play Contest become a late winter ritual at Dartmouth, or, for that matter, when it ended. I do know that the IPC was going strong as least as early as the late ‘40’s right after WW II.<br /><br />The Contest worked like this. Each year all fraternities were encouraged to put on a one act play. In the late ‘50’s when I was at Dartmouth, I would say about 10 or 12 fraternities, roughly half of all houses, participated in any given year. The plays presented ranged from original one acts written by one of the fraternity members, short plays written by well known playwrights, or excerpts of traditional length plays presented in abbreviated form. In all, each participating fraternity was allowed up to one half hour to present its production.<br /><br />It was required that only members of the fraternity could participate in the production. No ringers! And that all the tasks necessary to put on the play had to be performed by those members. The only exception to this rule was that a fraternity could uses actresses as the casting needs of the play dictated. Since Dartmouth was not co-ed in the late ‘50’s, faculty wives, townies and nurses from Mary Hitchcock Hospital would often be involved. (Thank heavens we did not have to wear drag as is the custom at certain other Ivy institutions!) Fraternity members were the actors, directors, stage managers, lighting directors, and set designers for these productions, although in most cases whoever opted to be the play’s director usually wore several other hats. Each participating fraternity would be assigned a faculty advisor from the ‘theater’ department who would hold one or two preliminary rehearsals with the cast. Then we were given time for one ‘dress’ rehearsal, complete with lights, set and props, in the Little Theater, located on the second floor of Robinson Hall.<br /><br />When I say ‘Little’ Theater, I mean just that; this space was tiny! It sat perhaps 150 people on the world’s most uncomfortable wooden chairs. Actually, there was no formal theater department at Dartmouth in the late ‘50’s even though there was a very active, and I like to think, successful theater program. Each year the Dartmouth Players mounted four or five major productions under the guidance of Warner Bentley, Henry Williams and George Schoenhut. We did some very challenging plays: “Waiting for Godot” was a particular success in Hanover and won huge praise at the annual Yale Drama Festival in 1958. Warner Bentley oversaw the construction of the Hopkins Center, opened in 1962 I believe. The Hop has had a most positive effect on all the arts at Dartmouth.<br /><br />The IPC ran over the course of three or four nights depending on the number of entrants and we performed in front of an audience. Not many people came as I remember, but there was always an audience of some size. A panel of judges (usually Warner, Henry and George) would then select a ‘winner,’ as well as ‘best actor’ and each participating house got ‘points.’ I am not sure what these points counted towards, but I know we got points for doing lots of activities” such as ‘Hums,’ interfraternity sports, the house’s academic ranking, and so forth.<br /><br />The Interfraternity Play Contest was great fun. It was always interesting for me to see how much creativity would come forth each year from fraternities where one least expected to find it.<br /><br />Bob Caulfield<br />San Francisco<br />December 22, 2008George W. Pottshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15559745926094694653noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37808610.post-8773683652430312052008-11-23T19:47:00.004-05:002008-11-24T11:42:31.303-05:00Paper-Bag-On-The-Head Time<strong>Dartmouth 2008:</strong><br />No Rhodes scholars<br />#54 in U.S. News's list of best worldwide colleges and universities<br />Alums disenfranchised themselves<br />0-10 in football<br />Students going gaga over Obama's election<br />In growing financial difficulty<br /><br />President Wright can't leave soon enough.George W. Pottshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15559745926094694653noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37808610.post-91623905025825163222008-08-28T10:40:00.003-04:002008-08-28T10:45:45.983-04:00U.S. Snooze and World Report RankingsAs I remember it, Dartmouth and Princeton were once peers. Well, at least we're better than Northwestern!! See -- <a href="http://colleges.usnews.rankingsandreviews.com/college/national-search">U.S. Snooze</a>George W. Pottshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15559745926094694653noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37808610.post-23118571397826143862008-06-11T02:11:00.002-04:002008-06-11T02:50:36.912-04:00Dartmouth DeadHere are a few of the Class of 1960 who did the old girl in:<br /><br />James Adler, Tom Andrews, Charlie Butler, Elliott Carr, Steve Carroll, Dick Chase, Jonathan Cohen, William A. Colton, Jr., Walter E. Daniels. Dick Davidson, Robert M. Derderian, Howard Frankel, Walter Freedman, William Gould, William E. Gundy, John T. Guy, Robert Hager, J. Roger Hanlon, John Hannon, Michael Heitner, Russ Ingersoll, Chuck Kaufman, Kenneth E. Johansen, Eugene Kohn, Phil Kron, Richard Levy, Marty Lower, Barry MacLean, Spencer Morgan, Richard Ossen, James M. Pollard, Rick Roesch, Tony Roisman, Dan Rosen, David Sammons, Peter Schwartz, Dudley Smith, I. Thomas Stone, Allen Stowe, Mickey Straus, Seth Strickland, David Vaules, Tom Wahman, and Roger L. Zissu<br /><br />Please no flowers.George W. Pottshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15559745926094694653noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37808610.post-11736268609578264682008-05-12T09:33:00.002-04:002008-05-13T09:30:03.652-04:00Our Next PrexyWhat qualities would I like to see in Dartmouth’s next President? (Not that anyone is holding their breath waiting for my input.) I would like our next Prexy to trim our obvious administrative bloat ... to reinstall a rigorous set of academic minimums to insure that undergraduates get a true liberal arts education ... to create diversity in a Dartmouth student's every-day social and political interactions rather than just in the student-body demographics ... to create well-rounded graduates with a solid physical, logical, spiritual and intellectual grounding ... to push undergraduates (and faculty) toward distinction with a stated goal of winning more national and international academic awards ... to move Dartmouth back into the forefront of a cyber-science (as well as in other meaningful academic areas) … and to pay more attention toward preserving Dartmouth traditions? Enough? I guess that this might be too much to expect from Dartmouth’s current power structure.<br /><br />George Potts '60George W. Pottshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15559745926094694653noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-37808610.post-87846917026078400732008-03-24T10:07:00.012-04:002008-04-05T20:00:16.328-04:00DARTMOUTH DYING?One of the oldest traditions at Dartmouth is that the Alumni(ae), since 1891, have been able to elect half of the College’s Board of Trustees. This, to me, is an essential check and balance that has kept Dartmouth from charting its administrative and pedagogical course independent of the leavening element of the collective wisdom of its graduates. Now this prerogative is being threatened and it is time for those graduates who cherish this tradition to make a stand against this portent. The Dartmouth administration has attempted to pack the Board of Trustees with additional acolytes who believe that this and all future administrations are infallible and can perpetuate themselves without independent input and oversight.<br /><br />This administration stratagem has been thwarted by a lawsuit by the Dartmouth Association of Alumni which has so far been successful in the New Hampshire courts. But unfortunately, authorization for this suit was voted for by a paper-thin margin -- six out of the eleven in the Executive Committee of our Association of Alumni. Now, the administration’s tact is to overturn this decision by changing this Association’s Executive Committee membership to a group that would likely rescind this lawsuit. Thus, there is an upcoming election (April 28th through June 5th) that pits a group of independent petition candidates to the Executive Committee of the Dartmouth Association of Alumni against the administration’s hand-picks. This therefore is a critical election that cannot be ignored by any alum who believes that Dartmouth will only remain strong with a modicum of independent oversight. To get more details about this kafuffle and find out what you can do to keep Dartmouth stalwart go to <a href="http://dartmouthalum.org/">Association of Alumni</a> ... and vote FOR the petition candidates to the Executive Committee of the Dartmouth Association of Alumni (see <a href="http://www.dartmouthparity.com/">Dartmouth Parity</a>).<br /><br />If, on the other hand, you believe that a self-perpetuating group of elite alums should now and forever have a hammerlock on the future course of Dartmouth by disenfranchising their fellow classmates, go to <a href="http://www.dartmouthundying.org/">Dartmouth Undying</a>George W. Pottshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15559745926094694653noreply@blogger.com0