March 2009 - Dartmouth Class of 1981

MARCH 2009 newsletter
DARTMOUTH COLLEGE CLASS OF 1981
Newsletter Editors: Peter Oudheusden • peter@3cpharma.com • Robert Goldbloom • rgoldbloom@optonline.net
Are you an ‘81 blogger?
Blogs have had a huge impact on political
races, news reporting, and culture. Juliette
Rossant ‘81 is interested in finding other ‘81
bloggers and online writers – and ‘81s who
regularly read blogs. She plans to write an
article for the Dartmouth Alumni Magazine
about how many Dartmouth alums
are blogging and what we are blogging
about. Juliette would like to know what
you write about, how often, how many
unique visitors you have to your blog per
month, why you started, and what you have
accomplished. For example, Juliette writes
that her blogging started with her book,
Super Chef (Simon & Schuster 2004), about
the business careers of six of America’s top
chefs. After the book was published she
began blogging to keep track of her chefs.
Today, her blog has evolved into a daily
online magazine, which also goes by the
name Super Chef (http://www.superchefblog.
com), and currently has 60,000 unique
visits per month. If you are a blogger/online
writer, please get in touch with her at
Juliette.S.Rossant.81@Alum.Dartmouth.org she’d love your input.
Ann Kordahl ‘81 back to the US
With #3 soon off to college, Ann Jacobus
Kordahl and her husband Jim will only have
10-year-old George
at home. So, after 17
years overseas, they are
finally planning to move
back to the states, and
looking to settle in the
S.F. area. There will be a large number of
81’s there waiting to welcome her home!
Classmate Tom Waldo ‘81 is interviewed on the steps of the U.S. Supreme Court.
Where’s Waldo?
Couldn’t help using that headline - when will there ever be another chance?
To answer the question, on January 12, 2009 one of our classmates reached
the height of his profession - arguing a case before the U.S. Supreme
Court in Washington D.C. The case, Coeur Alaska Inc. v.
Southeast Alaska Conservation Council, et al., pitted our
very own Tom Waldo ‘81 against Ted Olson. This would be
THE Ted Olson, the former Solicitor General of the United
States under President Bush, the same Ted Olson who
successfully argued Bush v. Gore. Tom’s case dealt with
defending the position of the Conservation Council
Tom and his son Lars Waldo ‘10
in opposing mining practices in Alaska which were
claimed to be improper. He was lucky to have his son, Lars Waldo ‘10,
able to make the trek down from Hanover to D.C. to support him from the
spectator seats. The transcript of the argument makes for good reading. The
decision should be handed down in the coming months. Good luck Tom!
If you want to get a hold of Tom, you can find him protecting the wildlife
for Earthjustice in Juneau, Alaska. Email him at: tswaldo@hotmail.com Find
out more about what Tom has been up to here:
http://tinyurl.com/waldo81. Find the transcript of the Supreme Court case
here: http://tinyurl.com/Waldo81Supreme
www.alum.dartmouth.org/classes/81
50th Birthday Update
$85 and well worth it. Chris Halloran ‘81 explains.
Lynne Gaudet ‘81 reports that Professor
Don Pease has been confirmed for our
Class of 1981 50th Birthday Party speaker.
He actually had to reschedule another
commitment he had in order to join us
so Lynne is very appreciative. As you may
remember, Don was the “Faculty Member
of the Year” when we graduated. He is
still at Dartmouth and is still very popular
with alumni. Don is currently writing a
book about Dr. Seuss, and we asked him if
he would speak about something “Seuss.”
Don will be happy to do so. Since our 50th
Birthday class dinner will be a family event,
this subject should be appropriate for all
ages, and we would like to see classmates
bring their children. As Dr.’ Seuss would say
to us on our 50th, “You’re in pretty good
shape for the shape you are in.”
See you there!
Chris Halloran has left investment
banking for a better lifestyle. This is
from his blog at oranhall.com: “Before
embarking on my current professional
adventure, I spent about 20 years
working as an investment banker, first
on Wall Street and then for a couple
of boutique middle market firms in
California. In my most financially
productive year, I made just a little bit
north of a million dollars, which by
investment banking standards is not
really that much money, but which, by
any rational measure, is a lot of dough.
I mention this because yesterday I shot
a portrait for a friend of a friend who
is going to use the image as his profile
photo on one of the internet dating
sites. My fee for the shoot? Eightyfive dollars. He only needed a couple
of low resolution images to upload to
the web, and he is a friend of a friend,
so I charged him eighty-five bucks. If
I were to annualize those eighty-five
dollars, my yearly income would come
to about ten percent of what I made in
my best year as an investment banker.
Eighty five-bucks. We don’t have a
single bill we pay each month that we
can cover with eighty-five dollars. But
– and this is the honest-to-goodness
truth – I derived more satisfaction from
making that eighty-five dollars than I
did from any paycheck I ever received
as an investment banker. Why is that? I
think it’s a combination of things. First,
I never really liked being an investment
banker. I loved learning about what
companies do and I enjoyed getting to
know the entrepreneurs who were my
clients. But the work itself was tedious
beyond comprehension and, particularly
as I moved into positions of greater
responsibility, involved way too much
fighting with lawyers, accountants,
venture capitalists, lenders and other
investment bankers. On a more positive
note, I think there is something
deeply satisfying about establishing
81’s at Vail Mini-Reunion
Amy Beringer reports in from the Dartmouth
CarniVAIL weekend, “It was a great event
- and many alums attended. I think it was
probably at full capacity for the events Sat.
night and Sunday.” Although this was an
all-Dartmouth event, where alums from all
classes and graduate schools attended, the
Class of 1981 was in attendance. It was
suggested that mini-reunions surrounded
by events would be better attended if they
were ‘81 only events. If you support this
view, please pass along your feelings to our
Mini-Reunion Chair Alex Doty. As always,
if you are interested in helping your class
by welcoming ten classmates to your home
for a mini-reunion event in your area, the
class does offer some financial assistance.
Every classmate who has hosted in the past
has reported having a great time not only
meeting new 81s, but catching up with old
friends as well.
MARCH 2009 newsletter
A portfolio of terrific photos can be found on
Chris’ website: christopherhalloran.com.
a direct connection between labor
and its rewards. Lost in the bowels
of a corporation, it’s difficult to see
the relationship between effort and
outcome. One might be talented and
hard working, yet never really see
the difference one’s talent and hard
work make. And, if that’s true, how
does one understand the financial
rewards associated with work? In my
shoot yesterday, there was a direct
correlation between my work and the
reward for that work. I made something,
the person for whom I made it was
satisfied, and he paid me for my effort.
A simple, linear relationship between
labor and compensation. I also believe
human beings are meant to be creative.
We see that reality reflected in our
impulse to become parents. It is a
fundamental drive, one that transcends
the more superficial urge to acquire.
Investment banking is not, for me, a
creative endeavor and photography is.
The disparity in the financial rewards
offered by the two professions is, in
my specific instance, at this specific
point in time, more than bridged by
the satisfaction that comes from doing
something creative, loving what I
do, and seeing a causal relationship
between my work and its rewards.”
Chris’s new life as a photographer seems
to be going well. He recently got a press
pass to photograph President Obama.
Class Officers
President
Greg Clow
gregory@clow.com
Vice President
Pam Gehret
gehret1@comcast.net
Treasurer
Molly Van Metre
Molly.S.VanMetre@wellsfargo.com
Secretary
Abner Oakes
aoakes4@gmail.com
Secretary
Julie Koeninger
jkoeninger@comcast.net
Newsletter Editor
Peter Oudheusden
peter@3cpharma.com
Incoming Alumni Council Class Representative
Mark Davis ‘81
“I would like to introducing myself as your incoming representative to the
Dartmouth Alumni Council. As a brief reminder, the Alumni Council serves
as the official communication conduit between alumni and the College. It
is made up of 120 alumni, each of whom represent either a Class (as I do),
a geographic Club, a graduate school, an
affiliated group, or students. Until recently our
Class shared a representative with the ‘82’s,
but going forward we will now have our own
Class Representative. I view my job as one of
communication. If there are concerns that any
of you have, I will be happy to share them with the Alumni Council and others
at the College. I will also be communicating back to you as I learn more about
the doings of the Alumni Council, or about things that I think our Class should
be made aware of. I don’t officially join the Council until this summer, but I
wanted to give you a heads-up on my role. If anyone has any feedback for
me, please email me at markcdavis1@aol.com. I don’t expect to have much of
interest for you until my term officially begins, but I will begin updating you
over the summer and fall. Thanks, and I look forward to hearing from you!”
A special thanks to the Class of 1981
Newsletter Editor
Robert Goldbloom
rgoldbloom@optonline.net
Webmaster
Greg Clow
gregory@clow.com
Head Agent
Hallidie Grant Haid
hhaid@comcast.net
Head Agent
David Edelson
dbedelson@yahoo.com
Mini-Reunion Chair
Alex Doty
alexdoty@aol.com
Alumni Council Rep
Mark Davis
markcdavis1@aol.com
Michael poses for a
photo on campus.
Patsy Fisher ‘81 recently heard from our most
recent Class Project Tucker Fellowship grant
recipient Michael Wood ‘10. Michael writes: “Dear
Ms. Fisher and indirectly, the Class of 1981, I’ve
never thanked a thousand people for one thing, or
even one person for a couple of thousand things,
but the Class’s gracious financial contribution
to my engineering experience abroad is so
appreciated that I wish I could thank every member
of the Class of 1981 one thousand times. Indebted
and grateful, Michael Wood ‘10.” Michael was the
cover story for this class newsletter in the January,
2009 issue.
Dartmouth Association
of Alumni Election starts March 25th
John H. Mathias Jr. ‘69, President of the Dartmouth
Association of Alumni, writes: “The Dartmouth
Association of Alumni will hold its annual election for
association officers and Executive Committee members
from March 25 through May 6, 2009. The election
results will be announced on Saturday, May 9. For
more information and updates about the election, the
election time line, the voting process, and the annual
meeting, please visit www.voxthevote.org.”
DARTMOUTH College CLASS OF 1981
www.alum.dartmouth.org/classes/81
Mitch Arion ‘81 still on his skates
From Left to right: Tim Doyle, Lou Patriquin, Doug
Arion ‘79, Greg Moffitt, Mitch Arion ‘81, and John
Dowgos after their quarterfinal victory.
Mitch Arion wrote in that he and his brother, Doug
Arion ‘79, along with four others, reached the
semifinals of the USA Hockey National Pond Hockey
Championships in Eagle River, Wisconsin. Their team,
Eye of the Storm, lost to the eventual champion,
the Secret Aged Men, in the over-40 division. 196
teams from 25 states attended the tournament
held on 20 rinks divided by snow banks on Dollar
Lake. The Stanley Cup was also in attendance, making
the trip even sweeter for hockey players and fans
alike. Mitch’s daughter, Kathryn Arion ‘11, is now a
sophomore at Dartmouth. Way to go Mitch! Email
Mitch at: emitcharion@comcast.net
Mitch Arion ‘81, and the
Stanley Cup after his team’s
quarterfinal victory at the USA
Hockey National Pond Hockey
Championships in Eagle River,
Wisconsin.
Jane Alexander ‘81 joins RedBrick
It isn’t easy when you have a commuter marriage.
But, Jane Alexander and husband Chris O’Brien ’79
recently managed to arrange simultaneous work
trips to the Bay Area. Jane has an exciting new job
after having been at Hewitt for 22 years [not that
actuarial services isn’t exciting, too!]. She is now the
Chief Sales Officer for RedBrick Health, a start-up
venture. “We are helping employers gain control of
the health care spend with a palatable way to shift to
a defined contribution approach that employees will
actually like.” The approach uses a lot of alternative
health care with extra focus on wellness. MARCH 2009 newsletter
Facebook for grown-ups - and classmates
Last year the Class of 1981 Officers discussed the use of online social
communities to help us contact and stay in touch with our classmates.
The idea was not new. Some years ago Dartmouth offered our own
private version of an online social network through inCircle. The project
was restricted to Dartmouth, and required a separate user account just
for alumni interaction. Its novelty and lack of scope doomed this first
effort. Today, with the expansion in the business world of LinkedIn, and
the explosion in our children’s age groups of Facebook, you only need
one membership to do all the online communicating you
would ever want. This technology became practical to us
when it reached the turning point that you could connect
with your grade school friends, your high school friends,
your college friends, your graduate school friends, your
professional friends, your kid’s friends and neighbors and
Jon Lenchner ‘81
your extended family all in one place with one simple sign
writes: “One especially
on. It’s multiple uses made it viable. As of March 2009,
nice thing, recently, is
getting reconnected
LinkedIn found 208 classmates of ours as members, and
with various 81s
Facebook had 238. Each one of these listings usually has
through Facebook and
hearing/sharing in the
a recent photo, recent information, and a way to contact
little snippets from
them. We have already used these two social networks
their lives.”
to help bring our class email list up to 86% and growing.
Now, in the interest of boosting a special classmates-only
page on Facebook, Greg Clow ‘81
has asked Pat Berry ‘81 to head
up an effort to bring as many of
you into this group as she can. As
we approach our 30th Reunion,
this will make communication and
keeping up with each other faster
and easier. And if you haven’t
tried Facebook yet, it’s simple, it’s easy, and you’ll be surprised and happy
at how many classmates you may have thought you’d lost are online right
now waiting to get reacquainted. So if you haven’t heard from Pat yet,
look forward to her welcoming email. Or better yet, save her the trouble
and go to Facebook yourself. Use the “Search” function in the upper right
corner and type in “Dartmouth Class of 1981” Click on the group name and
ask to join. Pat’s email is pberry@aol.com.
Eighty-one or eighty-two? Or fifty?
New Dartmouth President Jim Yong Kim - is he an ‘81 or
an ‘82? Inquiring minds want to know. According to
Dr. Kim’s official biography, he graduated from Brown in
1982. However, reliable sources report that Dr. Kim took a
year off between high school and college - making him our
age - and turning 50 this year. An invitation has gone out for
him to join us at our Class 50th Birthday at Homecoming.
In Memoriam:
James Albert Grubbs ‘81
by Marc Belton ‘81
James Albert Grubbs died on December 1, 2008.
James came to Dartmouth from Los Angeles
having attended Pacific Palisades High School.
At Dartmouth, James majored in Government
and Religion, was a
member of the ’81
Council, Varsity Track,
BUTA, Alpha Phi Alpha
and Dartmouth Area
Christian Fellowship.
He received his Juris
Doctor degree from
the University of Virginia School of Law
in 1987. “Rev” was employed by Merrill
Lynch, the City of Los Angeles and the
International Drug and Policy board for
Cocaine Anonymous, but his central passion
was Christian Ministry. On campus and in
life James was a dynamic force. He was
always entertaining, big hearted and full of
life. James is survived by his son Samuel,
three siblings and his former wife Vera. The
waves emanating from his contribution to
this world will continue for generations.
Class of 1981 Undergraduate Research Grant
Early in March, Patsy Fisher ‘81, Director of Class Activities
at Blunt, let Pam Gehret ‘81, our Vice President and Class
Projects Chair, know that the Dean of Faculty has selected a
new student to receive the 1981 Undergraduate Research Grant
funded by our class. Sarah Carden ‘10 is a biology major who is
working with Assistant Professor Deborah Hogan at the DHMC/
DMS microbiology department. She will be researching and
reporting on “The Effects of Farnesol on Antibiotic Resistance
through the CDR1 and CDR2 Drug Efflux pumps in Candida
albicans.” (I think we’ll be asking her for a suitable translation
for an upcoming issue of the newsletter._
Timely notification
Peter W. Sullivan ‘81 to return to U.S.
after 18 years abroad.
Winnifred Levy ‘81 writes in: “It’s sad to
hear months later that a classmate you were
acquainted with has passed away.” Winni,
like all of us, would like to be made aware
in a more timely fashion “to give folks the
chance to reflect and grieve.” Absolutely. At
this time the alumni office makes our class
officers aware of a death in the class when
the family or friends of that classmate contact
Dartmouth. At that time it can take from thirty
to sixty days to be written, printed and mailed
to your home. A faster, more self sufficient way
to find out this information would be to access
the Google main page and look for the “alerts”
link. Type the keywords “Dartmouth” “1981”
and “obituary” and whenever those three
words are found together by the Google web
robots, they will send you an email.
Not often, let’s hope.
Abner Oakes ‘81 heard from Peter W. Sullivan ‘81
in mid-January: “Greetings from India! A lot has
happened during the past three years. In 2006 I met,
married and moved to India with the woman of my
dreams; in 2007 I had surgery in Singapore to remove
a brain tumor (benign, thank heavens, but quite a
wake-up call); and in 2008 my wife gave birth to our
daughter, Maeve Brophy Sullivan, now five months old. I’ve spent the past 18 years living overseas – in Egypt,
Thailand, the Philippines, Israel, and India – as a lawyer
for the U.S. Agency for International Development. This summer my family and I will return to the States
for a while. I’ll be eligible to retire from USAID when I
turn 50 this fall, and so other changes may be around
the corner – including, I hope, a year or two as a stayat-home dad and kept man. I look forward to catching
up with old friends and classmates after I return
to the U.S.” If you’d like to send Peter W. an email:
petersullivan88@yahoo.com
“After waiting a long time
to have a family, I finally got
to make one of those kitschy
family holiday cards.”
Peter W. holds
Maeve B.
DARTMOUTH College CLASS OF 1981
www.alum.dartmouth.org/classes/81
Musing on Barbie’s 50th
birthday, March 9, 1959
photo by Tina Fineberg
Now We Are 50
(With apologies to A.A. Milne)
Now We Are 50
Our dreams to winds blown
The seeds that we planted
Have died or have grown
The children, the lovers,
The street passers by
Have thanked us, hugged us,
And said their good byes
Time to lie down
Our work here is through;
Time to wake up and
Shake off youth’s dew
Been there? Done that?
Want to again?
Crawl out to re-find
Our dearest old friends
Pull out shared memories
Torn from times gone;
Re-open our hearts
Cry forth a new dawn
Jim Pearson ‘81
March 2009
MARCH 2009 newsletter
Dartmouth Admissions - We’d never get in today...
by Greg Clow ‘81
Many of us have already gone through
the gauntlet of college admissions for our
children. In fact, a good number of ‘81s
have children at the College now - and
even some have graduated. Shocking. But
for those who have kids in their high school
years, there are some interesting facts
coming out of the Dartmouth Office of
Admissions courtesy of Daniel Parish ‘89,
Senior Associate Dean of Admissions.
Here are some nuggets of information
gleaned from Dan’s presentation in
October, 2008, at the Class Officer’s
Weekend: Increases in the number
of high school graduates
across the nation will peak
in 2009-2010. After that,
the National Center for
Education Statistics expects
the numbers to wane slightly.
16,538 kids applied for this
year’s freshman class, up from
14,176 last year. Dartmouth
accepted just 13.5% of those
applicants. Contrary to many a
rumor, the admissions committee does
not “fill categories.” They don’t admit kids
according to geography either. There is no
screening for major. However, if you are the
child of a Dartmouth family, your chances
are improved. The Alumni Interviews,
which many of us participate in, provide
an additional perspective to the admissions
committee. Typically the Form 6’s arrive
in Hanover between the first and second
review of an application. At that point, the
impressions of the alumni interviewers may
cause the admissions committee to go back
and look at an applicant a second time, or
confirm what they have already deduced.
12% of all alumni Form 6’s rate their
high school seniors as “outstanding,” the
highest ranking. 34% receive the second
highest ranking of “Highly Desirable.”
Doing the math and extrapolating, that
would translate to 7,600 kids in 2009
being ranked “Highly Desirable” and
above - all for only 1,100 positions.
Whew! Perhaps more interesting are these
statistics: Even if your alumni interviewer
ranked you as “Outstanding,” your chances
of being admitted to Dartmouth were
just under 34%. “Highly Desirable”
candidates were admitted at a
rate of 22%. If your son or
daughter really botched the
interview, there would still be
hope. Dartmouth accepted
11 students in 2009 which
alumni interviewers rated as
“Not Recommended.” Finally,
the most accurate piece of
information the admissions
committee gets on any
applicant is the recommendation
by the student’s college counselor.
It may seem obvious, but the counselor
represents hundreds of students over the
counselor’s career, and they deal with
college admissions staff regularly. It does
a disservice to students who are really
deserving to over inflate the capabilities
of an average high school student. And
the counselor wants to maintain his
credibility. Count on your child’s counselor
to give him or her the biggest bang
for your buck. Would you or I get into
Dartmouth if we were applying today?
Thank goodness we no longer need to find
out!
Wearers of the Green in Boston
The sixth gathering of the Wearers of the Green will take place on Saturday, May 16,
2009 at the Westin Copley Place, Boston. Our own Dave Shula ‘81, former head coach
of the Cincinnati Bengals, will be the Honorary Co-Chair. For details and to purchase
tickets go to www.alumni.dartmouth.edu/wearers or contact Jennifer Evans Casey at
Blunt Alumni Center at (603) 646-2292.
Mark Frawley ‘81 tells about his career in theater
In August of last year, Peter Oudheusden
‘81 sat down with (via email) our own
Mark Frawley to ask him some questions
about his career in theater, and the effect
Dartmouth has had on his success:
Mark, what did you do as a member of the
Drama Department at Dartmouth, and can
you name some of your performances?
“There were a number of shows I was
in (Subject to Fits, Cyrano, My Fair
Lady, The Time of Your Life, Tonight at
8:30, King Ubu, L’Homme Qui Tombe,
The Winter’s Tale), a few things I
put together myself (The Freshman
Cabaret, Fascinating Rhythm, The Ages
of Man), and a few that I was hired by
the college to choreograph (Tonight at
8:30, H.M.S.Pinafore, The Hairy Ape and
Working). By far, my experience with
Working was my favorite memory.
What did you do in theater after
graduating?
“I graduated Dartmouth in three years
and started what would have been my
senior year getting cast in the Broadway
sequel to Bye, Bye Birdie... a gargantuan
bomb called Bring Back Birdie. From
there, I went onto the film of Annie and
a number of other Broadway shows (42nd
Street, Cats, Singing’ In the Rain and
Starlight Express). Regional performances
included: Funny Face (Goodspeed Opera
House), Animal Crackers and On the Town
(Arena Stage), How to Succeed... (North
Shore Music Theatre) and Shear Madness
(The Kennedy Center). I started directing
and choreographing productions: Guys
and Dolls and Bells Are Ringing (Yale
University), King and I (Louisiana State
University), Little Shop of Horrors and Evita
(Lake Placid Performing Arts Center), Jesus
Christ Superstar, Evita and Cabaret (The
Montclair Operetta Club) and Disappearing
Act (Off Broadway). I also founded 4th
Wall Musical Theatre (a non-profit
theatre company based in Morristown,
N.J.). As Artistic Director, I directed and
choreographed Working, Pippin and
Company. As a composer, I wrote the score
to the Off Broadway original musical
Goose! Beyond the Nursery...”
Blake Billings ‘81 - Not Blake Billings, Montana!
Julie Koeninger ‘81 writes in about a goof you might have seen. “Alert readers of
the March/April 2009 1981 Dartmouth Alumni Magazine column may have noticed a
strange addition of the state “Montana” after Blake Billings ‘81 last name. It seems
that the editing gremlins at the Alumni Magazine couldn’t resist the chance to add
the state name to what they thought was a city… Arghh! Blake was gracious and
forgiving of the gaffe, but I thought it deserved a formal apology to him and the class.
I am very sorry and embarrassed that this happened! The sentence should have read,
‘Luckily, he also included the English translation entitled, ‘We saved for Korea, instead
of Disneyland,’ about a Billings family trip to Korea in the spring of ’08 to learn more
about Korean culture.’ ) The reference in the column is to the May 5th, 2008 edition of
Dong-A Ilbo, one of Korea’s leading papers, that includes a page two article about his
family and a great photo.” Check out the article here: http://tinyurl.com/billings81 but be careful - it’s in Korean!
Mark’s photo
from Facebook.
Check out his
entry and
“friend him.”
How did you get your first job?
“My first gig was on a cruise ship. I was
musical directing someone’s club act when
one of the two male dancers quit. I stepped in
and proceeded to spend the next two weeks
traveling round-trip (twice) to Bermuda.
What is your most notable accomplishment in
the field?
“Being in the Broadway company of Cats
was probably the most challenging job to
date. The degree of difficulty (singing, acting
and dancing) was probably higher than any
other show I’ve done.”
Who do you most admire in your field?
“To date, I most admire Pepe and Vicky
DeChiazza, my mentors from Dartmouth.
Without their guidance and training, I never
would have succeeded in New York City.
What are you up to now?
“At present, I have shifted my focus to play
writing. I am working on a new musical for
which I’ve written the book, lyrics and music.
It’s called The BiPolar Express and it’s the
autobiographical musicalization of the first
year that I was diagnosed with bipolar disorder.
After an initial reading in April of 2008, I am
presently working on re-writes, with hopefully
another reading in the near future.”
In hindsight, was Dartmouth the right
choice for you?
“Most definitely yes. (If I was asked to give
advice to Dartmouth drama majors, I would
say) make sure to get your college degree,
take as many classes as you possibly can,
practice, practice, practice... and go for it!!!”
DARTMOUTH College CLASS OF 1981
www.alum.dartmouth.org/classes/81
Mailing Panel
Barbie turns 50 this month - and many
of us are not far behind...
MARCH 2009 newsletter
Visit our website at www.dartmouth.org/classes/81
MARCH 2009 newsletter
DARTMOUTH COLLEGE CLASS OF 1981
Newsletter Editors: Peter Oudheusden • peter@3cpharma.com • Robert Goldbloom • rgoldbloom@optonline.net
So Long, Investment Banking
by Robert Goldbloom
The January, 2009 issue of Men’s Journal ran an
article entitled, “The Tactical Guide to Changing
Your Life.” You may then think, “Hmm, just what
I need,” and turn to Page 72. And then a full-page
photo of a familiar face will greet you as Case
Study 1. Why it’s Scott von Eschen ‘81! There is
a nice vignette describing how Scott reinvented
himself, with before and after pictures, Scott’s
key pointers and a “Pep Talk” for would-be lifechangers. Although the article didn’t mention
his diving prowess at Dartmouth (springboard,
not stairwell), it did describe how he’d always
Photo credit: photo by Jenny Pfeiffer
www.alum.dartmouth.org/classes/81
loved the outdoors, hiking, kayaking, etc. And
when he realized that he needed to give up
his investment banker lifestyle if he wanted
to have any time to be a father, he decided to
try running a small company that organizes
and leads adventure trips for kids. Now, that
company, Adventures Cross-Country, isn’t so
small anymore. There’s an excellent website,
www.adventurescrosscountry.com. It looks like
a very classy, professional operation with many
choices of adventure, service and discovery type
trips all over the world for teenagers.
Best of luck, Scott. Check out the article at
http://tinyurl.com/vonEschen