Dear Men of '65,



Class of 1965

Jay Patterson

Peter Pactor

Class Agents

September 2003

Dear Men of '65,

Where does the summer go? This is my last day of summer vacation (August 1) before I return to school, so I thought if I'm going to write a letter to you, now is the time.

Last night we had a meeting of the Executive Committee of Class Agents, of which I have been a member for a year. The Executive Committee decides such things as class agent awards, agenda for class agent seminars and other matters which pertain to the general alumni population. Believe it or not, the emphasis of what we discuss falls on how Wabash can enrich the lives of its alumni; it's not how we can get more money from your pocket into the college coffers. Nevertheless, Wabash is grateful for your generosity, which means so much to the College and the young men studying there.

Morrie used to keep us informed about annual giving from our class. I never have. I was never sure you all were interested in the statistics of annual giving, but this year, I'm going to share the information with you.

For the second year in a row, our class had a participation rate of over 50%—53.7%. Of all classes, the class of '65 ranked fourteenth. We have 177 living members of our class, of which 90 have participated in annual giving this year. With the exception of the class of '61 (60%/84 donors) and the class of '50 (56.7%/81 donors) which have 140 and 144 members respectively, all the other classes were earlier than 1954 with most class bases being less than a hundred some in single digits. The following is a list of our donors for the last fiscal year, and I extend my thanks to each of them.

Allan Anderson

William Arick

David Arnett

Bruce Baker

Ronald Bartlow

Patrick Becherer

S. Berg

Logan Blackburn

Lawrence Blunt

Jerry Boyer

Donald Buehner

Presley Buntin

John Burns

Neal Butler

James Carroll

Richard Cassidy, Jr.

Edward Charbonneau

Roger Colehower

Alfred Craske, Jr.

Michael Dall

James DeMaegt

Gary Dillon

Steve Duchi, Jr.

H. Dunck Jr.

Stuard Eidson

Samuel Farrah

Richard Geiger

Richard Glover

Thomas Goldsteion

James Graham

David Hadley, Jr.

Frederick Halstead

Raymond Hartwell

Ronald Henze

Joseph Hoffman

Richard Hughes

David Justice

John Kegerreis

Byron Kemper

Kassian Kovalcheck, Jr.

Bernard Krause

William LaFief

John Labavitch

Robert Lentz

John Linnenberg

Eliot Long

Robert McCallum

Robert Martin, III

G. Matthews

Malcolm Metzler

K. Michna

William Millikan, Jr.

E. Moore

William Myers

John Nearon

Harold Nicol

W. Niemann

Joseph O'Rourke, Jr.

David Ong

Peter Pactor

Harrison Parker

N. Parker

James Patterson, Jr.

Harry Phillips

S. Phillips

Richard Polk

Jerry Porter

Eddie Powell

T. Proctor

Stephen Queener

Vincent Roach

Dennis Robbins

Theodore Roetken

James Russell

John Ruthenburg

Donald Schick

F. Richard Snackenberg

H. Stephens

Michael Tynan

Joseph Van Bokkelen

William Van Deest

Michael Ware

Thomas Werbe III

Philip Wescott

David Whaley

Terrence White

Thomas Williams

Robert Witherspoon

Robert Wright

Thomas Zimmers

Jerry Zook

Fredric Zuck

Ross Zumwalt

For the entire alumni base of 9652 extant alumni, there were 4314 donors at a 44.7% participation rate. Gentlemen, we should be really proud of ourselves for remembering the College, from which we received so much. We are carrying on a fine tradition of providing the opportunity for young men to share in the Wabash experience. If, by chance, I was negligent in omitting a name or careless in spelling your name, please forgive and correct me.

Speaking of young men, two from my school will be attending Wabash next year. The first one, as he was flying up for a visit in March, said to his mother, "Don't get your hopes up. I'm 80% sure I'm not going." When he left, he not only left with a pledge pin, but he also didn't even want to visit DePaul (That's in Chicago.) where he also had another interview scheduled. Even his sister said that it is really fun that her brother is so excited about going to Wabash.

The other student, who had not been so industrious in his first three years at my school, became a fired-up student his senior year, because he wanted to go to Wabash. He visited with me during the Monon Bell Game, and returned so enthusiastic about the College, that he even mentioned Wabash nine times in an admissions essay he wrote for another college. His best friend told me that Wabash has already changed this young man's life. He is so enthusiastic about Wabash, that he can hardly wait the three remaining weeks before going up. He has called me almost every week to up-date me on his Wabash correspondence, and he has even called my brother in Indianapolis a couple of times.

Isn't it great that Wabash can still inspire that type of enthusiasm? It's been a long 42 years since we were in the position of these young men, but perhaps you can still recall your own excitement and anticipation prior to our Freshman Sunday.

(Continued one month later.)

Some thoughts on being a Wabash alumnus. When we were students at Wabash, we spent our time studying, pursuing activities and sports, many devoting ourselves to fraternity life, and all of us developing friendships among faculty and classmates. It was a rich experience that most of us will treasure the rest of our lives.

Being an active alumnus, I have found, has also provided a deeply rich experience that I value as much as my years on campus. Wherever I have lived, I have enjoyed the Wabash connection, but nowhere more than I have in the Dallas/Ft. Worth Metroplex. When an event is scheduled, I look forward to seeing Jay Patterson, Fred Halstead, John Kegerreis, and Carl Alfrey, but I also enjoy the friendships I have developed with Wabash men who are not members of '65. If you are not involved in your local association, I encourage you to join and to attend the events.

There are other opportunities to be actively involved. The Admissions Office is always seeking alumni volunteers, and they credit the active alumni participation in the increased number of applicants every year. Students referred by alumni are more apt to attend Wabash than those without alumni referrals. It is also possible for you to help by representing the College at college fairs. I have done this several times, and I always find it refreshing to talk with young men and their parents about the advantages of a Wabash education. Even if you have limited contact with young people, you always have an occasional opportunity to promote the College with parents whose son is beginning his college search.

Several alumni are active on campus. Some still take an active interest in their fraternities and have become chapter advisors and members of the fraternity board. Some help with activities; such as, Moot Court. There are simply many ways to be active and to share the rewarding experience of being a Wabash alumnus. Your Wabash life doesn't end with a Wabash diploma; it just begins in a new direction.

Believe it or not, we are now in the process of planning our fortieth reunion. Jay and I have started talking about activities and Page Stephens has already emailed a suggestion. For those of you who have been a regular at our reunions, you will find some changes. Foremost, all reunions will be held after graduation. There were several reasons for this change. 1) Many alumni could not attend because they have conflicts with their children's graduation from high school and college. 2) There will be more time for College personnel to spend with alumni groups. 3) There is not a press for the use of facilities and hotel space. Even though I believe I have mentioned this in a previous letter, last year at the Class Agents' Forum Tom Runge made this proposal, and the class agents voted to try this new format.

Joe Emmick, who many of you know as the Director of Major Gifts (and the voice of Wabash at the Monon Bell Game) has been promoted to Dean of College Advancement. For those of you who have enjoyed Joe's visits in the past; you will not be deprived. Joe says he will still be traveling.

On a sad note, I must inform you of the passing of Dick Cassidy. I don't have the details. I for one shall certainly miss Dick, and I shall always remember his ready smile, his graciousness and friendship and his enthusiasm for the College.

I recently received an email from Eric Farber. His wife and he have gone to Prague in the Czech Republic to teach. He didn't specify what he was teaching, but he said that he has enjoyed his trip there via Switzerland and that he is enjoying the Czech culture.

So concludes the latest class agent letter. I hope it finds you all in good health and maintaining your enthusiasm for the College.

Sincerely,

Pete

2003 Wabash College Football Schedule

All times listed are local

|Aug. 30 |Red-White Scrimmage |Hollett Little Giant Stadium |1 p.m. |

|Sept. 6 |Scrimmage at Millikin College |Decatur, IL |1 p.m. |

|Sept. 13 |at Kalamazoo College |Kalamazoo, MI |1 p.m. |

|Sept. 20 |EARLHAM COLLEGE |Hollett Little Giant Stadium |1 p.m. |

| |(Community Day) | | |

|Sept. 27 |HUNTINGDON COLLEGE |Hollett Little Giant Stadium |1 p.m. |

|Oct. 4 |at Allegheny College* |Meadville, PA |1 p.m. |

|Oct. 11 |WITTENBERG UNIVERSITY* |Hollett Little Giant Stadium |2 p.m. |

| |(HOMECOMING) | | |

|Oct. 18 |at Ohio Wesleyan University* |Delaware, OH |1 p.m. |

|Oct. 25 |OBERLIN COLLEGE* |Hollett Little Giant Stadium |1 p.m. |

| |(Youth Day) | | |

|Nov. 1 |at College of Wooster* |Wooster, OH |1 p.m. |

| | | |(Noon EST) |

|Nov. 8 |HIRAM COLLEGE* |Hollett Little Giant Stadium |1 p.m. |

| |(Parents Day) | | |

|Nov. 15 |at DePauw University |Greencastle, IN |TBA |

| |(110th Monon Bell Classic) | | |

|Nov. 22 |NCAA Div. III Tournament |TBA |TBA |

| |First Round | | |

|Nov. 29 |NCAA Div. III Tournament |TBA |TBA |

| |Second Round | | |

|Dec. 6 |NCAA Div. III Tournament |TBA |TBA |

| |Quarterfinals | | |

|Dec. 13 |NCAA Div. III Tournament |TBA |TBA |

| |Semifinals | | |

|Dec. 20 |Amos Alonzo Stagg Bowl - |Salem, Virginia |TBA |

| |Div. III National Championship Game | | |

|* North Coast Athletic Conference games |

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