During their time at the College, members of the Class of 1952 witnessed the start of the Korean war, the dropping of the first hydrogen bomb and the introduction of color TV.
Their Dartmouth was all male, and the D-Plan had not yet been thought of, much less implemented.
Still, John North '52 said, "essentially the College is very much the same institution it was then."
North, the 1952 class president, looked back on his time at the College with fondness, remembering Dartmouth as "just a fun place to be." He added, "Generally I really enjoyed the educational experience."
The highlights of his four years here, however, were not the classes, but the people and "getting to know a lot of guys fairly well and enjoying the friendships."
Many of those friendships will be rekindled at the class' 50th reunion, which will take place June 7 through 9.
Among the scheduled events are a golf outing, an address by President James Wright and a class picnic on the Bema entitled "Fifty Years " and one day " Later."
A memorial service will also be held in remembrance of approximately 180 deceased members of the class of 1952.
Despite a packed schedule of events, "The highlight is not the events," said North, "The highlight is seeing your classmates again."
In an effort to update class members on the lives of their fellow classmates, the Class of 1952 put out a book prior to the reunion containing the pictures and biographies of all who contributed.
The publication "heightens the interest about who you are going to see," North said.
North also noted that most of the book's contributors "emphasize their non-business activities and their families."
Twenty-five years after the Class of 1952 came to Dartmouth, the Class of 1977 arrived to a place much changed.
The second coeducational class saw the end of the Vietnam War and the introduction of Apple II, the first serious home computer, during their time at the College.
They were also only the second class to design their academic schedules according to the D-Plan, which was introduced by College President John Kemeny in 1972.
The class' 25th reunion will take place June 13 through 16 and will boast a variety of events including a trip to Mt. Moosilauke, an all-family picnic and a number of recptions and lectures.
Like the '52s, the Class of 1977 will also hold a memorial service to remember the classmates who have passed away.
The service is marked this year by class members' tribute to Joseph Flounders '77, a vice president and account handler at Euro Brokers, who was killed in the Sept. 11 attack on the World Trade Center.
