Wabash College - Class of 1991

Occasionally, your class agents need to take a break from reporting the truly exciting news of Wabash and the Class of ’91. Perusing the College’s giving stats is probably the least sexy thing we can write about, and it’s probably not all that interesting to everyone but “Econ Gods” like Brian Deleget, Tim Oliver, and John Plaster. Be that as it may, as they say on public radio’s Marketplace, “Let’s run the numbers…”

July 1 marked the end of another successful fiscal year for Wabash. The Annual Fund finished at $2,680,166 with over 4,100 alumni, parents, and friends participating (that's 36.5%).

Here are the top ten classes by total donors and total participation (post 1950 only):

Rank      Class Year    Total Donors     Roll
 1.            1965                97             175
 2.            1966                96             192
 3.            1969                94             211
 4.            1983                93             220
 5.            1991                86             270
 6.            1967                84             187
 7.            2006                83              83
 8.            1968                80             185
 9.            1979                79             229
10.            1971               78              200

 
Rank      Class Year     Giving Percent     Roll

 1.            1956               63.27%            98
 2.            1961               59.06%           127
 3.            1959               58.27%           127
 4.            1951               55.43%            92
 4.            1965               55.43%           175
 6.            1957               51.59%           126
 7.            1953               50.59%            85
 8.            1950               50.41%           121
 9.            1966               50.00%           192
 9.            1962               50.00%           116

Our giving percentage was 31.90% about 5 points shy of the total donor percentage. By my fuzzy math, to reach 40% this year, we need 108 guys or 22 more of you to donate. If you'd like to get a head start on this year's giving, you can do so online.

To the 86 guys in the class of 1991 who donated to the College, two words:

Thank you!

You show Wabash that we weren’t simply “The best class money could buy,” but that we recognize the importance of paying it forward. Kip, Lance, and I will be brainstorming some incentives to bring more of our class into the Annual Fund. If you have any suggestions, we know you won’t hesitate to provide them.

I last spoke with Andy Ford at the Sunday awards luncheon at the Big Bash in June. He had just completed one of his last official duties as Wabash College president, and I asked him what he was looking forward to in retirement. He responded, “Watching the Monon Bell game in a bar!”

Like our Ex-President, those of you who are far afield on November 11 can watch the 113^th running of the Monon Bell Classic, courtesy of Mark Cuban’s HDNet (story) from around the world.

The great news is that the Bell game is on our hallowed home turf in mighty C’ville. So if you’re in the area, mark the date for the
Official Class of ’91 Monon Bell Reunion Tailgate – November 11, 2006 – in a parking lot somewhere behind Hollett Little Giant Stadium

Which brings us to the upcoming football season… Our Little Giant gridders are indeed ranked in the preseason once again (story), have a seasoned QB in senior Dustin Huff, and are looking to tear through the NCAC like a trampling toro in Pamplona. Click here for the 2006 schedule.

The Indianapolis Association of Wabash Men has secured a parking lot on the Franklin College campus for the first game against the Grizzlies on September 9. So, let the tailgating commence!

You may recall my earlier alert about some missing bound volumes of Bachelors from our era. Well, Wabash Archivist Beth Swift just sent me this e-mail:

Great news! The Bachelors have returned, or perhaps they never left??? A very strange thing. They were found by one of my student workers very far back in a cabinet, which we had previously searched several times, in the reading room. A puzzle to be sure, but I have seldom been more delighted than when I saw them. They are both now secured and separated, which is to say that one copy is in a locked cabinet in the reading room and the other copy is shelved in the back of our work room.

I want to thank you for your good efforts at getting the word out for extra copies, which is still a very good thing to do. Extra copies kept in a variety of locations keeps things safer. At any rate, I thought you would want to know that "your" Bachelors are back!

This is great news indeed! I told Beth that after all this time, I was very impressed with how thorough the guys in our era ('91-'93) amassed all of this data and opinion during the Co-Ed study. It's good to know that it is safe and sound for others to use should the nasty spectre ever raise its ugly head again.