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Maya Angelou gives the keynote address for the Tucker Foundation’s 50th Anniversary Celebration. Photo by Laura DeCapua, reprinted with permission of the Valley News.

During a dinner hosted by President Wright and the College Board of Trustees, the first Lester B. Granger ’18 awards were given to Edward Marks ’32 and Charles Dey ’52. Each spoke movingly about his commitment to community, motivations to serve, and giving back. Created this year, the Granger Award will be presented each year by the Tucker Foundation to a Dartmouth College graduate whose commitment to public service has been exemplary.

A highlight of Friday evening was the Social Justice Coffeehouse. Student-designed and advocacy-driven, the Coffeehouse originated with the sole goal of providing the campus with an engaging and dynamic event that drew students of divergent social and political mindsets and provided performance messages that challenged conventional thought.The Social Justice Coffeehouse played host to three amazing performers: a spoken word poet and two musicians, each of whom uses his or her own unique talents to further their messages of social advocacy.

The following day featured panels,workshops and conversations featuring alumni and community members. Attended by students, faculty, staff, alumni and members of the community, these workshops had something for everyone, and ranged from a panel of former Tucker Deans, to a case study regarding ethics in the workplace, to a conversation on faith-based initiatives.

Saturday’s campus-wide luncheon drew a large crowd to Collis Common Ground. Carl V. Granger, M.D. '49 delivered an overview of the life of his uncle, Lester B. Granger '18. Dr. Granger's remarks were followed by remarks from Michael Stern (D'59,T'69), President of Stern Fragrance, Inc. Stern stressed the importance of getting involved in improving one's community at any early age, and relayed some of his experiences in the non-profit sector.

Later in the afternoon,Alumni Hall was the place to be: food, dance,music, crafts and other fun was enjoyed at the Cultural Extravaganza. Organized by Dartmouth Community Service, this event was designed for the children of the Upper Valley and anyone else who wanted to celebrate diversity.

Cultural Extravaganza! On the Saturday Afternoon of the 50th Anniversary, Dartmouth Community Services offered its own special part of the 50th anniversary celebration.The "Cultural Extravaganza!" in Alumni Hall was a huge success. Hundreds of Upper Valley children jammed the Hall, which was festooned with flags from around the world, travel posters and ballons. Free, authentic foods from several culinary traditions were there for the tasting. Dartmouth students staffed activity booths to involve the children: a pinata game, children's names in custom calligraphy Japanese letters, an "I am unique" activity in which every child created a star for the "sky," a dress-up and photo booth, face-painting, a multicultural story-reading corner and much more. The best part, though, were the performances.The children were treated to dance and performance art from the Chinese Dance troop, the South African Gumboot Dancers and others representing urban culture, Latino traditions and several other ethnic presentations. A highlight came when King David's Drummers, here from Israel to promote intergroup peace, led the children in an interactive, hands-on, drum circle. Shalam, Salut, Peace! they shouted together as they drummed.

The highlight of Saturday evening was the Ivy League Gospel Fest, hosted by the Dartmouth Gospel Choir.“10,000 Tongues 2002” featured dozens of visiting students representing choirs from several colleges and universities. Both the participants and the audience were invited to the Roth Center to enjoy a dessert reception afterwards.

On Sunday, leaders of local communities of faith and directors of local community agencies joined students, alumni and staff in celebrating the Tucker Foundation's commitment to service and spiritual development. Kylie Fauth, Co-Director of ACORN (Aids Community Resource Network) discussed the "The Value of the Partnership" between the Tucker Foundation and local community agencies. The Right Reverend Frederick Borsch, Ph.D., former Bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Los Angeles and Interim Dean of the Berkeley Divinity School at Yale, delivered a major address on the inextricable connection between faith and service and the opportunities and challenges facing interfaith campus communities.

On Sunday evening, Producer and Cinematographer Jonathan Skurnik ’96 screened his documentary “A Day’s Work,A Day’s Pay” in an event co-sponsored with the Rockefeller Center.The documentary was followed by a panel discussion.

In addition to the activities of the kick-off weekend, a variety of ongoing events highlighting our anniversary theme of “Leadership for Social Change and Responsibility” are scheduled throughout summer and fall terms.