Volunteer Spotlight: Larry Rand '65

I first began “volunteering” for Dickinson in the spring of 1968, three years after graduating, when I was chosen to become the Director of the Dickinson College Alumni Annual Giving Fund. In December, 1969, I left the college to work for Harcourt, Brace, Jovanovich publishers, in the K-12 textbook division. My career in publishing lasted until 1991, when I retired.

My Dickinson experience was the most important four years of my life. It set the stage for my adult life and I have always had fond memories of those years. The opportunity to work at the College, inculcated the importance for the need to support the small, liberal arts college model. 

Since leaving the Alumni Giving position, my volunteer experiences with Dickinson have been limited to being a Class Correspondent for the Alumni Magazine, with Carol Nuetzman Weber ’65, and being on our reunion committees, chaired by Tony Rogers and Larry Snyder. If I lived closer to campus, I am certain that I would have participated in more volunteer activities. Whenever there have been alumni or college recruiting events in AZ, I have always tried to attend.

The five year reunions are what I enjoy most about volunteering. Lifelong friendships have been formed with classmates who I was unable to share that much time with on campus. Whenever I return to AZ, following a reunion, I am always uplifted by the experience. My classmates are like my extended family.  

I am a member of the Dickinson College Sports Hall of Fame’s tennis “teams” from 1959-1963—an honor which I could not have received as an “individual” athlete. For 3 years in the mid 1970’s, I was the coach of the Dickinson College tennis team.

The time I spend volunteering is returned tenfold in the amount of enjoyment that I receive from my classmates.

The key thing that I have learned about volunteering is that we all have so many more things in common than one would expect. Our Dickinson experience is an everlasting bond.