Find Your Way Back
by David Carlson '99, Alumni Council President
There is something so special about Dickinson in the fall. I still remember the first time I found my way back one autumn many years after graduation. The air was wonderfully crisp, and the entire campus seemingly transformed into a painting of red, orange and gold, just as I remembered it. That was a good day. It was one of many days where I’ve found myself getting far more in return for a volunteer activity than I gave. As a good friend has said on a number of occasions, “I give because it makes me feel good.” Sophisticatedly simple.
In my experience, engagement leads to enrichment. Nowhere is this truer than the friendships that have been born from small volunteer communities both at Dickinson and beyond. Within these communities you tend to meet exceptionally kind people who are genuinely looking to make the world just a little bit better. Those happen to be the exact type of people with whom I want to surround myself. This was recently underscored with the loss of a dear friend, Craig Tucker ’92 (see obituary on Page 55 of the fall 2018 issue). I had met Craig after joining the Alumni Council at Dickinson, and he became a true friend. To know Craig was to like Craig, in part because he had a kindness that was easily felt. In fact, he would do so many small acts of kindness for those around him that his colleagues at work had a phrase for it: Random Acts of Craig. I, like many, am better for having known him.
As the Alumni Council begins a new year with new challenges ahead of us, we will certainly miss Craig’s presence. That said, your Alumni Council will invest much time and treasure to leave our own community just a little bit better through our own Random Acts of Craig, and we encourage all of you with a connection to the college to engage. You never know how that decision might enrich your own lives.
As you continue to see the colors change this fall, please consider taking a trip back to campus. There is something uniquely wonderful about the flood of memories that happens when returning to Dickinson. As always, don’t hesitate to reach out to me at davidcarlson2026@gmail.com. Hopefully I’ll see you on campus or at an event near you soon.
Read more from the fall 2018 issue of Dickinson Magazine.
TAKE THE NEXT STEPS
Published October 23, 2018