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Merle Adelman '80: Dartmouth Alumni Award Recipient, 2009--10

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Merle Adelman '80 (left) was presented the Dartmouth
Alumni Award by Janine Avner '80, Alumni
Council president, at the Class of 1980 Reunion,
June 19, 2010.


At the mature age of eleven, you informed your father, George Adelman '47, that you would attend Dartmouth. He patiently explained that this was not possible because Dartmouth was not coeducational. Lucky for all of us, that changed before you matriculated into the great Class of 1980 seven years later.

A city girl from the Boston area, you quickly adapted to the rural outdoors and campus life. Some of your fondest memories include packing snow under the ski lift with the Dartmouth Outing Club's Winter Sports Club, and cross-country skiing on the hills of the Hanover golf course. In addition, you played the flute in the marching band; served as vice president for the Aegis yearbook staff; and traveled to Italy to study in Siena. It is safe to say that your job with the Dartmouth Dining Services insured that you were the most well-known person on campus as you greeted everybody with your warm smile when they entered the Thayer Dining Hall each day.

Majoring in Economics, you accepted a position with Digital Equipment Corporation following graduation. Positions with a wide variety of businesses followed before you accepted an offer from the Hewlett-Packard Company in 1988. The next fifteen years were spent focusing your career on marketing and communications in the fields of health care and medical technology. In 2003, you founded your own business, Adelman Associates, specializing in medical technology marketing and communications.

Your second "career" has truly been volunteerism for Dartmouth College. You are the poster child for your class as you have served as president, leadership chair, mini-reunion chair, class agent, head agent, and chair of both the reunion giving and the reunion committees. In addition, you were elected first vice president of the Association of Alumni, participated on the Dartmouth College Fund Committee and spent many hours interviewing student applicants. In fact, one of your favorite volunteer activities is the personal delivery of Dartmouth t-shirts to high school seniors from your area after they are accepted to Dartmouth. The quality of your volunteerism has been recognized with many fundraising awards, and in 2005 you were named Class President of the Year and the Class of 1980 was recognized as Class of the Year under your stellar leadership.

Your community involvement has been no less impressive. Support for your faith, the outdoors, and crucial health issues are evident as you have volunteered for the Combined Jewish Philanthropies and participated on the advisory committee of the Jewish Women's Mentoring Network; served on the board of directors of the Mosaic Outdoor Mountain Club of Massachusetts; raised funds for the American Diabetes Association; are a member of the Board of Directors of the National Tay-Saches & Allied Diseases Association; and are one of the top 10% fundraisers for the National Multiple Sclerosis Society.

Your spare time is spent cross country skiing and cycling. Who knew that this love of the outdoors would lead you to a chance encounter with Ron Menner? It's not often that the Dartmouth Alumni Award citation can also serve as a fabulous news announcement, but we are so pleased to inform your classmates that you and Ron are engaged to be married!

In 1994, you wrote on a "Green Card" that "I always feel like I've come home again when I go up to Hanover." Merle, we are always happy to welcome you home and tonight it is our immense pleasure to honor you with the presentation of the Dartmouth Alumni Award.