AlumAwardsWebBanner8-11

Curtis Roger Welling '71, '77Tu: Dartmouth Alumni Award Recipient, 2011-12


ala_welling_280

Curtis Roger Welling '71, '77Tu (right) was presented a 2011-12 Dartmouth Alumni Award by Danielle Dyer '81, '89Tu.


You were a teenager during the 1960's and the social and global issues of that time significantly impacted your future. It was the Vietnam War era with national leaders including the Kennedys and Martin Luther King, Jr. During this period, John F. Kennedy noted "Never before has man had such a great capacity to control his own environment, to end hunger, poverty and disease, to banish illiteracy and human misery. We have the power to make the best generation of mankind in the history of the world." It would appear that you, Curt Welling, truly took his words to heart as a roadmap for your volunteerism and ultimate career choice.

A native of Rochester, New York, it was a trip to Hanover with your future father-in-law, Frank Hutchins '45 '48Tu, that brought Dartmouth College to your attention. Accepted into the great Class of 1971, you excelled both inside and outside the classroom. Dartmouth sports fans listened to you and Mac Barrett '71, as the WDCR broadcast team, relay the plays for many athletic contests including the College World Series and the Lambert Trophy football season. In addition, you hosted a mid-day show, "The Noon Hour," and covered the occupation of Parkhurst Hall on location in 1968. Additional activities included participation in Phi Delta Alpha fraternity and the Dragon Senior Society. A Rufus Choate scholar, you graduated cum laude with distinction in your English major.

Following graduation and the completion of your national guard duty, it was off to law school at Vanderbilt University and then a return to Hanover to earn an MBA from the Tuck School of Business where you were a Tuck Scholar. You have said that this provided a "double dose of having my life shaped by experiences here." Next on the horizon was the launching of a very successful 25-year career in the investment banking and securities industry as a senior executive in many roles, including president & chief executive officer of SG Cowen Securities Corporation and senior managing director of global equity capital markets at Bear Stearns. This all changed following September 11, 2001, when you decided to switch gears and dedicate your life to a mission-driven organization. In 2002, you joined AmeriCares as president and chief executive officer. This non-profit disaster relief and humanitarian aid organization provides immediate response to emergency medical needs and supports long-term humanitarian assistance programs throughout the world. Since its founding in 1982, AmeriCares has provided more than ten billion dollars of aid to 147 countries. One of their many impressive projects was to coordinate with the Dartmouth Medical School in 2004 to improve the field of orthopedics in Kosovo.

Your volunteerism on behalf of other non-profit organizations is no less impressive. You served for ten years as the chair of Spence Chapin Services, a leading adoption and child services agency, and you were the founding chair of the Donaldson Adoption Institute. You were also a trustee of the Weir Farm Charitable Trust, currently serve as the secretary of the Adirondack Council, and are a member of the Council on Foreign Relations.

It is a good thing that you are a long-distance runner, because somehow you have also found the energy to expend thousands of volunteer hours on behalf of your alma mater. Over the last thirty years, you have served in a wide variety of roles including class reunion and reunion giving committee chair, executive committee member, class agent, Dartmouth College Fund committee member, president of the Dartmouth Alumni Council and chair of the Rockefeller Center Board of Visitors. Needless to say, we are in awe of you.

Of course, none of this would have been possible without the support of your wife and best friend throughout this journey. You and Kathy began dating in high school and have been a true partnership ever since. She may even bleed more green than you do, with her numerous Dartmouth relatives, her work on The Campaign for Dartmouth, and her adoption into the Class of 1971. Both of your lives revolve around your beautiful children, Katie and Alex.

You feel that you are truly blessed, and with this blessing comes responsibility to improve the lives of others, which you do every day of your life. In recognition of your extraordinary contributions to your alma mater, family and fellow mankind, it is our honor to present you with the Dartmouth Alumni Award.