More than 100,000 individuals made a gift to Dartmouth through The Call to Lead campaign. Behind each of these acts of generosity is a story that inspired the gift—such as a profound appreciation for Dartmouth’s liberal arts excellence, the joy of lifelong friendships, or a deep desire to help future generations.
For Trustee Emeritus Rick Kimball ’78, a campaign co-chair, his motivation for giving early and often to The Call to Lead was twofold: to express gratitude for his Dartmouth education and to pay homage to several of the university’s most dedicated alumni, faculty, and administrative leaders.
“To say that Rick Kimball bleeds green is an understatement! It’s hard to think of anyone who has worked harder on Dartmouth’s behalf or been more generous to the College. He was the first person to sign up as a campaign co-chair, and he was a driving force behind the campaign’s success. What makes Rick so unique is that he goes about his work with tenacity, seemingly unlimited energy, and an undying sense of humor,” says Liz Cahill Lempres ’84 TH’85, chair of the Board of Trustees. “None of us know the full extent of Rick's generosity as he often makes gifts in the name of others to honor their service to the College.”
Kimball says he is delighted to recognize the hard work, creativity, and passion of others who have furthered Dartmouth’s reach and impact.
“At the heart of Dartmouth’s greatness is its people,” he says. “In my small way, I hope to express gratitude for going ‘above and beyond.’”
Kimball made multiple major gifts during The Call to Lead, which concluded this past June 30, each inspired by his appreciation for others in the Dartmouth community. Some of these gifts include:
The Philip Hanlon and Gail Gentes Academic Cluster for the Personalized Treatments for Cystic Fibrosis, one of ten faculty clusters established during The Call to Lead. Kimball was one of the first donors to step forward and support President Hanlon’s $150 million Academic Clusters Initiative, which is bringing 30 world-leading faculty to Dartmouth, expanding interdisciplinary research, and addressing many of the world’s most difficult issues. At Kimball’s request, all three professorships in the cystic fibrosis cluster have been named in honor of President Emeritus Hanlon. External grant funding is also helping fuel the cluster’s work. Last week, Benjamin Ross, the Philip J. Hanlon First Century Professor, received a three-year, $504,000 grant from the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation to study how bacteria may impact the health of infants with cystic fibrosis.
“President Hanlon’s tenure was as transformational as the tenure of other great Dartmouth leaders, such as John Sloane Dickey, who urged students to face the world’s troubles, and John Kemeny, who ushered in an era of greater diversity in our campus community,” says Kimball.
The Susan DeBevoise Wright Arts and Humanities Fund, which supports faculty recruitment under the direction of Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Sciences Elizabeth Smith and the advancement of scholarship and teaching. The endowed fund honors Wright, a beloved member of the Dartmouth community who has held multiple leadership roles at the university in addition to being married to James Wright, Dartmouth’s 16th president. Among them, she directed the Montgomery Fellows Program, coordinated the Mellon Mays Undergraduate Fellowship Program and the Presidential Scholars Program, directed the graduate advising program, and served as an assistant dean of the College.
The Call to Lead Learning Lab at the Irving Institute, a laboratory in the Arthur L. Irving Institute for Energy and Society building. Kimball put the campaign’s name on the lab in recognition of his fellow co-chairs on The Call to Lead Campaign Executive Committee, and a plaque in the lab names the co-chairs: Ellie Mahoney Loughlin ’89 and Philip H. Loughlin ’89, Sharon Maffei and Gregory B. Maffei ’82, Laurel J. Richie ’81, and Peggy Epstein Tanner ’79 and David Tanner.
The Jeffrey M. Crowe Fund for Entrepreneurship, which supports awards and prizes at an annual Magnuson Center for Entrepreneurship student competition. Crowe, one of Kimball’s classmates, is a trustee, chair of the Magnuson Center Board of Advisors, and a driving force behind Dartmouth’s thriving entrepreneurial ecosystem.
The Pamela L. Peedin ’89 TU’98 Scholarship Fund, which honors Dartmouth’s former chief investment officer, who worked closely with Kimball during his tenure as a trustee. Income from the endowed fund provides undergraduate financial aid.
Decades of service to Dartmouth
“I remember each phone call from Rick with a new idea to honor someone in appreciation for their leadership on campus,” says Senior Vice President for University Advancement Bob Lasher ’88. “The result was always a twofold benefit to Dartmouth: it invested important funds in key mission areas and celebrated exemplary service before the College community.”
As a co-chair of The Call to Lead campaign, Kimball helped create a global philanthropic enterprise with 150 campaign leaders, representing each school at Dartmouth. The Campaign Executive Committee designed The Call to Lead to be ambitious in dollars raised while also broad and welcoming; the campaign inspired myriad grassroots fundraising efforts embraced by classes and alumni affinity groups.
In addition to his service on the Campaign Executive Committee, Kimball was a Dartmouth trustee from 2012 to 2020; he chaired the Trustee Investment Committee and was a member of the Trustee Executive Committee. He is currently a member of the President’s Leadership Council, and he has served on the Dartmouth College Fund Committee and as an admissions ambassador.