To honor and remember deceased classmates, most Reunions feature a class memorial service, planned by the Memorial Service Chair with the College. This event may be combined with your Reunion cluster.
Most classes choose to have their memorial service at Rollins Chapel, the Church of Christ at Dartmouth, or the Old Pine. Early in the Reunion planning process, once you have identified a preferred venue and a date/time, please confirm with the Volunteer Engagement team. They can also provide you with a list of ordained classmates, so you can select an officiant to organize and lead the ceremony.
Together with the officiant, the Memorial Service Chair will select music and flowers for the ceremony. They will also work with the College to create a program for the service for classes celebrating their 25th Reunion or beyond.
Music
Music is key to hosting a solemn and moving ceremony. You can work with the Volunteer Engagement team to book the College organist for your service (unless your ceremony is held at the Rollins Chapel, which has its own organist, who has the first right of refusal on any service held there). The fee for the organist is covered in your Green Fee, but if you want to organize a rehearsal with the organist, there will be an additional fee.
You will need to choose one hymn to have played during the service. Please be prepared to share the words and sheet music with the organist. The organist will select prelude and postlude music to play at the ceremony. If you have a particular song you would like played instead, please let the College know and they will communicate that request to the organist.
Flowers
If you would like to purchase flowers for the service, you can contact any local florist, including Roberts Flowers of Hanover or the Hanover Coop. A good way to reduce the cost of flowers is to share floral expenses with another class that is hosting its service in the same place. The College can help you coordinate this.
Programs
A memorial service program leads attendees through the service and lists the names of deceased classmates. The Memorial Service Chair is in charge of creating the content for the program and getting it over to the Volunteer Engagement team and Dartmouth Printing and Mail Services in a timely manner so that it can be printed in time for the event.
Look over the sample programs below and use them as a template when you are creating your own. Feel free to copy parts of them and to create new material to suit your vision. The cost of the program design and printing is covered in your Green Fee.
The Volunteer Engagement team can provide a list of deceased classmates’ names at the beginning of the program layout process. Closer to the printing date, a new list will be requested so that the program is as current as possible. Names will be listed in alphabetical order and it is standard policy that all titles are removed from the list.
Sample Programs