College Fund Hits New Mark, Reverses Trend

The Harvard College Fund expects today to reach this year's goal for alumni giving of $5.25 million--a 10 per cent rise over a plateau at which the fund has remained for the past four years, the director of the Fund said yesterday.

Peter F. Clifton '49, executive director of the Harvard College Fund, said gifts received today should lift donations over the mark set in September. This year's total could reach as high as $5.5 million by the time the fund closes its books June 30.

However, the net gain of $700,000 represented by this total makes up for about half of the $1 million loss against inflation Clifton estimates the fund incurred by stalling at $4.8 million in each year since 1972.

As the reasons for the Fund's success this year, Clifton cited "the strong leadership in reunion classes," the healtheir economy, and increased travel on the Fund's behalf by Dean Rosovsky and Douglas Mercer '40, director of this year's drive.

Success Announced

Mercer, a Ropes and Gray lawyer, will announce the year's success at the Fund's annual meeting at the Faculty Club this afternoon, Clifton said.

Rosovsky, who manages College Fund giving as a part of the Faculty's unrestricted budget, could not be reached for comment yesterday.

The 25th reunion class, represented by William C. Sawyer '51, and the tenth reunion class, represented by Ken S. Sicchitano '66, are both expected to break the previous records for those reunion years, at $1.3 million and $130,000, respectively, Clifton said.

The 55th reunion class stands close to a tally of a quarter of a million dollars, an Ivy League record, he added.

A touching story lies behind the drive of the 50th reunion class, which has already attained its goal of $750,000.

After class representatives decided to set a cautious goal of $500,000, a class member, H. Irving Pratt '26, convinced them to hoist the mark to $750,000 and took personal responsibility for bringing home that amount.

Pratt died in the autumn, however, without seeing his hope fulfilled.