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In the 1960s, at the beginning of the fall semester, first-year students were expected to wear dinks, or beanies, as a freshman custom. For American civilization major Scott Hunt ’65, the memory is a fond one.
“It was a great thing to be able to snag dinks from other schools,” he says. “Especially Lehigh. I was very proud to get dinks from the University of Pennsylvania, Muhlenberg, and Gettysburg. We would work out a strategy to get one from some unsuspecting student. And I am happy to say that I kept my own!”
Hunt also has more formative memories of his time at Lafayette.
“I participated in the ROTC,” he says. “It taught me leadership. I was one of the youngest in my class and somewhat immature. I found the ROTC experience to be maturing.”
“(English) Professor Cleveland Jauch was a remarkable man and wonderful writer,” he continues. “He had the most impact on me. I was a decent writer when I got there, but when he was finished with me, I was quite good. That has served me well in my career.”
Hunt’s career has involved almost 20 years at the 13,000-member Endocrine Society, which he leads as executive director and CEO. Members are dedicated to the research and treatment of the full range of endocrine disorders. (The endocrine system is the group of glands that maintain a stable internal environment by producing hormones.) They also strive to provide education and teaching in the field, as well as to promote the interests of all endocrinologists at the national scientific research and health policy levels of government.
“We offer extensive teaching opportunities, major medical meetings, and exposure to breakthroughs in the field,” he explains. “The society is the single most significant vehicle for doctors who are out of school to maintain their education.”
“My whole career has been at not-for-profit organizations,” adds Hunt, who earned his MBA from Harvard in 1970. “I have taken a great deal of pleasure in giving each a very strong business base.”
The fun-loving student who collected freshman dinks has continued throughout his career to couple rigorous dedication to his work with pursuing the joy of life.
“There is a balance that one needs to achieve in life,” he says. “Lafayette had a good mix of academic rigor and fun. I have lived since then knowing that it is important to continue to have that in your life in order not to become one-dimensional. For years I raced cars as an avocation. It was a way to test myself and an investment of time that kept me balanced.”