An Evening with the Tuck "Partners"

"Partners" is the term given to the spouses, fiance/fiancees, boyfriends/girlfriends, and life partners of Tuck students. I realize the term is "PC" and that we live in an age of political correctness, but even so, I feel a bit odd when someone asks me who my "partner" is.

Then again, I should be glad we're not referred to as the "Tuck Wives Club" or the "Housewives of Hanover." I'm guessing Simon and Bob and Andrew and Colin would really hate that.

Dinner with the Tuck Partners will always be an interesting phenomena. For starters, we are people who have NOTHING in common, per se, except that our "partners" have all chosen to attend business school at Tuck. I mean at least "they" have that common ground to start from. Our "common ground" is tenuous at best... nebulous in general... and extraneous at worst.

By and large we're a self-selecting, self-segregating bunch, which I suppose is only to be expected. For starters, there are the obvious divisions: the male partners (few in number, but still a presence... and more on them later,) and then there are the mothers (more in number... there is after all something in the water here.) The mothers are understandably in a different place than the rest of us and I'm not knocking that. Children changes everything. You simply CANNOT join a literary and drinking society (more on that later) if you're expecting or have one or two rug-rats to manage. These are the truths of parenthood, the facts of life. I totally get that.

Then there are the rest of us. I have to say, one of my biggest fears in relocating to New Hampshire so that Dan, my husband, can attend graduate school is that I wouldn't fit in. I suppose I've been picturing the Stepford Wives, or cliques with names like the "Texas Wives Club" or the "Polygamists." Or something like that.

So it's been a relief to find that my fears are shared by others and moreover to find that there are others who share my love of sarcasm and mockery for any and all "Stepford"-ish activities. And this is how I came to spend the Tuck Partner Dinner with the boys.

I walked over to the LLC with Hillary and we met Erika coming in the door. The event was crowded - I have to say, I was impressed - though three partners I knew moderately well were not in attendance many others I did not know were there in full force. (Side note, this hit home for me about how anti-social I am really. Go figure, right?)

Well, the food was good and everyone was nice, but needless to say when all was said and done - that is, when my plate was filled with mac& cheese - I found myself not seated at a table in the Executive Dining Room of the LLC but in the lobby, cross-legged on the floor at the coffee table with Hillary, Erika, and the boys.

As I said before, the boys were somewhat self-segregating. I don't blame them. I just want in. They seem much more low key about... everything. Well, maybe weren't in the main room, at the official dinner, but we had a fabulous meal. We talked about Colin and Andrew's laundry service (their new scheme that is going to revamp drycleaning at Dartmouth,) and Colin's and my forthcoming "literary and drinking society" because neither of us can stand the thought of participating in a bookclub that reads "Housewives Eating Bonbons" as it's first fall pick. Amazingly, our society, which we have dubbed the "Barry Harris" society (inside joke) has met with sincere interest. Apparently the concept of a low-key, laid-back club that reads quality literature (and drinks quality wine, cocktails, etc,) is a novelty.

Actually, I think the real novelty is that we've found a group of people who aren't the stereotypical b-school "partners" and we want some sort of club to formalize the connection. Plus, quality literature? Good drinks? How can we go wrong??? The fact is we can't, not with Erika and Hillary and Colin, etc.

And so, that is how I spent the entire Partners Dinner in the lobby of the LLC, hanging out with some of my favorite partners... that is to say favorite people I have met at Tuck thus far.