1997 MIT Mystery Hunt Puzzle 7 Solution

These years correspond to U.S. vice presidents; each row contains the birth, start of term, end of term, and death year for one veep. Take the indicated letters of their names:

1) SHERMAN
2) ROCKEFELLER
3) CALHOUN
2) CURTIS
1) TYLER
2) KING
3) COOLIDGE
4) CLINTON
5) MORTON
4) COLFAX
3) JEFFERSON
2) FILLMORE
1) NIXON
2) AGNEW

The indicated letters spell SOLUTION OFFING, so the answer is OFFING.