CLASS OF 1897
[That '97 appeared in good numbers at Commencement is not at all surprising, in view of the frequent and startling preliminary announcements put out by the reunion committee. In fact, the wonder is, that any member of the class failed to appear. Editor.]
'97's reunion committee was told a good many times that the fifteenth reunion didn't amount to much with most classes, and that it would be hard to get any percentage of the class back. However, thirty-four men re- turned, most of them for the entire week, and eighteen of them were accompanied by their wives,,while there were several indications that either Dartmouth or Smith would benefit about the year 1925.
Pat Conway, Kid Folsom, Ante Lewis, McCornack, Ethan Allen Smith, and Semp Smith came from Chicago and west of there. George Adams, Ben Marshall, Bum Morrill, and Maben came from the New York section, while Appleton, Blunt, Maurice Brown, Christophe, Paul Clay, Frank Drew, Foss, Bill Ham, Cap Holt, Mosher, O'Malley, Jigger Pender, Pa Rollins, Sibley, Sisk, Tracy, Hiram Tuttle, Ward, McFee, Ned Woodworth, and Maurice Watson came from the New England states, Bolser and Poor being in Hanover themselves. This made thirty-three out of ninety-three graduates of the class, with McFee, a non-graduate, being just as enthusiastic as if he had graduated. Harry Chase of the class and Jimmy Conlon, non-graduate, showed their class loyalty in a material way. Each day had something in particular to interest the class itself.
On Sunday a special train was chartered to Fairlee, Vt., transportation arranged to Lake Morey, and a dinner and steamboat trip on the lake.
The day was a bit warm and the water appealed to most of the men of the class, but bathing suits were scarce. What there were of them showed some remarkable physical developments since graduation. This trip seemed about the best part of the reunion, and it was regretted that not more than thirty-three men and wives were able to take it in.
At 5.30, '97 held memorial vespers in the College Church with Ben Marshall of the class in charge. This seemed particularly appropriate, since Marshall is to take up faculty work this year along these very lines. The service was particularly forceful and Marshall's address clever and interesting.
Monday morning resulted in a baseball victory for '97. Five innings were played, and the score was 6 to 5 in favor of '97 over 1912.
Tuesday afternoon the class started at 5.30 for Lebanon for its class dinner at Hotel Rogers. This pretty little hotel had just opened on that day and this was its first public dinner. There came near being a catastrophe on the way down. Presumably the transportation services in Hanover are no better than they used to be, numbers considered, and this is a poor place to vent one's spite on irresponsible coach drivers, but had it not been for the presence of mind and western training of Ante Lewis a disastrous runaway might have occurred.
This coaching trouble made some delay, but by using automobiles and relaying the men the affair turned out rather interesting than otherwise. Thirty-one men sat at the banquet, and at the invitation of the reunion committee Bubbie Bartlett was elected honorary member of the class, of '97 and made toastmaster for the evening. Special Indian headdresses had been provided for each man, and their effect in most cases was ludicrous enough to add to the pleasure of the dinner. Cigars and cigarettes in special packages seemed to be appreciated, and the dinner itself, which was a replica of what a Commencement dinner might have been seventy-five years ago, seemed to appeal.
What after-dinner speaking there was started with Peacham Blanchard's characteristic and clever excuse for "Con Games of Middle West," and was followed by Semp Smith, Hiram Tuttle, Mac, Ante Lewis, Cap Holt, and Ben Marshall. It was interesting to note the tone of seriousness which crept into the speaking as it progressed, and the toastmaster's own comment that this was quite usual and his explanation for it rather added to the seriousness of the latter part of the speaking.
The class enjoyed its toastmaster immensely, and his reference to Professor Wells, who was toastmaster for the class five years ago, was eloquent, while the toast to Professor Wells' memory was a solemn and appreciative toast to the memory of this much loved man.
Some business of interest was taken up after the speaking. The present reunion committee was made a permanent reunion committee. The question of a yearly tax of $10.00 for each member of the class, the proceeds from which would be used at our twenty-fifth reunion in an endeavor to see that all the men of the class were back to the reunion and if possible to make some suitable gift to the College, was left to the committee consisting of Blunt, Tuttle, Bolser, Woodworth, Clay, and McCornack, whose report will be given to the class later.
It is impossible to describe the amount of interest that the class showed in its reunion. Crosby, the class headquarters, was not sufficient to hold the whole class and the overflow nearly filled the top of Wheeler. Each succeeding day seemed better than the day before. Possibly the cleverest stunt of all was the foundation of Parallax, Ltd. The history of Parallax may as well be given:
In a midnight session in Crosby, John Poor, who had heard reports of the success of a large number of the class, regretted that astronomy was not in more demand, and stated that the only thing he could think of starting as an offset to this phenomenal economic vibration which the successful members of '97 were creating in the business world was to formulate a society known as "Those of the Busted Four-Flushers." To this suggestion, however, there was a good deal of antagonism, which finally developed in the formation of Parallax, Ltd., basis of Parallax being the commercialization and use of the additional brain power developed by one John Poor outside of his astronomical research work. A curb was immediately started on the common stock, and its variation from hour to hour, which depended partly on the diet of certain men in the class or the ability of certain other men in the class to approach certain prominent offices' in the college, etc., made a minimum for the stock at six, its opening point. This grew gradually until it had reached fifteen at the time of the class dinner. During the dinner, however, the chief of Lebanon police came in and interrupted the speaking, stating that he had a warrant for John Poor's arrest, partly on account of Professor Poor's digressions in the starry dome and partly for issuing phoney stock. It was ah extremely hard thing to convince the chief of police that John was a respectable member of society, but the mere fact that he had so many men there who were willing to bail him out finally convinced the chief that he was in error and that there really was no charge. against the "culprit." However, a serious panic took place in Parallax immediately after and it dropped down to its low point again. The stock strengthened materially the next day, however, when Poor showed what he could wear in the way of gowns, and at the alumni dinner on Wednesday the stock was at its high point again.
It was voted to hold a twentieth reunion. It was also suggested that at the next reunion the class should make a particular point of arriving in Hanover the Saturday before Commencement and arrange to stay a full week.
'97's fifteenth seemed the best reunion that the class had ever had, and the green parasols which the ladies carried and the canes which the men used were but outward indications of the fact that while the class as a whole is not a rich class, still it has all the loyalty for Dartmouth's tradition that might be expected of the first class to enter College under Doctor Tucker.
Chairman Reunion Committee
Secretary, Merrill Boyd, 11 Ashburton Place, Boston
