SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA ASSOCIATION

Another notable milestone in the history of good fellowship gatherings of the Southern California Alumni Association of Dartmouth College was passed on Sunday, July 19, with the holding of the Association's third annual picnic at the Rancho de los Tres Hermanos. Members of the local association and guests from other sections who have been privileged to attend these Tres Hermanos outings have come to look upon them as outstanding events, and this year's picnic proved no exception to the rule. Thirty-five men altogether participated in this year's outing, including Charles Fay '10, and George Champion and Nate Parker, both of '26, Parker being captain of this year's Dartmouth football team.

The Rancho de los Tres Hermanos is one of the old time cattle ranches of California. It is located some thirty miles from the heart of Los Angeles, entrance to it being gained by driving three miles across another of the famous Southern California ranches, the Diamond Bar Ranch. Tres Hermanos was given to the Southern California Association for the day through the courtesy of Harry Chandler, manager of the Los Angeles Times, who was given an honorary A.M. degree by the College in 1922.

The ranch house is ideally suited to good fellowship assemblages. There is a tremendous living room, about forty-five feet square, with an enormous fireplace in the center of the room, open on all four sides. A dining hall with a large barbecue pit in one corner is a feature, and the broad verandas in old Spanish style all around the house provide another distinctive feature. The ranch house crowns a high knoll from which broad vistas of rolling hills may be gained, and looming in the background are the heights of the Sierra Madre Mountains and the San Bernardino range, with peaks climbing more than 10,000 feet into the air.

Aside from the delightful picture and the advantages provided by such an environment, these Southern California picnics are notable in that Mr. Chandler's foreman, Tom Green, acts as general manager, and broils the tremendous steaks over wood fires in the barbecue pit. There is one big steak for each man, in addition to other eats and refreshments.

The fellows played baseball, fished, and swam in a nearby pond throughout the day, and between times enjoyed a delectable punch, brewed by the master hand of V. R. Salinger '00. Willis Hodgkins '99 let loose more than his wonted enthusiasm at the piano under the stimulus of the fascinating punch, and at times there seemed to be serious possibility that the ranch house, although strongly built, might not be able to stand the vocal assaults that came from the tremendous ness of the harmonies as the Dartmouth songs were sung by all present.

President J. Leland Richardson 'OB gave a brief talk on the significance of the occasion, and called on Fay, Parker, Champion, and E. A. Abbott '99 for brief speeches, which were given to such good effect that the day became further memorable.

In addition to those already listed, the following were among those present: R. B. Ahlswede '12, Gerald Barnes '11, R. L. Bennett '13, Hartley Caldwell '22, G. L. Clewell '22, Dan Goakley '14, R. K. Charles '20, Joseph B. Comstock 'IS, James T. Durkee '17, Roland Foss '19, Leslie A. Hatch '98, Al Haas '20, Charles C. Hitchcock 'l6, E. W. Hicstand 'lO, Dr. George P. Laton '06, Ralph M. Kilpatrick '19, E. A. Maling '19, E. D. Martin '09, R. B. Merrill 'OB, C. G. Milham '06, James J. Norton 'OB, Charles W. Remele '12, E. Seward '20, George W. Shaw '87, George C. Stoddard 'lB, Paul S. Sample '20, John J. Troy '02, and Harry Salinger, brother of Vic.

There was also a delightful get-together of many of the Southern California alumni on Thursday evening, July 9, in the form of a theatre party and a supper later at the home of V. R. Salinger '00. Some thirty of the Dartmouth fellows and their wives attended the theatre party at the Biltmore Theatre in Los Angeles, to greet Miss Maude Franklin, a sister of Franklin McDuffee '21, who is playing one of the leading roles in the play "The Show Off."

Miss Franklin comes from Rochester, N. H., and is essentially a Dartmouth girl, her father, editor of the Rochester Courier, having graduated from the College, as also have other relatives.

The supper and reception at the Salinger home after the theatre was attended by all those who had been present at the performance, Miss Franklin coming out to meet the Dartmouth group personally.

C. G. Mn-HAM, Secretary

(Second Letter)

The Southern California Alumni Association paid tribute at its regular weekly luncheon on September first to C. H. Brock '88 as "Halibut King."

This means that Brock, one of the most ardent fishermen of the Southern California group, enjoyed a most successful day at Manhattan Beach while on his vacation, and wished the members of the Southern California Association to help him celebrate, according to his annual custom. This is the third successive year that Brock has staged a halibut luncheon for the Southern California group.

Brock specializes in catching chicken halibut, a particularly delectable specimen of the finny tribe. Over the week-end he caught seventeen, of an average weight of two pounds apiece, and these he brought into the city for the delectation of the fellows at the regular luncheon Tuesday. A total of twenty-six were out at the luncheon, including J. B. Blaine and William F. Marmion, who are entering the freshman class this fall, and John Clark Rose '28 and Brown Freeman '27.

J. S. Pishon, honorary member of the class of '10 and father of "Spuddy" Pishon, died in San Francisco on August 8. Mr. Pishon had been identified with the Southern California Alumni Association for the past three years, until he left early this year to enter business in San Francisco, where he became connected with the Pacific Coast Association.

(Third Letter)

Through the courtesy of Dr. Walter S. Adams '98, and in his honor, the Southern California Alumni Association staged a pilgrimage to the Carnegie Solar Observatory at Mt. Wilson, Tuesday, September 29.

The Mt. Wilson Observatory is on the crest of a 6,000 foot peak in the Sierra Madre Mountains, about twenty-five miles from Los Angeles. The equipment includes a number of observatories, including the famous 100 inch reflecting telescope, largest in the world. Dr. Adams, one of the most enthusiastic of the Southern California alumni, has been associated with the observatory since 1901, and has been its director since 1924. He was awarded a gold medal by the Royal Astronomical Society in 1917, and ranks as one of the world's authorities on the spectrum.

Members of the Southern California Association have long been thinking that they should especially recognize the fact that a Dartmouth man is at the head of this great institution, and also have been wishing that they might have opportunity of viewing and understanding something of its wonders. So the pilgrimage was arranged with Dr. Adams' cooperation, and a group of nearly thirty-five spent the afternoon and evening at Mt. Wilsoa The mechanism of the instruments was explained by Dr. Adams during the afternoon, including especially that of the 100 inch reflecting telescope with its lens that weighs four and a half tons, and its great tube, with quicksilver bearings, so that ninety tons of dead weight are moved as one might poise a pencil. Also, the group learned something of sun spots, and of the sun's spectrum.

During the evening everybody was given the chance to enjoy a "close-up" of the moon, of Jupiter, of one of the big star clusters, and of the double star, Beta Sigma. The 60 inch reflecting telescope was used for this demonstration, and it was voted a marvelous revelation. The star cluster that was looked at, incidentally, was said by Dr. Adams to be in the class that is about twenty to thirty thousand light-years away from the earth, one lightyear being, as those who read this will know, some six trillion miles. In addition to the stargazing, the group also had a spectacular glimpse of the myriad twinkling lights in the valley below that marked some forty or fifty towns and cities, including Los Angeles, Pasadena, Hollywood, Long Beach. There are few more wonderful sights than this spectacle from Mt. Wilson, its nearness to a great population center affording unique views.

Those who made the trip included Gerald Barnes '11, E. D. Burbank '91 and Mrs. Burbank, R. S. Danforth 'OB, Webster B. Evans 'OB, Leslie Hatch '98, E. W. Hiestand '10 and Mrs. Hiestand, Willis B. Hodgkins '99, Wimer Jordan '18 and Mrs. Jordan, Dr. George P. Laton '06, E. A. Maling 'l9, E. D. Martin '09 and Mrs. Martin, C. G. Milham '06, Mrs. Milham, Mrs. C. M. Milham and Miss Virginia Milham. Mrs. Atkins Nickerson, (Nickerson TO), James J. Norton 'OB and Mrs. Norton, W. W. Phelps '81 J. Leland Richardson 'OB and Mrs. Richardson, V. R. Salinger '00 and Mrs. Salinger, Mrs. George W. Shaw, (Shaw '87), James A. Townsend '94. Townsend and Danforth, members of the Pacific Coast Association, were in Los Angeles for the day and were able to take in the trip with the Southern California Association.

Owing to the large accumulation of Class Notes since the last issue a small proportion was necessarily held over for the December number. However, all classes that sent in news items are represented in this issue. (Editor.)