1927 LAYS CORNER STONE OF "DICK HALL'S HOUSE"

Ceremonies appropriate to the laying of the cornerstone of Dick Hall's House were conducted by the class of 1927, of which Dick Hall was a member, following the "SingOut" exercises June 6. For the class of 1927 Joshua A. Davis, of Kane, Pa., president of the class, was in charge of the ceremonies, which were witnessed by a large gathering including Mr. and Mrs. E. K. Hall, the donors of the house to the College.

Following a selection by the Dartmouth College Band and a prayer offered by Bishop John Thomson Dallas, Mr. Davis read the following letter from Mr. Hall, and presented the House to President Hopkins of the Board of Trustees.

"New York, N. Y. June 1, 1926.

Mr. Joshua Davis, President, Class of 1927, Dartmouth College, Hanover, New Hampshire. My dear Davis: It would be a source of a great deal of pleasure to Mrs. Hall, to Dick's brother and sister and to me if Dick's class would take over the responsibility for whatever simple ceremony may seem suitable in the matter of laying the cornerstone of Dick Hall's House. If the cere- mony should seem to require anything in the form of a presentation of the building to the College, we should like very much to have the Class, through its president, make the presenta- tion in Dick's name and behalf. Not only would this seem especially fitting because of Dick's intense pride in being a member of the class of 1927 and because of his extreme fond- ness for his classmates, but it would be our hope that it might help to make the members of the class themselves feel that Dick's House is also theirs and that they will wish to help him in helping it to serve its purpose. The House is designed to provide a home for students of the College when they are sick, either in mind or in body, and need a bit of home life and home care. Over the fire-place in the big living room or library on the ground floor these two little verses will seek to express the spirit of Dick Hall's House:

Dick is away, but his House is here The hearth is burning bright. Here are books and an easy chair And there—a waiting light.

Here one may rest and plan and dream Just as he used to do This is a House for Dartmouth men. Welcome home—to you.

The House will richly serve its purpose if it is able to bring some measure of comtort to the boys of Dartmouth when they need it most, and if the boundless joy, the geod cheer and the helpful spirit which filled the life of the boy whose name it bears may for all time abide and carry on within its walls. Very truly yours, E. K. Hall."

Accepting the House for the College President Hopkins said:

"The laying of this cornerstone signifies that a vital need of the College is to be met, that an attractive addition is to be made to the college plant, and that new and unexcelled insurance is to be given for the health of the Dartmouth student body.

"This gift is emblematic in its source, and in the name on this stone which this house is to commemorate, of the affection and solici- tude for the College from which emanate Dart- mouth's strength and its pervasive power for good.

"Furthermore, this benefaction symbolizes the truth that the influence upon the College of the lives of its men is an abiding one.

"The College is not an inanimate thing. It is a living, vibrant organism. It is the projection and the perpetuation of the personalities and interests of vital lives in common purpose and in common aspiration.

"We meet today in gratitude too deep for formal expression for the generous proffer of facilities for added usefulness on the part of the College.

"Most of all, however, we meet in recognition of the fact of the continued and continuing participation in Dartmouth life and in Dartmouth service of the living and vital spirit of a member of the class of 1927.

"In behalf of the Trustees of Dartmouth College, I accept this gift, and representing them, I christen this house of cheer and friendly helpfulness, 'Dick Hall's House.' "

Dick Hall's House is designed to be a combination of a home, an infirmary, and a hospital. It will be equipped to take care of the boy who has a sore throat or who is simply tired out, as well as the boy who has measles or pneumonia.

The normal capacity of the house is 31 beds. The emergency capacity is SS beds, 12 extra on the first floor and 12 on the second floor. Accordingly 24 extra beds will be stored in the basement ready to be set up whenever an emergency may require.

Except in case of emergency the use of the building will be restricted to the members of the student body and unmarried members of the faculty or the administration of the College.

It is expected that the house will be fully completed and equipped by the spring of 1927, and that it will be open for inspection during the Commencement Week when Dick Hall's class graduates.

Dick Hall

Edward K. Hall '92