Class of 1914
On the eve of starting for Hanover for the annual secretaries' meeting the threads are gathered together with the following results.
Ev and Mrs. Barnard have had the very great misfortune to lose their younger child, Elaine, four years of age, as a result of an automobile accident in front of their home in Medford. Ev was abroad on business at the time, or rather on the way back, and arrived in a couple of days without knowledge of things at home. The sympathy of all of us especially those with small children is extended to them.
Roger Rice dropped in the other day on the way to Framingham to sell some books to the school superintendents assembled there in convention. Roger travels New England for the Silver Burdett people, and takes three months off in the summer to look after his Boothbay Harbor interests. Things are being shaped toward another round-up at Sprucewold next September.
Larry Day has been very much under the weather this winter, and accompanied by his wife has just visited Bermuda in an effort to get back into working condition.
John Burleigh and his family have been entertaining scarlet fever, measles, grippe, and a mastoid operation on the youngest boy. After a rather hectic month all are coming around and John is back on the job—too busy at the moment however to spare time to go to Hanver. He submits the following items with instructions to run "as is." If changes were to be made he probably would go over my head direct to the columns of the MAGAZINE, SO here goes.
"The Secretary of our class was very pleased to listen each afternoon to radio station WBSO of the Babson Statistical Organization broadcasting an hour of good cheer for shut-ins conducted by our own Herb Austin. I have not as yet contributed to his fan mail, but I know that he will appreciate hearing from the members of the class as to how they enjoy his program. Another '14er has apparently jumped into the limelight, or perhaps it would be better to say the 'ether.'
"Another mystery has been solved: namely why Herb has never smoked cigarettes. Mr. Babson, his mentor, publicly announced at a meeting before the vocational committee of the University Club of Boston that any young man who smoked could not be successful in business. I might say as I write this, I am enjoying the fragrance and aroma of a luscious Camel."
There are certain germs of truth in the above contributions: WBSO is a 100 watt broadcasting station on the air in the late afternoon and the middle of the night with a brief program of music and poetry designed for shut-ins who do not want all jazz. I am responsible for collecting the material and personally conduct the broadcast in the afternoon. The wave length, 384.4, is very close to WGY, and in Wellesley, Brookline, and nearby sections may interfere with WNAC. John probably caught me as an interruption in the regular WNAC baseball broadcast. However, the work is interesting, and by this time "mike fever" is a thing of the past.
Regarding the cigarette publicity, Mr. Babson directed his remarks to those who smoke during business hours, a phase of the matter which has been overlooked in some of the newspaper comments. If following his suggestions in this particular would automatically lead to the position in the business and financial world he has attained—you point the moral.
Ducky Drake and the Missus put on the feedbag with the Austins a few days ago, and in the course of conversation it was discovered that Tom Anderson in Milton is the proud father of a juvenile female daughter. Any greenhouses you see in the outskirts of East Milton may belong to Tom or his family, he and his father both being florists.
The current president of the Kiwanis Club of Salem, Mass., is one Dr. Harold Bean, and the record of activities indicates that either he is doing a great job or has some swell committees.
Gil McDonough from way out in Denver reports a trip to the Pacific Coa'st and a call on Rubber Floyd. Vogie Stiles is supposed to be at Arkansas City, Kansas, with the Roxanna Petroleum Company, with hopes of a vacation in Denver this summer.
Jack Harris has deserted San Francisco and is now -in New York city, with the American Lithograph Company. He is living at White Plains.
When the Glee Club appeared in New York, Mart Remsen observed the following: Walt Humphrey, Jeff Beals, Gordon Sleeper, and George Boggs (all the way from Nova Scotia). On the following night at the Dartmouth Club there appeared Chuck Kingsley, Fred Davidson (fresh from a trip abroad and many interesting stories), Jack Harris, Phil Harvey, with the ever active Mart.
At the time of writing Mart had 40 per cent of the Alumni Fund quota. Not so good.
These modest cusses cause us lots of trouble. Here is Sig Larmon writing about affairs in Philly and never saying that he perpetrated a speech at the alumni dinner and is continued as vice-president of the Philadelphia Association for another year. Why should a detective have to unearth this information?
John Burleigh found it impossible to attend the secretaries' meeting, and ye Scribe was perfectly willing to go to Hanover for a weekend. Pomeroy was present to represent the Holyoke Association, and Woodies to represent the Lowell Club.
Pom says that Johnny Hazen, Red Ramage, Red Hawes, Ted Main, and he are behaving as well as could be expected of 'l4ers.
Woodies is one we haven't seen so much of, and it has been a pleasure to get acquainted. He is with the Lowell Sun.
Final extra—very special -extra—John Piane has a son. We can't call them big John and little John, but rather little John and tiny John, or perhaps John and demi-John. This latter was passed on by Al Richmond, who continues in the Thayer School, he and John being our Hanover representatives.
Assistant Secretary, 11 Leighton Road, Wellesley, Mass.
