CLASS OF 1909
Forty-seven men attended the class dinner at the Boston City Club the night before the Harvard game. Moving pictures of the last reunion were shown, giving many fellows their first look at themselves in the movies, to the amusement of some and the scandal of others. Russ Pettengill was on from Chicago, Bunk Irwin attended his first class dinner for about twenty years, Max Bonter came on from New York, Craig Thorn came on from Hudson, N. Y., and practically all of the Bostonians were on deck. This was the best turnout for years and we had a bully time, but we had an even better time Saturday afternoon. Many members of the class and their wives attended Bob Burns' annual after-the-game tea at his apartment in Cambridge. There were about twenty people still left in Bob's apartment when Bob left about nine p.m. to look in on his table-full of guests at the University Club, where many of the crowd went after the game. Phil Avery had a house party for some of the out-of-town members and their wives. We rang up Phil's house about three a.m. and no one answered, so we didn't make them an early Sunday call, but were informed later by Phil that we should have come along, for they were all out on the terrace at that time getting a good start for the evening. Bob Burns got back at four a.m. and found his "tea" still making progress. Fleeting visits at various places around Boston led your scribe to believe that the other parties attended by various members of the class also did very well indeed. In fact the endurance seemed fully equal to that of many gatherings of far more recent classes, particularly in "load carrying." In fact it was a real party with no known casualties.
Jimmie Driscoll has made a very rapid recovery from his operation, and according to the latest report (October 30), was able to get out for a short time daily and should be wholly recovered in the very near future.
Art Swenson has fully recovered from his operation, and led the singing at the class dinner before the Harvard game.
As the firm of Thompson, Boss, and Company sold their public utility properties and dissolved, Frank Bartlett, their New England representative, is now doing an investment banking business in Boston on his own account, but is considering several offers to join investment banking houses.
Frank Williams is representing the Atlantic National Bank of Boston in southern New England, with headquarters at Fall River.
We have received the following letter from Art Sporborg:
"Dear Bob: "Exhorted by the irrepressible William Ers Lamb, I am moved by the power of his eloquence to tell you where I am and what has befallen me the past few years.
"Lured on by news of the latest Eldorado, I left the effete East in 1925 to take a few swims and play a little golf in Florida. Arrived here, I was ere long bitten by the bacillus that leaves the desire ever to return to this state and to enjoy its balmy breezes and manifold pleasures. Since then I have become a permanent resident, excepting only a month or two each summer in the North.
"Since 1925 I have witnessed and experienced many startling and interesting adventures. Starting with the fireworks of the real estate boom, I was soon let down into the succeeding depression, when paper profits rapidly melted away and millionaires soon became waiters and bootblacks and clerks again. The depression, apparently, was not enough, so the elements staged a real hurricane for us in 1926. I could write pages of my experiences during that trying day, but suffice it to say that I am glad that I experienced that one, but have no desire to go through another. Then, due to the subsequent depression, we had, to say the least, the annoying epidemic of bank failures. On top of that this past summer the Mediterranean fruit fly paid us his respects and left his toll of loss and misery, but, due to indefatigable efforts on the part of federal, state, county, and city governnents, the fly is now limited to but one county and is almost eradicated.
"Despite all this, Florida, though bent, is not broken. Its face still stands toward the sun, and, due to its courage, is making marked progress. New and greater numbers of tourists visit our state each winter, building goes on apace, the bottom has been reached, and we have unlimited confidence in our future.
"My humble efforts have been dsirected toward this reconstruction in my capacity of manager of the realty holdings and real estate department of the Meyer Kiser Bank of Miami. My office is located on the main banking floor, where I shall be delighted to see any of the fellows of 1909 should they be fortunate enough to visit Miami this coming winter.
"The Twentieth Reunion this past June was the first reunion that I have missed since leaving college, and you may be sure that my thoughts traveled to Hanover many times while it was in progress. It was too early for me to get away.
"Yours faithfully in '09, "ABT SPORBOKS."
Sawny Reagan sends us the following: "Dear Bob:
"I have attached copies of letters which I have received from Carl Killam and Eugene Stark. Bill Patterson dropped me a note stating that he had already sent in a letter for the report and assumed that would do. Ernie Wells of the class of '09, who you will recall was at Dartmouth for a year, is located in Bellingham, Wash., as principal of the high school there. I saw him recently and he looks prosperous and healthy."
"Dear Reagan: "At last I am sending a few lines about myself. Hope it is not too late for the class report.
"I am boys' secretary of the Santa Barbara Y. M. C. A., where I have been located for about seven years now. I am married and have two children, Dorothy Althea, age 5, and Roger Oliver, age 3. Santa Barbara is a beautiful city located between the mountains and the sea with an ideal climate, and kept wet by Max Fleischmann's yeast cakes.
"Two other '09 men are here, Walter Dreyfus and William Ashworth.
"Sincerely, "CARL KILLAM."
"Dear Steve:
"I wish to acknowledge receipt of your letters asking me for a report concerning myself and family. I did not answer your first letter because I expected to see you in San Francisco on my way to Vancouver, B. C. I arrived in San Francisco late in the afternoon and went on north early the next morning, so did not have an opportunity to call at your highly polished desk as I had planned to do.
"Now for the report. I am now living in Riverside, Cal., and am at present associated with the Riverside Finance Company. I still have my holdings in the First National Bank at Hemet, and I am still serving that institution as president. I recently bought the Ford agency at Hemet, and have a good man managing the agency for me. We have three boys, William Henry, seventeen, Richard, fifteen, and Robert, ten. Although I would like to send these boys to Dartmouth College, I am afraid they are headed for Stanford University provided their applications are accepted.
"I am looking forward to the Stanford- Dartmouth football game next year, and I trust I will have the pleasure of meeting you and many of the other Dartmouth fellows at that time.
"When you are down this way I want you to stop over and visit us. With kindest regards, I am,
"Yours very truly, "E. M. STARK."
Secretary, y 100 Milk St., Boston
