CLASS OF 1899
Mrs. Anna H. Winchester, wife of our classmate, Phil, died suddenly January 20 at a Syracuse hospital after an illness of about two weeks. A clipping from a Watertown newspaper tells the story of her life. It seems that she was born in Watertown and graduated from the local high school, afterwards continuing her studies along musical lines at Syracuse. Members of the class of '99 will remember her marvelous piano playing at some of our reunions. She could have been a concert pianist, but always declined to commercialize her talents. She was prominent in amateur musical circles both in Watertown and in Syracuse.
Mrs. Winchester was born Anna Hitchcock. Her father was Robert Hitchcock, inventor of the well known Hitchcock lamp, which was superseded by Edison's electrical invention. She was a member of the Daughters of the American Revolution. Her greatgreat-grandfather, an officer in the Revolutionary Army, was one of the first settlers in the part of New York state where she was born.
Besides her husband, Philip '99, she leaves her son, Robert Hitchcock '28. A charming and cultured woman, she will be greatly missed by her circle of friends and associates in Syracuse. The sympathy of the class goes out to Phil and to Robert.
On January 29 there died at Milford, N. H. a rather remarkable character. He was John F. Donahue, father of our classmate, Charles. Members of the class will remember the article in one of the Boston papers, published at the time that Charles was elevated to the bench. It was the story of the rather remarkable life of his father.
Mr. Donahue, Senior, was bom in Galway, Ireland, in 1843. Being of an enterprising and adventurous turn of mind, he early left home and traveled all around the world. He was a surveyor with the British army in New Zealand at the time of the armed conflict with the Maoris. He lived in Australia for a time, but in 1869 arrived in America, making his home in Milford, where he has lived for the past sixty years. His wife, who came from Mont Vernon, N. H., died in 1909.
He was a man of very studious habits, remarkably well informed on all topics, and expecially versed in the history of Ireland. His brother is still living in Galway, while three sisters reside in Nashua. He made his home, after the death of his wife, with his son John in Milford.
'99 was represented at the funeral by Hale Dearborn.
The Secretary recently addressed a group of librarians at a small auditorium in the State House, Boston. George Evans came over from Somerville to aid and abet his classmate, and the two had lunch together afterwards.
From George comes the completion of the story of how '99 obtained the famous football in the rush with '98 our freshman fall. In the dark and the confusion of the tangled mass on the campus, George noticed a man who had apparently crawled out of the melee, then had risen to his feet and was walking off, evidently holding something close to him. The fellow walked a little way and then broke into a run. George's suspicions being aroused, he took after the fugitive. As the fellow got to the hedge surrounding Bissell Hall, he darted down one way, and George, to head him off, started around the other. This manoeuvre would cause them to meet on the other side of the building. As he saw the man turn the corner and come toward him, George crouched down in the shadow of the hedge. The fugitive came up to within five feet of where George lay, and proceeded to take something out from under his jersey and hide it away in the recesses of the hedge. He then rose and sprinted away. George crawled forward a foot or two, put out his hand, and touched the precious football, for possession of which two hundred men were milling frantically out on the campus at that very moment.
As he lived across the street at Marm Swett's, he hastily beat a retreat to his room. Some upoerclassinen were in the house at the time, and George went before them with his prize, asking advice. The upperclassmen warned George that if the news went abroad that the precious ball was in his possession, a bunch of Rho Kaps would visit him and put him through torture until he revealed the hiding place of the rubber sphere. They advised immediate dissection,—and distribution of the pieces. And so with the help of Peddy Miller, Maurice Dickey, Luke Varney,—other freshmen who lived in the house—it was done. George says that it was months afterwards that he was finally convinced of the identity of the man who had hidden the ball away in the hedge. (Horace Sears). Thus the whole story is told for the first time, thirty-four years afterwards.
According to George, Arnold Hyatt, Will's son, has a good position in Chicago. His mother is keeping house for him. Ruth, his sister, after finishing her training work under George in the Somerville library, secured a permanent position elsewhere.
A good letter was recently received from Luther Oakes. Lute tells of an enjoyable evening at the home of Bones Woodward in Seattle in company with John Ash. He says that John was a little bit lame from a bad fall received while he was building a bridge, but that otherwise he was going strong. He took another trip West in January, and expected again to call on friend Bones in the course of his travels.
The Secretary acknowledges the kind interest of Joe Manion and Charlie Whelan in giving the news of Bob Crocker's death, data regarding his illness and funeral, etc. A floral tribute from the class was one of the many pieces at the services. The president of Jordan Marsh Company wrote Bob's mother a letter of sympathy, expressing his deep personal concern, and telling of the loss which the firm had suffered in his death.
In the "Little Times" of December 15, a little magazine gotten out by the New York Times people for the benefit of their own employees, there is an article on a speech by Joe Gannon. The paper refers to Joe as the supervisor of national advertising. A photograph is given of Joe's pupils, a bright, snappy-looking crowd some sixty in number.
Charlie Adams was in charge of the recent banquet of the Cheshire County Dartmouth Alumni.
The Bold Lynch, with Friend Wife, had hardly come in contact with the fogs of Boston, when he sailed once more, this time for the Mediterranean countries. He returns in time for the great Trigintennial in June.
At a recent meeting of the Manchester Rotary Club, Dave Parker was the speaker. Among his auditors were the Secretary, and President Ernest Silver of the Plymouth Normal School. Dave made a great plea for the work of his chosen profession, and was roundly applauded.
The Speares, Silver, and the Warrens were guests at a Christmas party staged at George's home in Plymouth. They report a hilarious time.
It appears that T. Andrew Lynch is very much in earnest about his proposal to provide a permanent golf trophy for '99 competition. The main problem now is to decide how many competitors there must be in each tournament in order to make it a go. Then there is the question of whether it shall be a scratch tournament or a handicap, and if so, who would be the official handicapper. But there evidently is going to be a '99 golf trophy competed for annually, the first contest to be pulled off in Hanover in June of this year. Hanover papers please copy.
* The fame of Mrs. G. Edwin Speare is no longer state-wide. It is becoming national. The American Association of Tee-Cream Makers called her to the Copley-Plaza to be the chief speaker at their convention in January. The state agricultural society at Hartford, Conn., listened to her on January 31.
Secretary, 88 Lowell St., Manchester, N. H.
