CLASS OF 1899
The twenty-ninth round-up of the class was held Saturday, March 2, at the University Club, with eighteen men in attendance. Some of the old-timers were absent. Tim Lynch is still abroad; Bill Atwood had joined the millionaires' colony in Florida; George Clark was in Washington to see the president properly inaugurated; two of the Hanover delegation were recovering from illness; and others did not make as much effort as formerly to come because of the approaching Trigintennial in June.
The following men gathered around the large oval table in the following order: Evans, A. J. Abbott, Barney, Hoban, N. Brown, Drew, Heywood, Hobbs, Skinner, Wardle, Huckins, Beal, Allen, Dearborn, Benezet, Donahue, Sleeper, Parker. K Beal presided as toastmaster.
The Secretary was called upon to read cards from members who had responded to Jim's invitation by declining. Any number of them promised faithfully to be at Hanover in June.
Jim Barney was called upon to read the latest Epistle from Timothy. In the midst of Jim's reading, a bell boy appeared calling, "Telegram for Mr. Barney." It was from Washington, D. C., and read, "Ninety-Nine of Washington sends warmest greetings to Ninety-Nine at Boston tonight.—Clark, Staley, Kendall."
Justice Donahue next continued further the Odyssey of the Lynch family. He read Tim's latest letter, then produced a remarkable document, Tim's diary, kept while on his 16,000 mile pilgrimage to the homes of '99. It seems that Tim had gotten each member of the class upon whom he called to write in the diary a letter of greeting to various other classmates whom he was due to encounter later on in the course of the trip. Thus Walter Eastman wrote in the diary to Bones, to John Ash, to Doc Norton. Bones wrote to John, to A. H. Brown, to Ernest Abbott, to Willis, etc.
One of the funniest incidents was the story of how Tim walked in to John Ash's establishment at Corvallis, Oregon, and representing himself as a salesman for the Sandusky Concrete Corporation, tried to persuade John to buy his concrete from them. Finally John rose up and said, "Stranger, you're a mighty nice fellow and all that, but I must tell you that I don't think you know a damn thing about concrete." Whereupon Tim, in high dudgeon, had said, producing a letter from Bones Woodward addressed to John, "There's a document that says I do!" John took one look at the letter, made a wild grab for Tim, and yelled to Mrs. Ash to put on another plate for dinner.
Harry Clark '9B was one of those who wrote in Tim's book, addressing a letter to his friends of '99.
Next the treasurer reported on the condition of the class treasury. He estimates that it will take payment of the class tax by more than have usually paid it to clear up the debt on the last class report.
George Huckins was introduced as the only member of tlie class who has two sons in Dartmouth. He paid a high tribute to the type of young man to be found in Hanover today.
Next Pitt Drew gave a talk on the '99 spirit, the sort of thing that the class had thought could only be done by K Beal or Donahue.
Rab Abbott, when called upon, responded in a few words, telling of his ambition to send his sons to the old College.
The president of the General Alumni Association, Judge Nelson Brown, was the next speaker. Nelson told how the family had succeeded in persuading his Harvard son-inlaw that Hanover was the finest place in the world. He told how the boys were growing up and had begun to think of entering college, and closed by promising to be on hand in June with his movie camera to record for posterity Joe Gannon's masterful leadership of parades, Piley Speare's powerful golf drives, etc.
George Evans, absent last year because of ill-health, gave an interesting talk on his early recollections of the Hyatts and Peddy Miller, and told the latest news from children of these, his former chums in prep school.
In introducing the class agent, K made some reference to a public official retiring to private life. Hobe said that he understood that this gentleman had been offered the position as professor of thrift in Aberdeen University. Many members of our class, said Hobe, had apparently already taken this course, judging from some of the returns he was receiving.
There followed a long discussion on the subject of the class contributions to the Alumni Fund. Several people asked how it was that other classes got so large a percentage of their members to donate, and it was revealed that one class induced one of its wealthy members to donate one dollar in the name of each member of the class who is now deceased, thus neutralizing the non-giving of living members, and bringing the number of contributors to nearly one hundred percent. This practice, said Hobe, had never been followed by '99. At the end of half an hour, after everyone present had spoken his mind, the class agent testified that he felt a great deal better about the situation.
Next Edward B. Wardle, the Weary Wanderer all over the face of the globe, was called upon. He declined to tell the story of his globe-trotting, saying that it would take too long. He confessed that he had been hungry for the sight of the old gang, and promised to be on hand for the Thirtieth next June.
K then called upon the Secretary to outline the plans for the Trigintennial. Benny responded by saying that two or three members of the class had particularly requested that this should not be an over-organized reunion. They wanted a chance, said he, to sit down quietly and just reminisce and catch up with their old pals. He told of the tentative plans for June. Most of the crowd, said he, would arrive Friday afternoon. They would have three hours, from two o'clock until five, to get settled and renew old acquaintances. At five o'clock would begin a "seeing Hanover" trip, Dave Storrs in charge. A twilight hum at the dormitory was to be followed by adjournment to Robinson Hall, where an orchestra would discourse music for the dancing of the young folks and those who think they are still young in the class itself. Card tables will be provided for those who have given up the struggle.
The next morning play will be opened for the famous The Bold Lynch trophy on the Hanover golf-links. There will be a separate prize offered for the ladies, provided at least six will compete for it. The Outing Club will serve a meal to the class at the new house built by 1900. Saturday evening the men have their dinner at Lyme, while the ladies and young folks eat together and go to the theatre in a group.
A memorial service Sunday morning is to be followed by a picnic somewhere in the immediate vicinity of Hanover, at which a class dinner will be held. That afternoon there will be tea on the lawn, and at eight o'clock the big family dinner in the Commons, with some rather unusual stunts.
Nothing is planned for Monday, but it is hoped that most of the members will stay over for a quiet continuance of their visiting.
Benny sat down. The class then sang Charlie Graham's ode, and the meeting adjourned.
The sons of '99 in the freshman class have all done well scholastically. Howland Sargeant ranked second in the class, collecting a brilliant string of A's.
Roger Benezet made the freshman relay team which ran against Harvard and Cornell.
Three or four members of the class have recently been ill. Bill Atwood's sojourn in Florida is partly due to health. Frank Musgrovels just getting over an attack of pneumonia, and Long Jim, while steadily improving, is not back to par yet.
Ikey Leavitt regrets inability to attend the round-up, but winds up his message with "Hanover in June, or bust!"
Christopher Gerould is in Lausanne, preparing to enter college next fall. He is still undecided between Dartmouth, the Alma Mater of his father and three uncles, and Princeton, where his family now live. Last June a premature explosion of a blank cartridge wounded his hand, and he had to go to the hospital and take anti-tetanus serum. As a result he was not able to take all his college entrance examinations, although he passed the majority of them. As he is still young, his parents decided to send him abroad for a year to perfect his French and study for his Greek examination. He has been playing on a Swiss hockey team, and at last writing had gone to Davos with his club to play in the tournament for the championship of Switzerland.
Gerry is to have half of a sabbatical year, and plans to sail for Europe very soon, spending part of his time with Christopher in Switzerland. He hopes to get back to Hanover for the Trigintennial.
The Greater Boston delegation failed to come through as usual at the round-up. Art Irving, Herb Rogers, Paul Osgood, Frank Cavanaugh, Cack Currier, and Billy O'Sullivan were among the missing.
Gus Heywood guarantees that the Worcester delegation will come through one hundred percent at the meeting next June.
Hawley Chase wrote a good note, saying that he would long remember the good time he had last year, and promising to be in Hanover next June.
Ruth Hyatt is now assistant librarian in Belmont, Mass. Her younger sister, Hannah, is a senior at Wheaton.
Genevieve Benezet left Connecticut when the college ceased to have a Dartmouth man for president, and is now a sophomore at Vassar.
Eddie Wardle has three children in college; yet he can afford to take the trip from Grand- Mere, Quebec, to Boston, just to see the class of '99 in a round-up!
Joe Huckins ran the mile for Dartmouth in the Cornell-Harvard-Dartmouth meet. He is now the most promising miler on Harry Hillman's squad.
Alvah Sleeper set a mark for the rest of the class to shoot at when he handed a substantial check to Hobe for the Alumni Fund.
Pitt, at the round-up, asked what it was that had made the wonderful unity of '99. The answer might be, the indefatigable work of Elmer Barstow for ten years in keeping in intimate touch with every member of the class, the similar industry of Charlie Donahue and K Beal as secretaries, and the missionary work of our three traveling apostles to the far-away, Warren Kendall, George Clark, and Theobald Lynch.
Joe Hobbs, present at the round-up, still is dubious about his ability to postpone the trip to Europe in order that he may be in Hanover in June.
K Asakawa, Montie Fuller, Joe Gannon, Ikey Leavitt, Dave Storrs, Mrs. Jim Richardson, and others have accepted responsibilities wished upon them by the executive committee.
The Mrs. Speare was the chief speaker at a meeting at the Copley-Plaza Hotel on March 16. The occasion was the monthly gathering of the Daughters of New Hampshire. The Secretary's wife and Mrs. Jim Barney were among her auditors.
That same day the executive committee had an all-day session planning for the reunion in June. Jim Barney, Charlie Donahue, George Clark, and the Secretary were together all through the afternoon. Three of this group, with their wives, K Beal, and Mrs. Pitt Drew, were George's guests at dinner. Charlie Donahue came back in the evening, and the group worked over reunion plans until late at night, passing up a chance to see the Harvard-Dartmouth hockey game.
Bill Atwood's new address is R. D. 2, Swift Road, Sarasota, Florida.
The midwinter meeting of the N. E. A. was held at Cleveland, February 22 to 28 inclusive. There were two Dartmouth meetings, one for the Dartmouth men attending the convention alone, and the other the regular annual dinner of the Cleveland Alumni Association, with Dean Laycock as the chief speaker. The first was held at the Statler Hotel Wednesday noon, February 26. Professor Arthur D. Wright had arranged for the meeting, and sent out notices to the men. He asked Benezet '99 to select the men who should be called upon to answer toasts. Benny, remarking that the secretaries and ex-secretaries were the ones who were supposed to have most Dartmouth news to distribute, called upon Phil Patey '98, Walter Young 1901, and Ned Kenerson 1903 to start the meeting off. Next C. E. Drake '28, the youngest graduate present, was called upon. Many of the old grads commented on the ease and poise with which the young man acquitted himself. Julius Warren 1910 spoke brilliantly and extemporaneously, and Joel Harley '95 told in happy vein of his election to the presidency of the pedagogues' club in Dartmouth during his undergraduate days. Ernest Silver '99 led the songs.
Others present at the luncheon were Noyes '92, Sanborn '95, Jay Brown '97, Phelps '01, Walter May '05, Rogers '05, Pop Chesley 'OB, Fred Reed '09, Paul Albert '10, Russell Leavitt '14, Frost '20 (son of G. B. Frost '96), Carpenter '23, A. B. Kellogg of Claremont, who has been taking graduate work at Dartmouth, Robert Fuller, a Brown graduate who is superintendent at Hanover, and two or three other non-Dartmouth men, guests of those present.
Other Dartmouth men seen at the convention but not present at the luncheon included Joe Ryan '97, Ted Morehouse '01, Harold Rugg 'OB, and others.
At the evening meeting of the Cleveland group, Dutch Irwin was inaugurated as the new president, taking the place of A. P. Andrews '16 (son of A. F. Andrews '78). The two speakers were Swede Oberlander '26 and Dean Laycock '96. Moving pictures were shown of the Pow Wow at Chicago, of the freshman and varsity football games, and of the activities of the Outing Club. Besides the Cleveland group there were present Sanborn '95, Benezet '99, Young '01, Phelps '01, May '05, Albert '10, and Carpenter '23.
Secretary, 88 Lowell St., Manchester, N. H.
