Class of 1921
As much as we dislike starting out with an apology, we guess that this month's meeting will have to be opened with one; and the reason is that the long promised class report is off until the w.k. corner is not only turned but left behind. The real failure lies with ye sec., who developed a severe case of procrastination while at work on it, so that instead of rolling off the presses when the data was all nice and fresh, it was still in the makings when Jack Cannell made us really realize that fall was upon us, by calling this year's football squad together. At about the same time we began to get a lot of address changes which brought home to us that our material had already become dated, and that led us into the frame of mind where we began to wonder if this period was really a fair time to get out a report. An exchange of letters revealed that President Dan agreed with this department that it wasn't, so we are hereby chucking up the whole thing for the present. We're saving the material on hand and stowing it safely away in the secretarial strong box, so that it may become the nucleus of a real honest-to-goodness report sometime between now and the Famous Fifteenth. And we hereby officially and sincerely apologize for promising the class something they didn't get.
On the evening of Wednesday, November 2, the 1921 crowd of New York and surrounding way stations joined with a similar group from 1920 in one of the most enjoyable class get-togethers which ye sec. has had the pleasure of attending since he stepped over in the alumni ranks. There showed up at the Dartmouth Club for the party 21 men from 1921 as follows: Bill Alley, Doug Storer, Mac Johnson, Tracy Higgins, Bob Loeb, Coot Carder, Bunny Gardner, Norm Kadison, Chuck Moreau, Ralph Baker, Hal Braman (down from Waterbury, Conn., on business at an appropriate time), Skinny Moore, Rog Wilde, Rog Bird, Ort Hicks, Sumner Perkins, Rex King, Bandy Lowe, Jack Hubbell, Bord Helmer, and ye sec. After an excellent dinner, during which Sherry Baketel and his cohorts from '20 rather hastily rejected '21's generous suggestion to test out muscles in a tug of war between courses (Yes, Rollo, '20 was in the minority), the gang adjourned to the living room of the club, where, thanks to Doug Storer, who has become very much of a personage behind the scenes in radioland, we had the pleasure of hearing the Mills Brothers, the decidedly popular radio quartet, perform in person. They ran over between shows at the Paramount Theater, where they were playing at the time, and the gang was very loath to see them depart at the end of a thoroughly enjoyable program, which included many of the favorites that have won them such great popularity on the air. After they had gone Ort gave the crowd a look at the Tenth Reunion "movies," during which '21's cheering quite successfully drowned out some hostile jeering from the Baketelians. And then Rog Bird was placed in front of a piano, and for an hour or more we heard 'em all, "Little Canoe," "Alice Blue Gown," "The Weaker Sex," the whole batch which have always delighted '21 since that day back in the fall of '17 when Rog first sat down at a piano in College Hall and the rest of the gang in the pea green lids suddenly realized that in their midst was a lad who could do his stuff. And for good measure Rog threw in some new ones which are corkers. Finally when Rog had sung himself hoarse, Doug Storer's friend Dale Winbrow, radio singer and song writer, who has very generously entertained '21 before, got out his uke and sang for the crowd, and he was still at it when ye sec., being a commuter, had to head for the outlands. Ort and Rex joined with Sherry in getting up the party, and thereby won a most hearty vote of thanks from the gang.
We learned at the dinner that Mac Johnson has a new job. He's now connected with the bond department of the financial firm of Hornblower and Weeks at 42 Broadway, N. Y. C.
Bill Alley has shifted jobs recently also, and is now with A. E. Ames & Co., Ltd., a Canadian financial firm with a New York office at 120 Broadway.
Some six months ago we ran into Jack Hubbell, and on asking if he had any news about the class got from Jack a nice bundle of items about various members. We've since learned that shortly before we met him, Jack himself had received a nice promotion concerning which he in all due modesty failed to inform us, and even if we are a bit late passing on the news, we beg leave to report that Jack is now the advertising manager for the Simmons Co., a mighty fine position for anyone just barely ten years out of college.
Rog Wilde is with the Simmons Co. now too, being head of the specialties division in New York.
Chuck Moreau, the w.k. Bloomington, N. J., editor, informed us at the party that he was now a proud dad, Miss Christina Moreau having advanced him into that class on May 9 last.
At the same time Hal Braman took us to task for never having reported the arrival of his second daughter, who is now over two years old. Admitting that we are decidedly worse than late, we hereby seek to make amends by stating that Miss Marcia Elizabeth Braman joined the Braman household on May 23, 1930. Hal incidentally is still with the American Brass Co. in Waterbury.
On the way to the Yale Bowl a couple of weeks ago ye sec. ran into Red Livermore bound for the same spot. Red is now helping direct sales in the New York area for Canada Dry ginger ale.
Answering an appeal from ye sec. for news of the Boston area, Dan Ruggles has written as follows:
"Rex King, accompanied by Ort Hicksand Mrs. Ort, drove into town for theHarvard game and remained over the weekend with us at Salem. At a pre-game partyat the new apartment of Burt Perry '24near the Stadium, we were joined by ourown Harland Manchester. (Incidentally,the writer and Manny, both being housedunder the same business roof, spendfrequent luncheons arguing as to whetherthe 'Herald' should be run by the businessor editorial office.)
"Following an eventful week-end ourguests departed Monday, spending Mondaynight at Winchester with the Chan Symmes.
"Don Smith dropped in to say 'hello' lastweek. He is still in the paper business atTurners Falls, but gets to the big cities atfrequent intervals. Don was unable to stayover for the Harvard game, but was headedfor New Haven.
"John Herbert, formerly with Doubleday, Doran, and Company, Inc., as NewEngland representative of the 'AmericanHome,' has joined Carman-in-New England, publishers' representative, Boston.
"Chick Stiles and Mrs. Stiles made theircustomary fall pilgrimage to Hanover tosee Dartmouth beat Lafayette. They stayedwith the Dan Ryders.
"Others we see around Beantown occasionally are:"Walt Lundegren, back in Boston, in theinsurance business.
"Tom Norcross, lunching at ThompsonSpa, and in the building supply business."Russ Bailey, with the United ShoeMachinery, who commutes from the NorthStation at the same time we do. Incidentally, Russ is the proud father of a newdaughter.
"El Harper, with Harper and West, architects.
"Frank Cosgrove, whom we generally seeon Wednesdays, which is 'shoe' day inBoston. Frank comes in town to buy shoesfor his Marlboro enterprise.
"Listening over the radio the other nightwe heard Joe Vance's father give the invocation preceding Hoover's Detroit speech."
And now may ye sec. step up to the "mike" just long enough in closing to wish the whole class and all the rest of the 1921 family, a very merry Christmas.
Secretary, 7 Lotus Road, New Rochelle, N. Y.
