Class of 1917
By the time these notes are printed, I trust you will all have received Don Brooks' notice concerning the class tax. Each month we will publish in this column the names of those men who elect to become "active members" of the class. If every man will make a little sacrifice and effort, we can put the class on a sound financial basis and, at the same time, develop a reunion fund for the Twentieth, but to do so there must be a response from at least two-thirds of the class.
The following letter of acknowledgment from the widow of Tex Etter gives us a good understanding of what Dartmouth meant to Tex, even though he was with us but a year:
"I wish to express the deepest appreciation to the Dartmouth class of 1917 in be-half of myself and the family of Leslie W.Etter for the kind message of sympathyand the flowers sent to us.
"His year at Dartmouth meant morethan any other one year of his life, I think.He expressed the wish that his son alsomight attend Dartmouth and find theresomething of what he found.
"SARA P. ETTER."
From Karl Koeniger we have a good letter, giving the important facts requested. He is a director of the firm of Blanchard Bros, and Lane, leather manufacturers, in Newark, N. J. Married in 1918 to Elsie B. Crawford of East Orange, N. J., he now boasts of two children, 13 and 10 years old. His clubs are the Dartmouth Club of New York, the Rock Spring Country Club, Berkeley Tennis Club, and South Orange Squash Club. From this list we can judge for ourselves that not only is Karl making a success of his business, but that also he has been keeping up a very active regime of exercise—in which we are supported by his statement that his health is excellent.
Reports from Boston come through from Walt Ferguson and Will Fitch. Walt has two children, ten and four, with whom he gets most of his exercise and diversion, swimming in summer and coasting in winter (though where he gets the snow these winters he does not say). He claims to be "messenger boy" with Jackson and Curtis, and says that Sam MacKillop is also in that office, where he is known as the man who "never refuses a bet—and seldom loses." Will Fitch relays word from various parts of the country, mentioning a visit to Chicago where he found the Olympia Fields Country Club dwarfing his Charles River Country Club into a Tom Thumb course. In Cleveland he failed to find any Seventeeners at the Dartmouth luncheon, but in Buffalo found Burt Gale well and prosperous. Squash and bridge seem to fill his diversional field, with increasing interest in contract tournaments, particularly Saturday afternoon play at the Copley Plaza, where he would welcome any of you Boston bridge hounds throughout the season. I quote part of his letter wherein he refers to various members of the class:
"Things are awfully quiet around Bostonsince the football.season closed. Even NewYear's Eve seemed to reflect the generalconditions. I was at Boston's newest andmost exclusive supper club, the BarclayClub, run by George Fuller, and saw onlyone person drunk. That is certainly a signof depression. Gerrish was there, but hewas not the person just referred to.
"Business is rotten, as you probablyknow by noticing, the letterhead of thisstationery; I see Forrest Emery and DonLitchard, but they are smarter than I because they do not seem to be suffering.
"You ask about diversional activities.The only ones I have are squash and contract bridge at this time of year, and I amthinking of giving up squash in order todevote more time to bridge. I am playing tonight in a duplicate tournament atthe University Club, tomorrow night atanother at the Hotel Beaconsfield, andThursday, Friday, and Saturday nights arethe New England championship tournaments at the Hotel Somerset. I frequentlysee Win Scudder at these tournaments; infact, he recently beat me by one-half amatch point for top score at LongwoodTowers.
"I have only one marriage, no children,and my health is good.
"Wishing you the same plus a lot ofchildren, good business, and a Happy NewYear, I am WILL FITCH."
Secretary, Craig House, Beacon, N. Y.
