Class of 1898
In a letter received from Mrs. Julia Patterson Guyol of Concord, N. H., a sister of our dear classmate Allan Patterson, she writes: "He was devoted to Dartmouth, andin his will left 10 shares of WestinghouseElectric to be applied to the Class Fund of1898." My comment is, what a beautiful thing that was to do, and how characteristic of our dear classmate who has gone.
F. V. Bennis has moved north with his sister as far as Miami, Fla., where he is staying at Coral Gables Inn.
Everett Hoyt sent me a postal from St. Petersburg, Fla., the other day, where he and his wife are stopping for a number of weeks.
The Napa Daily Register, referring to our classmate Patterson, says: "During hisresidence here he had acquired a wide circle of friends who knew and appreciatedhis sterling character. By his death the community loses a good citizen and a culturedgentleman."
Our genial classmate Fritz Robbert has been under the weather a bit of late, and we all hope he will soon be restored to good health. A more loyal '98 man and Dartmouth man does not exist.
Such a fine letter came in from Paul G. Redington, head of the Biological Survey at Washington, concerning Patterson, that I am going to insert it here.
"I am inclosing for your information acopy of the announcement made by theForest Service in San Francisco as to thepassing of your classmate, Allan BoutonPatterson. He died on January 25 in the St.Helena Sanitarium following an operation.
"I learned of his illness early in Januaryand wired him immediately to keep up hiscourage. Apparently, however, he had amalignant trouble which was unconquerable.
"As you may know, his father and myfather were in college together, separatedonly by the space of one year. I knew 'Pat'very well when he was in the class of '98,but grew to know him much more intimately when, by a strange coincidence, wemet on the day .of the opening of the YaleForest School in September, 1902. Weroomed together for two years. He was agreat companion. In 1903 we traveled together to California on official jobs, andI roomed with him in Washington in 1904and 1905.
"Late in 1910 he gave me the tip that thesupervisorship of the Sierra Forest in California, adjacent to the Sequoifl NationalForest (of which he was then supervisor),would be vacant. I took immediate stepsto apply for that job, and took hold of theSierra Forest about the 10th of January,1911. We were thrown together constantly.
"After he left the supervisorship of theSequoia he got into the prune business atNapa, Calif. He had a fine layout, and didmost of the work himself in handling themany details and hard work incident to therunning of such a project. I visited himmany times at his bachelor residence outside of Napa. He was always the same, possessing a great sense of humor, with a highstanding in the community. Of later yearsI cannot speak much, as I was called toWashington in 1926. He had a hard row tohoe because of the low price of prunes,and last year, in order to secure some funds,he spent the summer as a fire lookout manon Mount Banner in the Tahoe NationalForest.
"His passing grieves me more than I canexpress in words. He was a remarkablecharacter and beloved universally by allthat legion of men whom he knew in Dartmouth and the officials with whom heworked in the Forest Service.
"A noble character has crossed the 'greatdivide.' He lived a life of great worthwhileness.
"PAUL G. REDINGTON."
"Pete" Adams writes as follows concerning Patterson:
"It was a shock to me to learn from aletter written by a friend of Patterson's inNapa, Calif., of his death on January 25.I had fust sent 'Pat' some copies of the ALUMNI MAGAZINE, but evidently he did not live to receive them.
"The letter was written by Mr. RedfieldA. Anderson, who was evidently a closefriend of Pat's, and was named by him asexecutor of his estate. He writes, 'Patworked as fire lookout at Nevada City lastsummer, and was stricken ill the latter partof October. He underwent a major operationfor intestinal obstruction, and although the doctors gave us no hope, herallied, and was quite comfortable untiljust before another operation, which became imperative. He was the same cheerful, thoughtful, and patient old "Pat" tothe last.' Mr. Anderson also writes that hecame from Pat's home town and had beenwith him during many of the years inNorthern California.
"We shall all feel the loss of 'Pat' verydeeply. He was one of the most likablemen in the class. As you know, I was withhim at Phillips Andover Academy beforewe both went to Hanover.
"WALTER S. ADAMS."
'98, I am sure, will want to extend its sincere sympathy to our dear classmate Bobby Brown of Pittsburgh in the recent passing of his mother at the ripe age of seventy-nine. She had been with our classmate his entire life except during his college and seminary days. What a wonderful privilege for both!
The class also extends its sympathy to Israel Aubey in the loss of his mother in Manchester, N. H. Mr. and Mrs. Aubey have been going to Manchester week-ends for many months. I have been meeting Charles Reuel Carter quite a bit lately, and he is beginning to look as spruce as he did in college days, and I thought he was about the best dressed man in the class of '98.
William A. Kimball has held about every position of prominence possible in Plymouth, N. H., where he resides.
The Secretary received not long ago a letter from Fred Lord in Paris. Fred and Mrs. Fred have been having a delightful year abroad and expect to come home in July.
Bob Marden is home again at work, but has left his wife and two daughters at Miami, Fla.
The Secretary saw Montgomery the other night at the Triangular Meet between Harvard,
Cornell, and Dartmouth, held at the Boston Garden. "Monty" is as keenly interested in athletics as ever.
Sherman R. Moulton and Bishop Walter Taylor Sumner were recently honored with Phi Beta Kappa membership by Dartmouth.
Constance, the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Ernest P. Seelman, has been elected president of the freshman class at Bradford Junior College and also freshman editor of the Quill.
In a recent letter received from George Hill, who was in '9B for a time, I am pleased to quote the following:
"The mighty fine spirit that hasprompted the class persistence in keepingin touch with the non-graduate membersthrough the years has never escaped me.But I could never quite feel that I really'belonged,' however wrong that notion mayhave been. So I have never identified myself, when I could help doing so, witheither the college or class activities; yetDartmouth means fully as much to me—to all of us—as it possibly can to thosemore fortunate, though from a widely different emotion.
"You can never fully realize what youhave; you have no standard by which youcan form an accurate comparison—a trueestimate of value. The non-graduate members do know, and only too well, what theymissed. The man who could spend a termat Hanover in the old days and go awaywith an iota less respect and lasting affection for Dartmouth than man's makeupis susceptible of was not to be found inthe original roll of '98, I am sure. To capitalize it, or to seem to, was repugnant tome, however. That is the only reason whyyou have heard and seen so little of Hill.
"This letter is intended to be personal,but you must remember me to every manof '98 you see, always. You know my regardfor yourself.
"HILL."
Governor Ely of Massachusetts has appointed Joseph W. Bartlett a member and chairman of an Emergency Finance Board of the state, the powers of the board including the authority to grant loans to hard-pressed cities and towns. The board is composed of the state treasurer and director of accounts, and three appointive members. Bartlett's term of office is to be three years.
Secretary, 57 Grove Hill Ave., Newtonville, Mass.
