Class Notes

Class of 1902

April 1933 Hermon W. Farwell
Class Notes
Class of 1902
April 1933 Hermon W. Farwell

It is high time for a good word for our ministers. With the passing of Charles Wattie, one-third of our number of fulltime preachers has gone. I had not realized how very small a number our class had contributed to the work of the Lord, and what makes the matter worse our plight must have been so plain to others that they came to help out. None of our ministers entered college with us; Wattie and Harrison came to us junior year from Bangor Theological School, and Maurice Duncklee with his preaching and college combination finished with us.

We have reason to be proud of those ministers, as you may judge from the history of Wattie's life given in another column. Harrison has gone far afield, and has come to a place of importance in the Far West. He is now superintendent and registrar of the Congregational Conference of Oregon with his office in Portland. He is also a trustee of Pacific University in Oregon. Mrs. Harrison died over a year ago, and that explains why our good brother didn't feel like meeting with us in June. While Harrison doesn't do so for us, nevertheless he is entitled to write D.D. after his name. As they say in the General Motors' Parade of the States, "Oregon, we salute you." That crisp CHH at the end of a letter looked familiar and worth repeating.

Duncklee is our other real and truly preacher, and while he says he has the church in West Lebanon, N. H., I know that his activities cover more than the bounds of West Lebanon, whatever they may be. Maurice is a busy man and doesn't work by the clock. He has served as trustee of Kimball Union Academy for 27 years. And he carries photography and gardening along as hobbies. Then his family now includes a granddaughter, Dorothy Ann Wyman. Maurice says his literary activity is confined entirely to sermons. Do you realize, Maurice, that if some of the fellows in the class had been preaching as long as you have, they wouldn't be writing sermons now? They would be taking them out of the bottom of the barrel, feeling that by now they had enough to go around.

You see those ministers of ours just have to be good, since they may be all that stands between the rest of us and |errible fate. We hope they realize the responsibility and know what to do about it, and I hope we all recognize our responsibility in maintaining their good will. Arthur V. Ruggles makes a note in connection with the address list recently sent out which I am glad to include:

"In the next issue of addresses may I askyou to give my office address (AmericanWater Works Association, 29 West 39thSt., New York City) as thereby I wouldstand a good chance of seeing more of theclassmates when they are from out of town.I am in the Engineering Societies Building,so out-of-town engineers head for our placeautomatically when they are here, and itis a central location for any others."

Thanks, Arthur, for the correction, and I hope this sort of invitation will reap its reward.

The engineers certainly are a brotherly crowd, and I have to thank Ruggles, Tozzer, and particularly Whittier '99, for helping out with information with reference to the work of Maurice Leahy. Yet it is to be hoped that it is not true that engineers are appreciated only by engineers. Perhaps our sense of appreciation of others generally would be helped a good bit if we stopped to think what their work has meant. The puzzle here is to find out the facts, for the man himself seems to avoid telling us. For example, Maurice Leahy's own story was very brief, yet others have shown clearly that his life was active and full, at times crowded with events which to the rest of us were exciting and of impelling interest. I often wonder how many of the things which are to each of us merely "part of the job," the rest of the class would find worth recounting.

In addition to his recent election as president of the associated General Contractors of America, Arthur Tozzer is also president of the active Westchester County Dartmouth Alumni Association. He is still with the Turner Construction Company as executive vice-president.

Stub Hill, another of our engineers, writes from Binghamton, N. Y„ that his job is building state highways, so I suppose that he is one of the fellows who is responsible for selecting these choice detours that face us about every once in so often. I don't know how many of us will subscribe to this, but for the sake of the engineers let's try this, "More and better detours." Stub says he works all the time for nine months, and then loafs for three months in Florida.

"Playing golf some of the time, andworking at it quite often. Missed the 30threunion, much to my sorrow. Have thenext one in the winter, and I will comeearly and stay late."

There's an idea for you. Probably it would be necessary to hold it in Florida, and provide airplane service for some of the rest of us who seem to have to work all the time. But that is a mere detail, to be worked out by the reunion committee, which incidentally should include one of the men who realizes that occasionally at least he has to work on his golf.

Frank Drake in a recent letter sends several items of interest:

"I was in Paris in November and attended the annual dinner of the Paris Dartmouth Alumni Association. There wereabout a dozen men present, including Mr.Edward Tuck, who is now passing theninetieth milestone. The early part of lastyear Mr. Tuck was quite ill with pneumonia, but he seems to have recoveredremarkably and has now gone to MonteCarlo for the winter. Another man presentwas Bob Davis

"Fitzy" Fitzgerald is still with the Prudential Insurance Company, but has recently moved to Mount Prospect Ave., in Newark. We always wonder if times like these do not give our actuaries much concern. They have to do their figuring away ahead of most people, and any sort of statistics are apt to take a turn for the worse in such times.

"Louis" Dow manages to keep Brattle Square, Cambridge, on the map, and still looks as fit as ever.

For a busy man in these times, any school man will certainly qualify, and John Gilman is no exception. Laconia, N. H., may well be proud of its superintendent of schools. Two of John's children are in college, John a senior at the University of New Hampshire, and Barbara a sophomore at Russell Sage College. Somehow John finds time to help out on all the community problems, and then he has taught for three summer sessions at the University of New Hampshire, though this last he says somewhat interferes with family pleasures and duties.

Ernest Watson, I mean Prof. E. B. Watson, must have made a great hit with the boys at Tabor Academy on his visit to see his son. He read from Henry IV and Henry V, and apparently made them see Falstaff as real as life. Ernest junior is an active individual in the academy. By the way, how many of you have read Watty's book? I'll guess the number, and add that probably most of you think that a professor does nothing but meet one or two classes a week and play golf the rest of the time. If so, probably all the professors would say that they think the business men in the class arrive in their offices about 10:30, feed the goldfish till 11:00, then dictate letters to be carefully edited by expert stenographers until 11:30, at which time important luncheon engagements demand attention until it is almost too late for golf.

But this won't do, I shall be accused of stirring up factional strife, and it doesn't matter at all what a fellow does, but more should one ask as old Judge Holmes, Dartmouth '71, did of me years ago when I met him on the street one time- back home, "What are you doing?" and almost before I_ could answer, "Any good at it?" Many times have I thought about that query, and I find it very much to the point.

I believe Charlie Dudley has the prize on family college attendance, though not on number of family. Dud has only five children, while Charlie Kircher has six. However, when I think of my own concerns with two children in college, as some of the rest of you do, I take off my hat to to the Dudleys as I note: Herman, Dartmouth 1933; Robert, University of Wisconsin 1935; and Constance, Smith 1935. In the foreground is Charles, Dartmouth 1929, and in the background Bernard, Hanover High School 1934. I am a little confused on the background and foreground business, and it may be that the words should be interchanged. Anyway that's a fine record, and if some of you bachelors don't think so, the rest of us are sorry for you.

Bob Goodell is enjoying life, likes his work, and likes his play. Golf, hunting, and outdoors generally seem to keep him young. However, he is inclined to boast a little, yet he should, since it is of his family that he speaks. One son a senior at Dartmouth and the other at Wesleyan next year ought to be worth bragging about.

Yet the frankest, most outspoken bit of braggadocio comes from Laconia, N. H., from the pen of one Clarence Dana Mooney. C. D. tells us he is with Scott and Williams as assistant to the purchasing agent, and that he still keeps the organ busy, furthermore, that one of his boys, after graduating from Dartmouth in '28 and from the Thayer School in '29, has a fine job in Puerto Rico. Well, that's all right, but when he comes to speak of Malcolm Tyler Mooney, the young son of his younger boy, he just says that this chap is the smartest of the family. I take that to be grandfatherly boasting. The worst of this business is that I like it, and so dothe rest of you, but isn't it too bad?

I don't know just how to operate on someof this crowd to get a rise from them, perhaps I'll have to write up fiction talesconcerning them just to see if they will letme have better information. Since, however, you all get the MAGAZINE, you willunderstand that when the situation getsdesperate I may be led to draw on imagination. The last address list has had somecorrections, but perhaps there are somemore changes needed. Then too I am expecting that you will all remember thatwe want to hear from the summer vacations that are already in prospect. Withall this to count on there ought to be newsfor everybody.

The International Shoe Company in Manchester, N. H., keeps Frank French busy all the time. Frank, however, had a few moments to send us a line. We are glad he is still on the job.

A long distance from most of us is Hurley, New Mexico. I don't know just where it is myself, but evidently mail is delivered there, and to prove it I had a letter from Fullington. Fully is in the purchasing office of the Nevada Consolidated Copper Company. He says he is well and happy (what more can one ask?). A further comment indicates a certain disapproval of the idea that every one connected with the copper industry is today a millionaire. Well, Fully, we really won't accuse you of predatory wealth. And I imagine that for the rest of us the only time we help out the copper industry is when we cash our pay checks at any banks that happen to be still going.

I must save something for next time, but as I look back over the letters I realize how much alike we all are. We don't want to say much about ourselves, and yet how glad we are to note even the smallest things about the others. And we always feel better to learn that good health and fine families are considered of more importance than a corner on the market.

Secretary, 130 Woodridge Place, Leonia, N. J.