Class of 1934
We begin the year with thanks to Brer Scherman for his ardent and admirable pinch-hitting in the last issue, even if I do resent the gag about the box of matches. But the one thing that worries me about Bill's "stooging," as he so lovingly puts it, is that with one fell swoop of the typewriter and a disdainful nod of the head he has taken away from your Secretary the several reams of material that might have lasted far into the new year. Yet perhaps it's all for the best, for it gives me conscience and heart to appeal for mail. The appeal is sounded. Let the letters pour through the gates.
Again the MGM lion roars from Hollywood, and Fred Rinaldo enthusiastically reports himself writing hard, observing like a Trojan, and intending to stick around movieland for a good long while.
Two separate rumors say that there is a class baby or two separate class babies, as you will. Must these things come by way of legend? Someone, father or friend, please confirm.
Stan Abercrombie is living a life of ups and downs, as he terms it, and there is something to what he says. One night he beat out a couple of xylophone solos in 20 minutes and made 20 bucks .... the next morning he beat a rug for a neighbor on the sweatshop salary of 50 cents an hour .... and so it goes. All of which in turn goes to prove that even the great artists have their moments of apple selling, and enjoy them. Stan's letterhead, incidentally, reads: "On Board T. E. L. Morro Castle," which almost had your correspondent reaching for the phone to order a gross of Bruno Hauptmann stationery. Between xylophone renditions of Chopin, Abercrombie bemoans the fact that Gilbert, Ford, at al failed to stick together for an alumni Barbary Coast and better the tone of music in Boston's best joints.
Early in the fall we had it from a caustic observer that Bob Engelman spent the first two months after graduation demonstrating the virtues of a model bathroom to the avid onlookers at the World's Fair, and "managing to keep his pants on while hedemonstrated." Fearing that Bob might read between the lines of that bewildering statement, I held off until I heard from the demonstrator himself. It turns out that it was only the bathroom's steel panel walls that he was interested in. Bob finally decided, however, that the country had enough plumbers, and cast his lot with the mail order house of Spiegel, May, Stern Co., where he has lived happily ever since, in the ladies scanties and panties division.
Len Harrison, Peck advertising man, reached his present berth only after some months at Columbia School of Journalism and on a Yonkers newspaper. Those months were divided between pounding out fake stories for the profs and covering such vital events as Negro Democratic meetings; but right now Len is using his English language in radio continuity on why smartly dressed men should visit certain clothing stores and get tremendous values.
Hank Rosen is back in the home town, having deserted New York for the lesser confines of Gloucester, where he functions as a cadet teacher in the local high school and tutors 50 of the mentally lax. He hopes to get over to France and Spain and learn a little language to help him get a teaching certificate.
Nick Nanos reports resignedly from behind the torts and contracts of Cambridge that "the Hanoverian URGE TO TIE ONEON is successfully suppressed by the rigorsof study." .... that Hulsart is still braving the storm with his "perennial sillygrin," and that the life of a business school student, such as Baldwin and Gilmore and Hartman, is one long string of pleasures, what with a thousand dates at their finger tips.
Steve Briggs complains that he is getting little opportunity to use his French major in engineering work. But apparently the Briggs family has hit on something of a brainchild, in the way of inventing a device which, according to the son and heir, will enable gasoline engines to burn ordinary fuel oil. "Surprisingly enough," says Steve, "the damn thing works, and is nearlyperfected. Our patents are already appliedfor." The Outboard Motors Corporation does the shop work and supplies the Briggs family Edison with an office.
Arnie Golding and Dick Herman are struggling away at Columbia Law, trying cases together in Moot Court before the Knickerbocker profs. Arn reports Morrie Levine out in Linden, N. J., training for the teaching profession.
Van Thorne captures the award for getting this column out of the old tidings and into the new. Van's letter, dated October 24, is the last of the tremendous batch of mail that had your Secretary in the sob satchel over how he was going to wade through it in time for the fifth reunion. Well, the least I can do is report that back in those pre-Yale days of October, Van was busy reflecting on his summer in Russia, where he studied at the American Institute of the First Moscow University, "andrushed around with the Russians." But the Soviet left its mark, and Van gave up ideas of entering the New York financial world, turning to hopes of a career in journalism, where, for the present, we shall leav him until the next book in this series for red-blooded Americans.
A note from Hudson, Mass., informs us that one Herb Heston, now married to Miss Molly Jacoby, is working in the Hudson woolen mill .... a wolf in sheep's clothing, no doubt. Gordy Watts, says Herb, has spent some time serving as quarterback of his high school alumni team, but outside of that accomplishment is living quietly in Kingston Randy Klinefelter has a job in insurance in Lebanon, Pa Walt Bryant is with the Mass. Aggies .... and Dick Hardt is connected with Philco Radios in Philadelphia.
Rus Smart writes to amplify what was said about him earlier in the season. Out at the U. of Minnesota he boasts the "sonorous title of research assistant in the Institute of Child Welfare. That means I do oddjobs, such as statistical work and markingpapers, while working for my Master's inchild psychology I took the jobsight unseen and expected to have tochange diapers and blow noses, but ithasn't come to that yet." Minnesota also contains Bob StaufEer, taking graduate work in zoology, and Harry Stearns at the Law School.
The Baraboo banker, Bill French, says he's enjoying the life a lot, but we're will ing to bet a tab shirt that he's dying to get back to that trombone. Quote: "If any fellows ever get out to Baraboo, I will be veryglad to see them. The bank is very easy tolocate." How about Baraboo, Bill?
Harold Green claims he's "doing nothingbut taking a few courses at N. Y. Ureports Marty Braun doing the same thing for an M.A. and Morel Mersel, ex'34. finishing up his bachelor's work there for a degree this winter.
From Chicago, Buz Hartman casts a few pearls. Buz himself boasts the official title of "assistant to the assistant merchandisemanager" of Leath and Cos., a Middle-West furniture outfit. Bob Wildman is with the American Can .... lucky Bob, we saySays Hartman: "Was in Green Bay, Wison one of my frequent rips and spent anevening with Moe R. Ayer, alias the terribleTorinus. He is connected with the GreenBay Press Gazette, and interviews such people as President Roosevelt, the Green Baypackers, and Phil Eckels Carl Hessis working out in Harvey, Ill., for theBrassco Company and doing right well.We were both going to Northwesternnight school, but now only Carl is going.a It is my hope that we eventually willhave all our class around Chicago togetherat least once a week, and we're off to a goodstart."
The only '34 alumnus in Pittsburgh is Mike Joseph, who is regularly pumped by the older grads on what Baker Library looks like, when they're going to burn Chandler, and how are the new coaches. After graduation Mike spent some time in New York, contract-bidding for a hospital supply house and learning a bit of practical politics—then he confesses he got homesick and moved quarters down to the Smoky City to be copywriter for the basement section of Pittsburgh's largest department store. Kaufman's is the nar re, and from lingerie to babies' booties is the range of his versatile advertising pen.
Steve Woodbury, budding professor, is sowing his pedantic seeds in the high school in Fitchburg, Mass. He admits, however, in a rather puzzled way, that in order to get located he had to forget all the things he knew and remember all the people he knew, and now he's having a tough time trying to reverse the situation for the benefit of the starry-eyed pupils.
Quotes from Bob Douglass in his "inimitable Dutch handwriting:" "The Chrysler Building, where I work with the ShawWalker Company, is quite a rendezvous forDartmouth men at lunch hour I'veseen, among others, Brague, Morton,Monsky (Maynard, please), Bayles, Silverman, and Colonel Jacob Ruppert, whoisn't a classmate of ours I hardlygave him a tumble. Witt McConnochie alsois working at Shaw-Walker with me, and inview of this, I would suggest that you buysome Shaw-Walker stock in the near future,because we shall soon be full-fledged salesmen."
Dick Gould is an International Business Machine in Brooklyn. His apprenticeship was a period of making machinery, but he's now selling it, and boosts the Corporation to anyone in Tuck who is interested in that sort of thing.
"Gossip seems to be the order of the day," says Swede Lindstrom, "and I hate to seethe Chicago delegation mentioned so scathingly. As far as is known all are happily employed and making this part of the country even more Dartmouth-conscious. Towit: .... Jack Fogarty -working for BillHearst, learning the advertising gamethrough the merchandising department ofa big yellow scandal sheet GeorgeCogswell working (really) at Reuben H.Donnelley and Co., compiling the neivtelephone books. Incidentally the lad iscontinuing his dramatic endeavors with theWinnetka Players Jocko Stangleselling insurance for Aetna and paying alittle basketball with Laurie Hermon at al..... Swede Lindstrom employed at theFirst National Bank of Chicago in thestatistical department of the trust division,analyzing different stocks and bonds held invarious trust portfolios, making recommendations, and having the senior commiltee tell me I'm all wrong. One of thevice-presidents advised against it, so I'm atNorthwestern Commerce taking some moreaccounting and a course in investments.Co-ed classes have their advantages."
Jack Risberg, who has changed his habitat from the elite society of the Dartmouth Club to the "bourgeois environs" of Newark, is now a struggling young hopeful with the Sherwin-'vVilliams Co., having taken leave of the General Chemical Co. of New York on October 1. Jack claims that Bill Wyne too has changed his occupation. Bill is out of the red stores of W. T. Grant and on to the road for Hoover Vaccuum Cleaners Bob Gallagher and wife reside in that quaint little town of Elizabeth, N. J and Art Willis is pounding the books at Columbia Business School for that eccy M.A.
Nothing else except .... Bob Rodman among the many really .hitting the books at Harvard Law Tom Beers doing the same at Northwestern Law School Duryea Smith, ex'34, now a graduate of Princeton and working with LibbeyOwens-Ford in Charleston Bumped into Emmy Day at a party in Bronxville, and, jostled by Christmas eve revelers on all sides, managed to get seven words in edgewise before the affair was over.
Don't forget, you New Yorkers, that the next 1934 dinner will be at the Dartmouth Club on Wednesday, February 6 Anybody that wants a passenger up to Carnival, call up Jack O'Brien, Mt. Vernon, and hear him howl with delight Dick Gould is after the same thing See you at Outdoor Night.
Secretary, 193 Brookdale Ave., New Rochelle, N. Y.
