Class of 1934
This month, news appears to be at low tide. However, in a few days your columnist plans to spend a week's vacation in the old stamping ground, so perhaps next time there will be some first-hand observations on the new Hanover, as well as some personal items that can be picked up only by a return to the College on the hill.
Because of the annual alumni dinner, which is to be held at New York's Commodore on Tuesday, March 9, the March class dinner, which would normally fall on Wednesday the 3d, will be omitted. The big dinner holds out possibilities for a lot of fun, as guests of other years will affirm, and many of the brethren of '34 have sig- nified their intention to be present.
A newcomer at last month's class get- together at the Club was Bob Mann, who was a member of the class until junior year, as I recall. Bob is now writing ad copy for Pedlar & Ryan, N. Y. agency, was married January 4 to Miss Gertrude Ashwell of South Orange.
Somebody mentioned also that Ace Brown is in Portland, writing radio script for Bobby Grayson, to whom he unfailingly refers as "my friend Bobby."
The men who have their names on the doors at Phoenix Mutual are pretty proud of Dick Emerson's sales record. Dick is apparently making quite a name for himself in the Boston office, and is well up among the top young salesmen.
Every once in a while I catch myself going Rotarian. Guess I'll have to watch that.
Received: an engagement announcement, from Sylvia Valborg Toennesen and William Stevenson Emerson.
Bill Cumings' letter is postmarked Biwabik, Minn., which he says is the home of one of the mines belonging to Pickands, Mather & Co. He has ended up in that spot after catching his degree in mining engineering at Lehigh and working with pick and shovel for the New Jersey Zinc Cos. at Franklin, N. J. Bill now calls him- self a junior engineer. He confirms the oftrumored engagement of Bob Wilmot, which took place on New Year's Eve in the little town of Bethlehem, and also in- volved Miss Coniston Elise Roberts.
Ray Vickland, says Cumings, is with McKesson & Robbins in Minneapolis. .....Herb Hawkes is on his way to Montana to do some geophysical work tan Smoyer is in his third and last year at Michigan Law.
Jack Feth, who as you know is assistant managing the D. O. C., has kindly passed on a few letters written to various people by Harry Espenscheid. Espy left this country in the fall of '35 after a year of Harvard Business and a summer of map-selling Connecticut. He spent the fall and Winter in Europe, then headed into the East. First letterhead reads "Kahler-Espen- scheid Trans-Asiatic Expedition," and the letter under it was written in Darjeeling:
"In Cairo I met a really well-known traveler, Kahler, a German from Chile. We joined forces, started for India in a decrepit seven-year-old Oakland. We hit Palestine during the riots, but by dressing up as Arabs plus a police escort we managed to get through Afghanistan was plenty tough. We were shot at, and the deserts about finished us. Anyhow they finished our chariot, which we sold for five pounds in Kandahar.
"West Tibet and Kashmir proved fascinating. We trekked for five weeks in the land of the Red and Yellow Lamas, the land of the yak, and of the most fantastic people imaginable. Met some people on expeditions, some of the Handi Devi crowd and members of the unsuccessful French attempt. I'm leaving today, solo, for Mandalay."
Later "Malaria put me in the Mandalay 'God House' for four days and in the one at Rangoon for eight .... be- lieve me, here is where diseases abound like flies .... anything you want."
Later still, from Bangkok "I have crossed all southern Asia by land. It was the last thing I expected to do. Very few, only a small handful, have made a southern crossing. Deserts and jungles there are in plenty. It's absolutely impossible to go all the way by auto. West Tibet was the highlight of the trip to date. A five weeks' trek by horse in the high Himalayas, never below 8,000 feet. Sunrise on Everest can never be forgotten. I'm afraid Mt. Washington will look like a mole-hill now. I've seen dozens of peaks over 20,000.
"From Assam to Burma I trekked seven days on foot with two coolies over the Naga Hills. Nagas still practice the ancient art of head-hunting. As this letter proves, they did not get a whack at my neck. They eat rotten meat, snakes, toads. And many of them run about stark naked From Burma to Siam I also had to trek over high hills. Was I some pumpkin with a military escort for four days! Two armed soldiers, a coolie, myself—some caravan! The dacoits didn't bother us.
"Bangkok with its temples, its life on the innumerable waterways, its palaces, is a fascinating sight. In a few days I will go to Ankor in Indo-China, to see the great ruined palaces and temples in the jungle. My plans are Singapore, Java, Bali, Borneo, China, Japan, Hawaii. A few months either way won't make much difference now. I might as well go the whole hog. Expect to get back in May or June, perhaps lecture a year, write a book "
It strikes me that congratulations should be extended to our own Marco Polo for his success in this unusual project.
Al Hewitt, at one time rehearsing in the cast of "The Wingless Victory," was recently reported playing with Hepburn in "Jane Eyre," in Chicago. However, a press review of Anderson's latest, "The Masque of Kings," listed one Alan Hewitt in the cast. This latest is probably the correct answer, but we have a difficult time keeping up with Trouper Hewitt these days.
A letter from John Torinus contains a good amount of news about the class of '32, but Scribe Owsley could sue me for thunder-stealing if I printed it, so I'm passing it on to him. However, J. B. does mention that Phil Eckels, at Christmas time, was very interested in the price of diamonds, which reminds me that, through devious routes, news has leaked through that Phil has announced his engagement to Miss Mary Pritchard, who was a frequent visitor to Hanover from Northampton, and, if memory serves me accurately, a Smith graduate in the class of 1934.
From Bridgeport writes Bill Haist, who deplores the lack of classmates in Bridge- port, the lack of snow anywhere, the too- full life of a G. E. accountant, his inability to get to New York for anything like a class dinner. Beneath it all, nevertheless, runs an undertone of cheerfulness.
Please write. All contributions gratefully received. There are no rejection slips in this league. Remember what the old lady said: every little bit helps.
Secretary, 126 Beaufort PL, New Rochelle, N. Y
