Thayer School News
As this letter goes to press the second semester is in full swing, and the school enters the longest uninterrupted stretch of work in the entire year, the dog days between Carnival and spring vacation. It might be proper to record here that the scholastic work of the first semester, recently ended, was of the highest calibre experienced here for many years. There were only two "conditions" noted, and a majority of the students finished the semester's work with unusually high standing.
One of the high spots of the past month was the opening of contributions to the Robert Fletcher Fund by Mrs. W. E. Angier of Wheaton, Ill., who forwarded a substantial gift in memory of her husband of the class of '87. Mrs. Angier's keen interest in the affairs of the school, as expressed by her message, is another gratifying manifestation of the Thayer School spirit.
The annual meeting of the Thayer Society, held at the Dartmouth Club in New York Friday evening, January as, broke all recent records for attendance and enthusiasm. Officers for the coming year were elected as follows: Executive Committee: J. S. Macdonald '14, P. L. Thompson '09, F. H. Munkelt '09, A. V. Ruggles '03, W. J. Montgomery '20. Among the sixty members attending the meeting were many familiar faces as well as many who have not been regular supporters of the occasion and whose continued interest is earnestly hoped for. The following members were present:
Frank W. Garran, Charles F. Conn '87, George P. Bard '89, Otis E. Hovey '89, William N. Hazen '90, George J. Mclndoe '96, George H. Nolan '00, Thomas T. Whittier '00, Philip H. Winchester '00, Frank E. Cudworth '02, Francis B. Marsh '03, J. Endicott Porter '03, Arthur V. Ruggles '03, Arthur C. Tozzer '03, Walter A. Conley '06, Charles F. Goodrich '06, Harrie L. Muchemore '06, Samuel C. Bartlett '08, Samuel F. Garvin '08, Frederick H. Munkelt '09, Frederick E. Schilling '09, Philip L. Thompson 'O9, Harry A. Ward '10, Joseph R. Kinney 'll, Maurice Readey 'll, Fletcher Rogers '11, Nelson L. Doe '13, Edmund I. Mitchell '13, John S. Macdonald '14, Allen P. Richmond Jr. '15, Edgar H. Elkins '15, Frederic A. Davidson '15, William M. Birtwell '18, Robert D. Scott '18, Rudolph N. Miller '20, John W. Guppy '24, Dalton M. Brown '25, Evan B. Lyon '35, J. Ophir Martin '26, Charles F. Jost '27, William P. Kimball '29, Evan A. Wilder '29, E. Shaw Cole '31, George E. Franson '31, George G. Kisevalter Jr. '31, Burton T. Sherwood '31, George E. Simpson '31, Charles A. Babbitt '32, Walter S. Douglas '34, Byron O. McCoy '34, James A. Petrie Jr. '34, William D. Lamson '36, Gordon S. Spencer '36, F. Byron Tomlinson '36, John B. Arborio Jr. '38, Morgan R. Butler Jr. '38, Jonathan W. Coggeshall '38, David M. Mann '38.
The formal activities of the evening were opened by President Macdonald, who introduced Dean Garran as the first speaker. Dean Garran spoke enthusiastically and interestingly on the present status of affairs at the school, with particular emphasis on the major part which has been played by the alumni and the college in making possible the improvements which have been added. He also spoke of the increasing interest in and emphasis on the social phases of engineering, pointing out the adaptability of the Thayer School curriculum to meet such changing requirements, and the long-standing policy of the school in recognition of these particular considerations. After Dean Garran's talk your correspondent was called on to out- line the work being done at the present time in the rapidly expanding field of soil mechanics and to indicate the position which the Thayer School has taken in this field and the approach which is being offered to our students in the curriculum. This closed the formal program, but informal gatherings and reunions continued far into the night.
Among the calamitous events of the days immediately following Carnival was the collapse of two spans of the old West Lebanon bridge. While the sub-contractor was wrecking the center span with a derreck placed on the Vermont span this span gave way plunging the derrick and both trusses into the river below. One man lost his life and another was injured.
Bill Gibson of last year's first-year class spent the Carnival week-end in Bissell Hall. He is enjoying a course in marine transportation at M. I. T. this year, and reports his satisfaction with credits received there for the work he took at Thayer School.
Four of the first-year students traveled to New York last month, where they attended the annual meeting of the Student Chapters of the Am. Soc. C. E., the technical sessions on Thursday, and the Thayer Society meeting Friday of that week. Through the courtesy of Moran, Proctor, and Freeman, consulting engineers, and the Transit Mix Corporation, an inspection trip of current construction work was arranged for the students.
