Class of 1887
Bill Wentworth was very successful in assembling the Florida contingent March 15 and 16, and thanks are due to the Wentworths and Johnsons, now in their second winter at Mt. Dora, for making our first Florida meeting a very pleasant occasion.
Lakeside Inn, of which Bill is part owner, is most attractively situated in a private park on a slope overlooking Lake Dora, with a spacious bathing pool, supplied with artificially heated water, and flanked on the sides by the two annexes of the main hotel building. The town of Mt. Dora is centrally located in the hilly lake region, easily reached from the east and west coasts.
Junkins, who made the trip over the road from Hanover, was the first arrival, with Mrs. Junkins and his secretary, Mrs. Forman, and the chauffeur. Monday came Sanborn from the east coast and Gage, White, Corwin, Rice, and Rice's brother, George Rice, arrived from the west coast. Knight journeyed up from Ft. Myers bringing a supply of bait to test the truth of the reputed excellent fishing in Lake Dora. Corwin brought a supply of leaflets. Before dinner the men assembled by invitation in Knight's room where he told us of the good fishing he had recently enjoyed off Ft. Myers. With men sitting around on the bed, chairs, stools, it recalled some of those chance meetings in some dormitory room in the middle eighties. After dinner the group chatted and Knight and Johnson kept us amused by an exchange of badinage.
Tuesday forenoon was spent in sightseeing about town, a call at the golf club in Eustis, next town—Sanborn wished to linger—and to attractive points along the lake shores. Some of us called on the Rooster Johnsons.
Meanwhile at intervals telegrams came filtering through from Howland, recounting his tribulations in getting out of 'the cold and frozen north,' Vermont, frozen in (Or out?) since last November.
N. Y., MAR. 15, 1937
BILL WENTWORTH LAKESIDE INN, MT. DORA, FLORIDA EXPECT TO ARRIVE SANFORD TWO O'CLOCK ON THE SIXTEENTH.
FRED A. HOWLAND.
BALTIMORE, MD.
ON MY WAY STOP BARRING SIT DOWN STRIKE WILL COME THROUGH.
FRED A. HOWLAND.
WASHINGTON, D. C.
DELAYED BY HEAVY SNOW STORM JUST SIGHTED TWO ICEBERGS STILL HOPEFUL.
FRED A. HOWLAND.
RICHMOND, VA.
TRAIN DELAYED BY SNOW AVALANCHE SUB- SISTING ON BLUBBER AND FROZEN FISH STILL HOPEFUL.
FRED A. HOWLAND.
JACKSONVILLE, FLA.
GLACIER BLOCKED TRAIN TRANSFERRED TO DOG SLED TUNDRA ROUGH TWO TOES FROZEN OFF PLEASE CACHE AT SANFORD ONE TON FROZEN FISH FOR HUSKIES AND FIFTY POUNDS PEMMICAN FOR ESKIMOS PROVIDE RESTORATIVES STILL HOPEFUL.
FRED A. HOWLAND.
Fred arrived Tuesday afternoon in time for the boat ride. The world will never know how much weight he lost on the trip, but on arrival he was down to 261 lbs.!
The motor-boat ride on the lakes was the high point of the day, especially the passage from Lake Dora to Lake Eustis through a tortuous canal lined on both sides with a thick growth of cypress, some of them old-timers, and all heavily festooned with the somber gray moss. Mrs. Forman took snapshots as mementoes of the trip, and Rooster produced his harmonica and evoked the old style WahHoo-Wah.
Before lunch that day and also before dinner the group was briefly entertained by the Wentworths' in their apartment. The class dinner was served at eight o'clock: present, Mr. and Mrs. Wentworth, Mr. and Mrs. Johnson, Mr. and Mrs. Junkins, Mrs. Forman; also Corwin, Gage, Knight, Howland, Sanborn, White, Rice, and George Rice. After dinner the group lingered for a chat and reminiscence. Johnson related the incident out of which came his name of Rooster, fastened on him by Junkins.
Wednesday the party broke up to meet in Hanover in June. Some lingered perhaps after the Secretary left. Junkins and party remained for a week, Bill wrote, also that Carl Henry had the time of his life. White and Carl on the way home visited the oldest living thing in Florida, the giant cypress tree, old when Christ was born.
While in Boston the Secretary made a call on A. H. Ross, and found him and Mrs. Ross at their home in West Lynn, Mass. Ross hopes to make the reunion. Also called on Willey in Portsmouth, N. H. He has been confined to the house with illness all winter, but is improving.
CLASS OF '87 IN FLORIDA
Secretary, West Southport, Maine THE FLORIDA ROUND-UP—A FORETASTE
