Class of 1916
Talk about ships passing in the night. I was registering at the Hotel Commodore, New York City, at seven P.M. on the evening of March 9, at the very moment when seven hundred Dartmouth men, including sixteen Balmacaaners, were forgathering at their annual banquet. I read about it in the newspapers the next morning. President Hopkins and Ros Magill were the speakers of the evening. They tell me that Ros made a hit with his talk on taxation, and that his speech was chockful of humor, as well as most clarifying. Well, anybody who can make a talk on taxes sound interesting, clarifying, and humorous, who has the job of revamping the present income tax law into a simple workable system, and yet dig up all the money the Farley boys require, is some wizard. The following Balmacaaners turned out—John Ames, Bob Bartlett, Bob Burlen, Perc Burnham, John Butler, Ray DeVoe, Bones Joy, Ros Magill, Herb Dingwall, Henry Lowe, Milt Streeter, Zach Taylor, Freddie St. George Smith, Prentice Winchell, Larry Doyle, and Pike Larmon.
The next day, I was able to reach on the phone Bones Joy, who has a new song about ready for the critics, and John Ben of the respectable loway Butlers. I tried to reach Viv Fletcher, John Ames, Jack McEndy, Charlie Brundage, Perc Burnham, and Ed. Riley. I wish some people would tend to business and stay in their offices once in a while.
Listen to this recital, you proud fathers of 1916. I had a grand letter from Ray DeVoe, father of five—three boys and two girls, Raymond Jr. 71/2 yrs., Jacquelin 6, Madeline 434, Lawrence 3, and Richard 11/ c, yrs. old. Believe me, Ray needs to be senior partner of DeVoe, Dyke 8c Sperry, New York Stock Exchange house at 25 Broad St., to feed his flock. Ray gave me a story on the so called Dartmouth freshmen,—Concord High football game in the fall of 1915. Some folks' ears are going to get red, when I give the full details about Eliot Ashley "One play" Shaw, freshman "Mecca" Holmes, who would be a big help to the varsity when he was eligible, and Manager Leigh "Russian" Rogers, who arranged the game.
In March, Ed Ozite Kiley came to Boston for a few hours. He allowed me one half hour of his valuable time. I left him to catch my train, and when I got off at Stoneham, my Kay was waiting with the car for me. Wondering why this extra service, I discovered my nice classmate had phoned Kay that he had just poured me on the train, and I hadn't had a taste of snake bite since Lent began. What can you do with a man like Ed? He is almost as bad as Jake Mensel.
Life begins at forty. (Edward VIII.) Among those passing the recent Massachusetts bar examinations was Herbert Lord, 41 Pearl St., Lawrence, Mass. Herb entered Boston University Law School in 1933, and graduated with the class of 1936, coincident with our twentieth reunion. Our hearty congratulations to you, Herb, for your courage and fight, and may success crown your efforts.
Funny things happen to people in the spring. This is quoted from a letter just received: "Our tulip tree is already bursting its buds, the crocuses are pushing theirlovely heads up toward the sun, the pinkdogwood is ready to blossom, the orioles aretwittering in the branches, the willowsaloyig the creeks are turning green, the sapis beginning to flow, the ducks are flyingnorth, the nesting season is here again, andI'll lay odds one J. Pat doesn't even knowwhen the trout season opens. I supposenothing can be done with a fellow whodoesn't know the difference between asong sparrow and a guinea hen." What would you call it, spring fever, Hanover nostalgia, or romance, especially since it comes from one J. Hyde Mensel, the Bristol, Pa., hibernator. "Strange things aredone, by April's sun."
Maybe this same sun will bring us news of John Boyle McAuliffe, Uncle Sam's Worcester internal revenue agent. Last month at City Hall Square, Worcester, we held a 1916 reunion, with only Jimmy Colton missing. Bashful Paul Coward, afraid to tell me he was president of the Art Crafts Magazine, Pee Wee Marble, just recovered from a serious case of pneumonia, handsome John Boyle, and I held up traffic for an hour. Pee Wee is now general agent for the Massachusetts Accident Company at 53 Brattle St., Worcester.
Bailey Emery has come and gone. The Tulsa Oil Tycoon, less fifty pounds, breezed in and out of Boston last month, no longer a hard-bitted conservative Yankee, but a wild eyed, breezy Oklahomian.
Another author in our midst. Donald G. Ferguson, director of research of the American Institute for Economic Research, Cambridge, Mass., has collaborated with a research associate and issued a splendid study on "Inflation Timing." Don is getting ready for the explosive stage, brought out in his book, and has bought himself a farm in Sanbornville, N. H.
Phil Nordell has deserted New York and with Mrs. Phil has repaired to Barney's Joy, DARTMOUTH, Mass. The farm is so remote that Phil has to travel thirteen miles to the nearest grocery store. Phil chucked the flour business in which he was engaged since graduation, and is now doing research work in American history.
Ben Moxon, after years with the N. H. Public Utilities Commission, has moved to Manchester (Hotel Orrington, therefore still a bachelor), to join the engineering staff of the Public Service Company of N. H. Ben summers at Pocassett, Buzzards Bay, where this year he will flaunt his nice, new shiny car.
Carl John Eskeline and Lucille with their two children, Donald and Judy, are now settled at Tientsin, China, c/o SoconyVacuum Oil Company. Eskie and Lucille, occasionally week-end at Peking, just two hours away by train, when they don't fly.
Once more the class and I are deeply in debt to Fletch "Nugget" Andrews. This month Fletch has dug out news for me from Jack Cremer, Bill Brett, Chet Drury, and Freddy Frederiksen.
Jack Cremer has been with the American Red Cross since 1919. For several years, he was in the Red Cross Disaster Relief Service, participated in the Mississippi Valley flood of 1927, was assistant director of flood relief in western Pennsylvania last March. At present he is executive director of Red Cross work in Cleveland and Cuyahoga County, Ohio. Jack married Dorothy FTall Peckwell of New Haven, Conn., in 1917, and with their three children, Jane 18, just graduated from Cleveland Heights High, Margaret 15, and John 13, one hundred and ninety-five pounds of potential football material, they make their home at 1582 Compton Rd., Cleveland Heights, O.
Bill Brett writes Fletch that he has managed to ride out the depression and is now ready to make his pile as secretary of the Enamel Products Company, Eddy Road, Cleveland. Make a lot of it, Bill. We need a few more plutes in the class.
Fletch reports that Chet Drury is with the Security Bag Company, Lockland, Ohio, and gets to New York now and then. Why not look up some of the boys next trip, Chet?
But Fletch dug out a letter from Freddie Frederiksen, the reading of which makes those of us who live prosaic lives just plumb jealous. Freddie begins in 1921, because since he started teaching he finds most of the students were born after the war. It seems that Bill Banton, the supersalesman with the aid of a black cigar, induced Freddy to join the Russian department of the Y. M. C. A. After spending three months learning Russian, he went to Honolulu for a year's training in Y. M. C. A. administration, working in the Oriental branch with Chinese, Japanese, and Korean leaders. For three years, Freddie lived in the Ukraine, Moscow, and Leningrad, during the famine. Freddy found something to laugh at, for he tells the story of a cook who had solved the problem of cooking porridge for one thousand students by putting an old bath tub over a brick stove, a la Vermont maple sugar kettle. When asked if the tub was clean the cook replied "Oh, yes. I knewthe family that used it." From 1925 to 1932, Freddie was in Estonia, Latvia, and Greece, getting new Y branches to function. Returning to the United States in 1932, Freddie with work at Cornell and Columbia earned a Ph.D. in history, and is now assistant professor of history at Miami University, Oxford, Ohio, where he found four other Dartmouth men on the faculty. Miss Jane Schwanfeldt, whose mother was English, father German, born in Russia, educated in Holland, a citizen of Latvia, became Mrs. Freddie at Riga, Latvia. Figure out what that makes Gladys 6 and Norman 4, both born in Vienna. Now if I were a Leigh Rogers, Ben Ames Williams, or Gene Markey, I'd have a basis for a swell book. As I write this resume of your doings, I just tingle. Thanks for the news, Freddie.
Now I can get back at Fletch, for a member of my intelligence corps has given me the hot dope on the staid respected professor of law at Western Reserve.
It seems that Fletch is an entertainer de luxe. At the Nisi Prius a la Washington Gridiron dinner, Fletch became Senator Roy Bulkley. The cartoonist in the Cleveland Plain Dealer did a beautiful job dressing Fletch up in a toga. Fletch's reputation as an after dinner speaker, toastmaster, and actor has gone far, and when it comes to civic responsibilities and raising a mere $3,000,000 in a community campaign, Fletch does it. As my reporter writes: "Fletch is one of the really big men inCleveland, and we of the Dartmouth Clubare very protid of him. With all the manythings he is doing so capably, he is thesame swell guy we knew in Hanover and healways will be." Now what do you think of our class "Nugget."
By the way, Headmaster Carl Holmes of the Hawken School of Cleveland not only runs a summer camp, but is now planning a Northwest and a Southwest land cruise. Sounds good to me, Carl. Some of the Dartmouth plutes in the Mid-West ought to send their sons along, so as to get the Dartmouth influence in early. Pike Larmon has deserted Boston, and now hangs his hat at 342 Madison Ave., N. Y. C., and 210-04 28th Ave., Bayside, L. I.
I can't tell you how happy I am at receiving a letter from Daniel Webster Coakley. The Globe Royal Group gave up their Surety Department in the Los Angeles office, and instead of waiting around, Dan has gone into the insurance brokerage business for himself. I wish I were out there, Dan, we would dig up some prospects for you. Dan's new business address is m West 7th St., and his residence 2208 West 8th St., Los Angeles, Calif.
Almost time for Boston Balmacaaners to get together: Bob Steinert, Frank Bobst, Gran Fuller, how about a golfing party?
Balmacaaners and all Dartmouth men should listen in evenings at 7:15 P.M. Columbia Network, to the Atlantic Refining Program—"Ma & Pa." Ma is our Peg Burlen, if you please, and the program is directed by Bob. The program carries the atmosphere of old Cape Cod, and if you like the program as much as I do, send them a card.
Secretary, 37 Maple St., Stoneham, Mass.
