Gradus Ad Parnassum

DURING THE PAST month the lives of two men whose official connections with the College have been intimate and of long duration have ended. From his appearance on Hanover Plain as a freshman in 1900 until his death March 31 Dean William R. Gray had been a resident of Hanover and an officer of the College. Albert O. Brown '7B, who died March 28, served for 20 years as a life trustee, a position of honor and of exacting responsibility also held by Dean Gray.

As a term of affection and respect Mr. Brown was always known as "Governor." He served one term as the State's chief executive. He became Governor Brown and the title suited him so well that it stuck. This has happened in other cases but not often does one find influence continuing, for years after active political connections cease, to the degree that was true of his prestige. He was not only a Rock of Gibraltar in the State, he was the one source of strength and wisdom to which men went for counsel and help in the great variety of affairs with which he, and he alone, was so familiar.

For Governor Brown was a versatile authority—he achieved distinction in several different fields of endeavor. Starting life as a lawyer he was always regarded as being in the very front rank in his profession. His influence in financial affairs became increasingly great through the years of his long life until he became not only the dean of bankers in the State but the very highest authority on financial matters. Reference has already been made to his very unusual influence in public affairs, both as the highest officer of the State government and as a private citizen. His name goes down in Dartmouth history along with those contemporaries of his in affairs of the College, General Frank S. Streeter '74, Dr. John M. Gile '87, and Benjamin A. Kimball '54. There have been others who have served New Hampshire with great distinction and who have finished a life-long association with Dartmouth College summa cum laude. But there are four men whose names and memories are especially cherished by recent generations of alumni and New Hampshire folksStreeter, Gile, Kimball, and A. O. Brown. Inscribed on the walls of the College, standing on historic ground, should be tributes to the lives and ideals and services of these men.

AND THE TIME will come, his friends will hope and believe, when it may be possible for Dartmouth men to visit a shrine, placed somewhere within the walls of his college, in memory of Bill Gray. It need not be an elaborate memorial. No great new building need be named for him. But carved from the granite of New Hampshire, or etched in bronze, we need to preserve his features for all time. And we need, too, an account for all to see, of what his life meant to the College and to the famous school of business administration founded by Mr. Tuck, and of whic Mr. Gray was the Dean.

Those who knew him well would go to such a place and stand in quiet admiration of a life-time of distinguished academic service; to meditate there on the warmth of his friendship and wish that more men might carry with them his sweet nature and spirit; they would recall his years of illness, his last months of great anguish, all borne without a murmur of complaint at his lot in life—to be deprived of health and fated to an early death; they would receive new inspiration to live a richer life themselves from being in touch with the memory of one who was so fine a friend and wise a counselor.

It is said that the feeling of alumni for the College makes of this devotion a sort of religion. Let us then take full advantage of the opportunities we have to set up appropriate memorials to those men whose lives are closely associated with the forward progress of the College. These men deserve fame and we need to be kept in touch with them. Bill Gray was such a man.

THE COVER this month shows the Tuck School pines, photographed by Safier Studio, Hanover. This beautiful stand of pine trees is directly west of Stell Hall, the memorial dining hall built by Mr. Tuck in memory of his wife, Julia Stell Tuck. It is a little known spot in Hanover but one that visitors admire because of the beauty of the great trees. There is also a vista across the Connecticut River to the Norwich hills that opens up on Hitchcock field adjoining the Tuck School.

THE HANDSOME 32nd Annual Report of the Alumni Fund has been distributed and there followed close upon its publication the beginning of the 1937 campaign. When these notes appear those zealous guardians of the Fund's success, the class agents, will be devoting evenings, holidays, and odd moments to their important jobs. "They get their men." For evidence glance through the pages of solidly set type, carrying the names of 7,543 Dartmouth men who made contributions last year. This total represents 71% of the graduates of the College, an increase of 11% over the previous year's record number of contributors. The gain in total amount of gifts last year was also 11 % over the year before. The total money raised last year was $94,654.78.

In behalf of his Alumni Council Committee which is charged with planning and operating the Alumni Fund entirely as an alumni project, John W. Hubbell '21, chairman of last year's campaign, stated in his report:

"The Alumni Fund Committee has attempted. to conduct the annual campaignwith two objectives in mind,—the broadestpossible participation of Dartmouth menand the collection of the largest possibleamount of money without resorting tounwarranted high pressure methods. TheCommittee has attempted to maintain thefine philosophy of previous Fund campaigns in which each Dartmouth man isurged to make a voluntary contributioncollectively with other Dartmouth mento the College as an expression of his affection for the College arid his desire'tohave the College go ahead."

In concluding his report Mr. Hubbell emphasized the reliance of his committee on the class agents. He said: "The Committee takes a bow in their direction." The agents themselves and some thousands of alumni would like to take a bow in his direction. Two years as chairman of what is doubtless the most exacting responsibility in Dartmouth alumni relationships merits Jack Hubbell to some superlatives himself.

UNDER THE direction of its new chairman, Sigurd S. Larmon '14, and with the continuing and tremendously valuable assistance of its executive secretary, Albert I. Dickerson '30, the Alumni Fund Committee opens the 1937 campaign with the theme: "Let's give the College a raise." An objective of $110,000 is the goal of all who are now concentrating upon the few weeks of effort until the Fund campaign closes on June 30. Shares in the total objective will be assumed by each of the classes.

Supposing that all who can possibly do so were to increase their gifts this year the amount of the average gift would be higher, and, granting that the very impressive number of contributors of last year is equalled this year, or exceeded, the total objective would easily be achieved. Mr. Larmon has said that "the future of Dartmouth is dependent, in a major way, upon the Alumni Fund." Without the resources of large endowment available to them the greatest assurance that the President and Board of Trustees have is the financial support of the Alumni Fund. Is this the year to advance substantially the gift of the alumni? If so-"LET'S GIVE THE COLLEGE A RAISE!"

ON A RECENT trip to Chicago a pleasant highlight was renewing an old friendship with George Hamilton at the Palmer House. One reason that more Dartmouth men do not know that the famous Spike Hamilton of the 'aos at Dartmouth is a leading maestro is the insistence of his publicity men that he should be called "George." Ever since he established the Barbary Coast Orchestra in Hanover in 1923 Spike has been following the Music Fates. A few years ago he had apparently reached the top but misfortunes overtook him (as they did a good many others) and he has been working day and night ever since to get back at the top of the heap.

Spike recalls that his first professional job was at the Chatham Bars on Cape Cod. To get that contract he polished a glassysuffaced blue serge suit with a strip of sandpaper and put over the deal. From there he and his orchestra worked their way from Boston to the west coast and finally back to the Edgewater Beach Hotel in Chicago. Other engagements were played at popular night clubs and hotels in Detroit and New York and stands for a week or so in other cities.

Right now George Hamilton is "themusical sensation of the generation," with his all-star revue in the Empire Room at the Palmer House. He is also broadcasting over WGN and other stations. Says he looks forward to more national hookups for sponsors with substantial means and his many Dartmouth friends will wish him lots of luck. So far as we are concerned, Spike has got everything it takes—personality, a fine musician, years of experience, and a willingness to work seven days and seven nights a week. The life of a popular band leader looks glamorous. Spike says: "Don't try it to find, out." His quitting time is 3:00 A.M. While he is working all night his crowd of admiring dancers is—well, gay.

Spike was born and brought up in Newport, Vermont. He loves northern New England and his fond hope is to get back with the class of '23 for the reunion a year from June. Not long ago a C & G bulletin listed his name with the single word after it—"lost." Spike says he deserved the crack for he has moved so rapidly around the country his mail has hardly caught up with him. He wants his friends to know that he can always be reached through the Music Corporation of America, 430 North Michigan Avenue, Chicago.

DURING THE weekend of April 2-3 alumni in Atlanta and neighboring cities and states celebrated the annual observance of a "Dartmouth-in-Dixie" meeting. The event was in fact a Pow-Wow, for alumni representing many sections of the South were present. One record was established by the presence in Atlanta of all three members of the Alumni Council from the Southern District—Messrs. Kendall '99 of Washington, Milham 'O6 of Williamsburg, and Gottschaldt '18 of Atlanta.

The Dartmouth Club of Chattanooga, hitherto an informal organization, was officially formed during the Atlanta weekend. Definite plans are underway to establish a regular alumni association in Jacksonville. When this is effected there will be ten alumni clubs in the South, the others, in addition to Chattanooga and Jacksonville, now being: Washington, D. C., St. Petersburg, Georgia, Baltimore, Oklahoma, Nashville, Texas, and Virginia.

There are this year something over 100 undergraduates in Hanover from southern states. It is the keen desire of the alumni in this vast section of the country to increase the student representation from their states. Under the direction of the three members of the Alumni Council named above, plans are being made to give wider distribution in the South to information about the College. One definite move which grew out of the Atlanta meeting is the publication of a bulletin to be issued at regular intervals and mailed to all those who are concerned with the "Dartmouth-in-Dixie" movement.

There are 979 alumni now residing in the South. The gathering at Atlanta was representative of this large group of Dartmouth men and served notice that more can be expected in the future along the line of promoting Dartmouth interests in southern states.

THE CLASS of '87 began celebration of its approaching 50th reunion at an early date when, during the week of March 15, ten members of the class met at Mount Dora, Florida, as guests of Fred W. Wentworth 'B7 at his Lakeside Inn. The class talked over old times and made plans for the proper observance of its Golden Anniversary in Hanover, June 11-14.

WITH THE valued help of Ruel Colby '27, long-time friend and neighbor of Robert (Red) Rolfe '31, a story of the sparkling career of this Yankee baseball star is given in this issue of the MAGAZINE. Red has made a lot of friends for the New York team in the American League. It is safe to say that the chief interest of many Dartmouth men in the sporting pages of papers during the summer is to locate the Yankees' box score and find out "what Red Rolfe did yesterday." During the past two seasons this interest has grown more widespread and satisfying because Red has been hitting the ball hard and often and his fielding accomplishments have been equally impressive.

Going back to the home town in Penacook last fall after a World's Series in which he led the batters of both teams, Red became much in demand as a speaker throughout New Hampshire. Up to the first of the year he had spent most of his time talking at church suppers, boy scout meetings, and gatherings at every four comers in the State. This type of barnstorming indicates pretty well the kind of man Red is. No group of kids would be too unimportant for him to give up time and energy to talk to about baseball and show his movies of how the big fellers do it.

—THE EDITOR.

SPIKE HAMILTON '23 Better known in the music world as"George Hamilton and His Music BoxMusic." His orchestra and floor show arefeatured nightly at the Palmer House inChicago. Spike Hamilton established theBarbary Coast Orchestra in 1923.