Class of 1900
A cheerful and optimistic letter has come from Ray Firth, who, despite his total blindness, has an outlook upon life that many of us might envy. He keeps in touch with the outside world by radio, looks forward from year to year "to getting the old football games on the air," and likewise anticipates our annual June reunion. Incidentally, at this time the Secretary does not know where and when this event will be held this year, but President Rankin has it in hand and by the time this MAGAZINE appears, all the members of the class will know. Let us make it the biggest and best ever held.
William Forbes Morgan, president of the Distilled Spirits Institute, died recently in Columbus, Ohio. He was married not long ago to Dorothy Jackson, daughter of Robert Jackson, whom he succeeded in 1935 as secretary of the Democratic National Committee.
Ben Prescott has returned from his adventures in the tropics. During his stay there numerous postal cards came in Ben's somewhat individualistic handwriting to the Secretary, and they were welcome. The traveler has made no reference to the scurrilous comment in the Alumni Notes about his skill as a photographer, and the Secretary has an uneasy feeling that Ben has something up his sleeve to be produced for the confusion of his slanderer. Ben has formed plans for his usual attendance at the spring baseball games in Hanover.
Gilbert Balkam has another interesting article in the Rand-McNally Banker'sMonthly entitled "We Build Confidence When We Talk the Customer's Language," based on the thesis that a banker's duty is to make his contacts with the customer as agreeable and serviceable to the latter as may well be. In particular, Gil pleads for more detailed and understandable bank statements of condition, and for more definite analyses of accounts.
Harry Marshall sends in his usual quarterly letter from Toungoo, Burma (a form letter which he distributes among his friends), discussing, among other things, the recent separation of Burma from the government of India, and the establishment of a new Burmese parliament.
The Secretary has recently been on a speaking expedition among the alumni associations, playing one-night stands in Philadelphia, Washington, Harrisburg, and Pittsburgh. It was a very enjoyable trip as far as the Secretary was concerned, although viewing the same Dartmouth movies four times in succession had its elements of monotony. In Philadelphia he was shocked at finding himself almost the oldest alumnus in attendance, but the stress was somewhat relieved when three Ninety-nine men, Sewall, Bonney, and H. A. Miller, tottered in on their crutches and canes and were assigned to seats of honor. Harry Richardson, the only 1900 man in that vicinity, is in poor health, and little could be learned about him. In Washington Bob Jackson and Paul Redington were in evidence: Bob in excellent fettle, and Paul, somewhat pulled down by his recent illness, but nevertheless with a healthy tan from a sojourn in the South. The latter is now engaged in literary work in the Bureau of Forestry. In Pittsburgh, industry is in a boiling condition, and a telephone message to Ted Cate's house at eleven in the evening brought the information that Ted was still in the office, so he must be an active participant in the boiling process.
Secretary, 11 No. Park St., Hanover, N. H.
