1923
No story of our "Famous Fifteenth" can be properly opened without paying a tribute to the one man most instrumental in making it the great event it was. Sacrificing practically every minute of the three months preceding June 20 to organizing and carrying through the elaborate plans, and in addition spending countless hours on class affairs over the past five years, 1923 will ever be indebted to Johnnie Allen for leading us so successfully between the 10th and 15th milestones of our alumni life.
Not only has Johnnie proved himself a master organizer, but the reunion report he recently submitted rates him a financial tycoon as well. How so much could be provided on so small a tax and still come out 14.02 in the black is completely beyond any of us who were there.
Included in the expenses is a reserve set up to cover the cost of the class movies mentioned in the News Letter. To date Johnnie has heard from only two men, which is very disappointing as there were at least twenty cameras in operation. We want to complete these films in time to show at class get-togethers this fall, so please, any of you who have any shots of any of our reunions get in touch with him right away.
Mark your calendar now for these class football parties—in New York the night before the Princeton game and in Boston the night before the Harvard game—both dinner meetings. Details will be announced to each group later and out-of-towners should notify Johnnie Allen, 136 Liberty St., N. Y., and Sherm Clough, 30 Webster St., Brookline, Mass.
The Cornell game in Ithaca always draws a good crowd from Cleveland and New York state. A '23 get-together would seem to be in order, and Heinie Bourne and Horace Taylor are now arranging a mutually convenient meeting place.
And now the promised description of the Circus Parade and Side Show. In the order of their appearance on the Hanover mall that never-to-be-forgotten afternoon of June 18, 1938 The Drum Corps received A for effort and conscientious pounding but flunked on noise-making (how could they help it if they were equipped with only dime store drums).... the ringmaster.... the barker.... the performers' wagon.... the charioteers, B. Hur Height and Ben H. Knight. .. .the 100-piece band, the pieces kazoos, the kazooers the '23 crowd, the piece "The Man on the Flying Trapeze" most artistically rendered .... Gibson-girl Eddie Roe wheeling (picture to the contrary) her husband the Midget in his stream-lined baby carriage . . . .Mayor Carbaugh stylishly coached in an 1890 high-backed Victoria.... the calliope .... the talking donkey, Herb Home doing the talking from the front end and Pinky Bixby supporting t'other.
A short stop for the chariot race, which, amid boisterous cries of "We was robbed" from both camps, the judges declared a dead heat.
Then from the big tent the barker, clad in lavender plaided cutaway, brocaded vest, orchid ascot, and brown derby, introduces "the gigantic, stupendous, mammoth, and colossal side-show of Dingling Bros., Buncombe 8c Bailey. The greatest show on earth."
Samson Sandow Strongfort, the strong man. "Has the strongest breath, I mean muscles, of any living human. See him bite the horseshoe and bend the crowbar. He can raise anything but his salary." After mastering small weight marked 12,000 lbs. he drops huge weight marked 11/2 oz. on his toe.
Teensy Weensy Slimbilt the midget. "Smallest man alive. Despite his size he has the will power of a giant and rules his lovely wife with an iron hand." Whereupon his wife bursts on the scene and carries him from the stage under one arm to "help me with the dishes."
The Simnese Twins, Kate and Duplicate (Height and Knight) "The only original Siamese twins, folks, and to prove it I will feed Kate a cherry, one minute please, and you will see Duplicate spit out the seed."
Shurshot the Hindu and his TargetHolder (Duffy and Deering) "The world's most brilliant marksman. Can, at 900 paces, split a minute into 60 seconds and leave 10 cents change in potato chips. Backward shots, caroms, and delayed shots are mere child's play for Shurshot." Target holder holds soda cracker which breaks into bits at the crack of the revolver.
Oberdagotsamungo, the Übangi native (Cy Aschenbach). "This curious freak of nature is one of a tribe who live on a shadeless desert, which makes them pretty mad. So they pout. For generations they have pouted so much they have gradually grown lips that protrude so far as to provide the necessary shade. So now they sit around in groups each one huddled under the shade of another's lips." The lips—a redpainted chair seat.
Bristle Bess, the Hula Hula girl. "No show is complete without a Hula dancer. Watch her, she positively moves every muscle in her body. Bess was the sensation of the World's Fair—in 1893."
Tommy the Tunnel-Throated, the sword-swallower. "This remarkable man lives on crushed glass and can swallow anything but Dartmouth Tower. Has just arrived from a performance in Etna and refuses to go on with the act until he is allowed to eat. Excuse us one minute while Tommy eats." Tommy promptly chokes on a fish-bone.
—CURTAIN—
Reunion votes of thanks—to Horace Taylor for organizing, costuming, rehearsing, barking, and describing (the above account is his) the side-shows—to Roy Blanchard '27 for the Twirley Q's and the African Dodger in addition to a fine bunch of pictures (I have the films and will send them to anyone who would like to have some prints made up)—to Mrs. Ted Caswell for a grand job as chairman of the Wives' Committee—to Johnny Foster and Clarence Goss, through whose offices the uniforms were so advantageously obtained—to Win Weser and Dick Kershaw for their interest and expert workmanship in printing the programs and notices—to Chick Burke for locating the calliope—to the many others who contributed to making it such an outstanding success.
The programs were commemorated to the thirty-four of our classmates who have passed on., Jim Landauer sent a copy to the nearest relative of each and has received many appreciative and touching acknowledgements.
Through some error the names of Rog Wilkinson and Mort Stern were omitted from the list of those attending. And Johnnie Allen carelessly left off his own and his wife's name when making up the list.
Without the aid of a globe and slide rule, the long distance honors would seem to go to the Nate Carvers from Bellingham, Wash. Runner-up honors to Tex and Mrs. Scaling from Fort Worth, Eddie and Mrs. Lynch from Minneapolis, and George Morrell from Ottumwa, lowa. Foreign representatives, the Roy Browns of Cuba and Monk and Mrs. Keith from Costa Rica.
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