1934*
It is a pleasure to announce, to a great extent unnecessarily to be sure, but nevertheless to make very certain that it gets on the record at this early date, that the class of 1934 will, come June, convene on the Hanover campus in what we have every reason to believe will be recordbreaking numbers for Thirty-Four's BigFifth Reunion. The committee cannot report progress as yet, but your Secretary takes advance pleasure in reporting the appointment, with the ensuing personal acceptance of the nominee and the enthusiastic approval of your executive committee, of J. William Knibbs 111 as reunion chairman.
When I say that more will follow I am joining the department of understatement. If you do not come to reunion it will not be because you have not heard about it. Let that be a warning to you. This column will bombard you with propaganda, insidious as it can be produced. In fact, if these offerings do nothing all year but press-agent the Big Five, and if such onetrack-mindedness results in the overbulging of New Hampshire Hall next June, I shall thumb my nose at all critics and cry it was worth it.
Aside from an indelible jot on your calendar, all we ask now is this: we are most anxious to receive from you all kinds of suggestions, either sensible or crackbrained, by letter, post card, or kiddiegram. I mean that in all sincerity. Rejected manuscripts cannot be returned, but we promise under pain of at least venial sin to weigh all helpful hints and to be extremely grateful for them.
It seems a particularly long time since we last exchanged ideas over this back fence. It was since then that 1933's reunion took place, and an eminently successful one it was, too. Brother Monagan will probably give me the lie in his above column by quoting exact figures, but I understand that there were close on to 200 present. With the help of one Jack Gilchrist '35 I made a valiant attempt to follow the official and unofficial doings of '33, and had such a good time that our own little conclave has got to be good to interest me. But with all due respect to the many great men of '33 (Some of my best friends, as W. C. Fields would say, are '33s), it is generally accepted as gospel that '34. is a stronger group in almost all classifications, and by gad what they can do we can double. That last with a derisive snort, a tugging at the belt and a hitching of sleeves. So charge on with your lance, Athelstane, and show the Norman jockeys a thing or two.
The ALUMNI MAGAZINE is really getting tough about it. Says I can't use as much space as I used to. Nothing personal, you understand. Just more classes, more guys, more alumni bodies to be handled between two covers. So, with terse greetings for the new semester (Java nice summer?) we hereby become curt, clear, and complete, and dig in for another year.
Helen Elizabeth Greer was married on July 16 to Alden Haskell Clark, in Weston, Mass Dorothy Hamblen joined forces on June 20 with John Herbert Poole, in Claremont, Calif. The couple will reside in Palo Alto Louise Frances Brokaw was married to Dr. William Plummer Clough Jr. on the 25th of June, in New York City.
Jamie King, living in Summit, N. J., has recently been elected secretary of the Technical Coatings Cos., New York City El Fulton, in dropping a souvenir post card of the Chicago stockyards, says he's still hoping to spot a Dartmouth man at the U. of Chicago.
Had a short note late last spring from Bob Terhune, who among other things mentioned that civic pride in Peoria is greatly tempered by heat and smoke, that most people who have spent a summer in that famed hamlet have gone away fully convinced that there can be no hell after death. Although Peoria is noted for its whiskey, the locals do not benefit in price, and Terhune beefs that he had to go to Panama last summer to get 30% off on Hiram Walker made right around the corner. In summary, says Bob, the vaudeville cracks about Peoria are not without foundation, but he will be more than glad to show the town to all comers. And if anyone needs a sixteen-ton Diesel tractor, let Terhune outfit you with a Caterpillar. No charges for alterations.
From Don Allen, who, as he expressed it, a shade modestly I suspect, "was lucky enough to squeeze out a magna cum by the narrowest of margins," comes some news of the boys who have been struggling with the law down Cambridge way. "A few of us from '34 (says Don) are just finishing law school belatedly. Bill Ramsey and Perk Bass have been continuing their A.D. custom of rooming together, and both have come through with flying colors. Perk has taken to law school like a duck to water, and has exhibited a full measure of Yankee common sense to get grades in the top tenth—just missed his cum laude when the faculty was so staggered by the number of likely honors men that they killed every other aspirant with blind regularity to preserve the prestige of the old mill. Perk will be with Judge McLane and Johnny Carleton, taking the cream off New Hampshire's law practice next year. Bill had planned to enter his father's law office in Omaha, but late in May got news from home that his father had died after an operation. Bill's mother wrote him to finish, which he did—an exhibition of guts and determination in the face of six tough exams the next week that impressed all of us who knew of his worries.
"Ikie Powers and I had a collision, along with Fritz Hormel and Riv Jordan of '35, when we were four of the five nominees for class marshal a month ago. Ike would have won the run-off if he had not spent his time the last two years quite so conscientiously on the books. As it turned out, the doubtful honor fell to me, chiefly by virtue of having talked more frequently in class and of having been so far off base on almost every occasion in the last three years. Ike, who is abroad for the summer, took the Mass. bars and will be with his father's office in the fall.
"A letter from Sey Dunn yesterday in a high mood told of his appointment to the faculty of Hobart for next year. He will be handling two advanced courses in history, and will fill in the dull hours by teaching three sections of a freshman survey course in citizenship. Hobart seems to be quite a crossroad for Dartmouth talent, headed by Bill Eddy, with Sey and Ben Twis, also with an appointment there, looking forward to resuming four years of Outing Club friendship after garnering Ph.D.'s for themselves.
"A note from Dick Emerson is headed on austere stationery, quietly telling the world that he is an "appointee to the president's field staff" for Phoenix Mutual. Dick has been the arch example around Boston of the man-who-made-good. Despite his suburban opulence, he's still the same old Dick, and takes the same delight in displaying Richard Lane Jr. that he used to take in pointing out the high spots of a new pair of skis.
"Lex Paradis is running one of the most delightful places in the mountains. If ever I have a week I'm going to spend it skiing and enjoying his libraries (books and records) in a comfortable one-time farmhouse. Successful financially, too."
Speaking of Lex, I shall close this opening barrage of the year with a few wellchosen words from the Paradis typewriter:
"Last week Herb Hawkes, Art Wood, and Russ Smart were here for a couple of days, and we had quite a reunion. Herb is at M. I. T., working hard on his geology with a Ph.D. in mind. Russ Smart is teaching again at the Merrill Palmer School in Detroit and all but has his doctorate. Art Wood is teaching socy at Wisconsin and getting his Ph.D. next year. All of which makes me feel my illiteracy quite strongly. Neal Richmond was heard from this June, and has his M.A. from Columbia. Dick Gould is now located in Rochelle Park, N. J., out of International Business Machines and working for some large chemical house, where he is in charge of the accounting machines and efficiency. Ed Hilton hung out his shingle in Chicago to practice law, but pulled it in when he received an attractive offer from one of the large law firms there. Bob Stauffer so far as I know is still at the biological labs in Harvard "
SEE YOU IN JUNE.
Secretary, 126 Beaufort PI., New Rochelle, N. Y,
* 100% subscribers to the ALUMNI MAG AZINE, on class group plan.
