Western Pow Special
Alumni of Dartmouth and Stanford Will Use Special Train Facilities Late This Month
THE FIRST POW WOW ever held west of Chicago will be national in every sense of the word. In fact, no previous gathering of the Dartmouth tribe has drawn braves from so many sections of the country as will be the case when the alumni gather in San Francisco with their wives and friends.
National Pow Wows do not come along very often, and neither do California football games participated in by the young warriors from Hanover. It is little wonder that the Hanover crowd out on the West Coast is waiting with open arms to give a justly famed California welcome to their team and to their brethren from east of the Rockies. For months they have been holding council meetings to prepare a greeting that will be unrivalled even in that land of traditional hospitality.
An idea of the planning and care that has gone into their preparations for the reception of their distant brethren may be gleaned from the numerous committees in whose hands has been the task of making this occasion a challenge to all others that may follow. Heading the Pow Wow Committee as general chairman is Guy P. Wallick '21, and under him are 31 members of six various committees, in addition to a general committee of no less than 50.
But not only is the Dartmouth crowd in California fondly anticipating our visit; it seems that the whole state caught the spirit of the occasion as is indicated by the following messages from California's leading citizens:
The Governor of California, Frank F. Merriam, has written in part: "I am happy to have this opportunity tojoin with the alumni of both DartmouthCollege and Stanford University who areliving in California to extend a most cordial invitation to Dartmouth people, wherever they may reside, to attend the PowWow in San Francisco held in connectionwith the Dartmouth-Stanford FootballGame at Palo Alto, Nov. 26th...."
The Honorable Angele J. Rossi, Mayor of San Francisco, writes: "It is my pleasure.... to invite theAlumni of both Dartmouth and Stanfordto witness the Dartmouth-Stanford football game and to attend the Pow Wow.....The citizens of San Francisco willenjoy entertaining your alumni with hospitable spirit I renew my wish thatyou come to San Francisco and enjoy herunsurpassed hospitality "
Walt Disney, famed creator of animated characters, writes: ...extremely glad Dartmouth will becoming to California this season....would like the opportunity of welcomingall of you...."
President Ray Lyman Wilbur, of Stanford University, wrote: "May I join with the rest of us here atStanford University in inviting the menof Dartmouth.... to come to the Dartmouth-Stanford football game.... on theStanford campus. We remember theunique and enthusiastic hospitality extended to Stanford men at the time of thelast game in the East.... We hope....this game will bring us many Dartmouthvisitors.... "
Walter Wanger, famed movie producer and Dartmouth grad: "....I share great pride that Dartmouthis coming to California.... I'll be inthe stands cheering.... I want to extend my greetings to all the alumni...."
Other letters of welcome, too numerous to mention, including the presidents of various West Coast Alumni Associations have come to us, not to forget others from Hollywood including one from Eddie Cantor, all emphasizing the fact that California has left the latch strings out and as far as Dartmouth is concerned, the mat at its doorstep says "Welcome."
Bringing the Dartmouth legions to San Francisco will be the Dartmouth-Stanford Special, as unique in itself as a California Pow Wow, for never before has a special train spanned the continent for the purpose of carrying the supporters of an Eastern college football team to the West Coast; and never before, for any purpose, has such a luxuriously appointed special train been brought into service for a transcontinental trek.
When it is considered that five auxiliary cars will be coupled on to the giant engine of the Dartmouth-Stanford Special before the first passenger car is added an idea may be had as to the attractiveness of this Coast-to-Coast-in-Luxury Special. Two beautifully decorated diners, a baggage car, a modern combined club, solarium and observation car, and the only dance and recreation car in operation on American railroads make up added accommodations for the comfort and pleasure of passengers. The dance and recreation car alluded to is not a remodelled coach or Pullman; it is one made specifically for recreational and dancing purposes and is one of the most beautifully designed cars in the world. Add to all this the fact that the sleeping cars to be used on the Special are of the latest type in construction and appointments, and one can readily understand why this trip across the country will be the nearest possible approach to a Luxury Cruise on Land.
At Chicago, where there will be a stop of a couple of hours, a going-away party will be held in the Chicago & Northwestern Station, that will add considerably to the festiveness of the occasion. All along the route, wherever a stop is made, Dartmouth friends will be waiting to join the Special, or to take advantage of the few minutes available in which to exchange greetings. And so it will go until the Golden Gate is reached on Friday, Nov. 25, at 8:00 A.M.
Once in San Francisco, goodfellowship and pleasure continue along a somewhat different line, as outlined in the complete program published on another page in this issue.
After departure late Saturday night, the Special's party will awake Sunday to find themselves speeding along California's beautiful Pacific coastline until Los Angeles is reached sometime after noon. Directly the party will be transferred to the Biltmore, one of Los Angeles' finest hotels. After sufficient time for relaxation, a cocktail party will be held, at which occasion motion picture celebrities will be present. In conjunction with the Southern California Alumni Association the rest of the evening will be given over to a buffet supper at the University Club with the team as guests, followed by an informal gathering at the famous Biltmore Bowl for dancing. An invitation from the Columbia Broadcasting Co. for all the Special's party to attend a national hookup, at which particular notice will be taken of their presence, has also been received.
Monday will be occasion for sight-seeing trips, studio visitations in Hollywood, a fashion show for the ladies, golf and other recreational pastimes for those desiring them. That night the Special leaves Los Angeles for the Grand Canyon arriving at the world famous South Rim in time for lunch at the El Tovar Hotel situated on the Canyon's rim. After luncheon, a comprehensive motor sight-seeing tour of the Canyon will be in order, providing the opportunity of leisurely contemplating one of nature's greatest spectacles. Back at the El Tovar that evening, dinner will be served, after which the Special pulls out for the east. The route of the Special all the next day follows a trail of endless grandeur through ranges of mountain splendor. Thursday morning Kansas City is reached and at about 8:00 P.M. that same evening the Special arrives at Chicago, from whence, an hour and a half later, it starts on the last lap of the tour.
Two interesting features of the Special from the point of view of the sponsors have been the wide geographical distribution of interest in the train and the fact that, in most cases, married couples compose the list of reservations. In some cases particular groups are joining together in one car, the class of 1917 having started the vogue, with the result that it is expected that that group will, with their wives, have sufficient numbers to fill one car. Interest in the Special has been evinced from such distant points as Montana, Colorado, Georgia, Virginia, Maryland, Oklahoma, Texas and Tennessee, but the preponderance naturally is from Atlantic Seaboard, the middle west and states along the route of the Special.
In organizing the Dartmouth-Stanford Special, the sponsors have called upon the past experience of a number of railroads in order to assure for their passengers the greatest possible comfort, pleasure and satisfaction. They have gone over every detail no matter how insignificant it might seem. Further, they have kept ever in mind that it is essentially a Dartmouth function and as such a responsibility far out of the ordinary is involved.
The sponsors in order to charter in advance the finest possible equipment wish to urge those who plan to take advantage of this eleven-day Dartmouth party to make their reservations immediately. In the Chicago area, Bill Abbott '27 will accommodate in this respect; in the Metropolitan area, the Dartmouth Club of New York City will be at your service; elsewhere, contact the Dartmouth-Stanford Special, Room 214, Old South Building, Boston, Mass.
