Class of 1878
The fact noted in last month's Necrology column that Gerrish's wife was still living occasioned surprise to some of his friends who had known him so long as a single man. It is explained by the fact that she has been a patient in the hospital at Concord since about the turn of the century. He is said to have repeatedly expressed the hope to outlive her, and his solicitude for her appears in his will, which leaves the bulk of his property in trust for her during her lifetime. It is another of those tragedies that hang like a shadow over a man's inner life, screened from the outer world.
A discrepancy may be observed between the note in this column last month and that in the Necrology column as regards the date of Gerrish's death. The Necrology is correct. A mistaken date was first reported and set down in both columns. It was later corrected in the one column but not in the other.
Gerrish was fortunate during his later years in having a housekeeper who could serve also as secretary, bookkeeper, and nurse, enabling him to keep up his activities to a remarkable degree in spite of his blindness.
Kenaston's death, noted in the Necrology column, brings to light a curious confusion as to the place, day, month, and year of his birth as given in his own statement at graduation, in the General Catalogue, in the big class book prepared under Dean Emerson's direction, and in the obituary notice appearing in the Crawfordsville paper. The disagreement was such that the question was pursued to the family Bible with the result that all four were found incorrect in one particular or another, and that Kenaston's own statement was the only one correct as to birthplace but was itself incorrect as to day and year.
Chadwick's reference, quoted in the Necrology, to Kenaston's New England mannerisms will call to classmates' minds the contrast in speech between the two. They were as far apart as was possible within the range of the college population of that day although both were very fluent. Chadwick's easy flowing, gently modulated, almost intoned utterance sounded like a purr to our Yankee ears. Kenaston was the fifth of the class to go within the year, and of the 117 men connected with the class the 100 th whose date of death is on record. From these dates it appears that the average age at death has been almost precisely 60 years, reckoned to nearest birthday. Seven died between the ages 20 and 29; 4 between 30 and 39; 7 between 40 and 49; 14 between 50 and 59; 22 between 60 and 69; 37 between 70 and 79; 9 between 80 and 88.
Telle Smith reports that his Maine trip proved more exertion than excursion and that on his return he was sent to the hospital for a week to make sure his cold did not eventuate in pneumonia. But he holds out hope of a "reappearance at Hanovernext June if the New Deal doesn't finishme."
Parkhurst's business this past fall, aside from trustee duties, which have been quite numerous, has been attending football games. He has attended all the Dartmouth games, each of which he says took one day to get ready, one to go, and one to get over it. But the Columbia game seems to have taken him more than a day to get over, for he says he won't go again; doesn't like the crowd. He highly approves the coaching crew. Mrs. Parkhurst says she is glad the season is over.
Secretary, 321 Highland Ave., Fitchburg, Mass.
