1934*
This month guns will boom all over the world. Statesmen will make frantic midnight trips between capitals. Demagogues will roar forth their ponderous platitudes. Children will die in the streets. And on the Hanover plain all hell will break loose.
In case you don't get any further word from the maestri directly in charge of reunion proceedings, all you have to remember is to be in the general vicinity of Dartmouth College on Friday afternoon, June 16, cock your good ear toward the wind, and head just as fast as your feet will carry you toward the most noise. If it happens to be the '29 or '24 party, just whip around and ask the person nearest you, whose name of course will be Hallisey, how to get to New Hampshire Hall.
For in that fine old abode, in addition to the roll call of celebrities announced in the last issue of this affair, you will run into the following strange people, who have recently signed on the dotted line: Walt Blood, Curt Howard, Harry Wallace, Walt randall, Herb Heston, Howard Rosenblum, Babe Shea, Dick Campen, Horace Miller, Dave Murphy, H. B. Brown, Stu Barber, Dick Houck, Ted Thompson, Mel Gunst, Ollie Sargent, Bob Gallegher, Jack O'Brien, Bill Sheffield, Roald Morton, Bill Callihan, Mike Mencliell, Art Leonard, Jack Foley, Pret Belknap, Dick Banfield, Oscar Cohn, Mike Joseph, Ike Powers, Sieg Stern, Nelson Krogslund, Bob Newman, Al Baldwin, Dick Hardt, Willy Laveen, Ed Thomas.
And there will be Bob Engelman, George Copp, Clarence Davies, Bill Ramsey, Dave Eddy, Orv Dryfoos, Jack Gilbert, Hank Pierce, Bill Judd, Sid Wisch, Herm Spitzer, Walt Keady, Ed Brown, Len Harrison, Ed Hilton, Leon Lindheim, Joe Schuldenfrei.
This powerful aggregation of brains, brawn and charm, joined arithmetically to the boys named in last month's dispatch, totals 95. Since the time of this writing is early May, I believe we can say without question that the final count will nearly approach the 200 mark and maybe surpass it.
Well .... I think that so much has been said about '34's Big Fifth Reunion that we'll close our end of the conversation with the prediction that it will be the greatest two days and the finest fun we've had for five years. Bring your wife.
With extreme regret I pass to a sad subject to report the death of Coley Falk in an automobile accident about the end of April. About a week before his death I ran into Coley on Fifth Avenue for the first time since graduation, and he reported good health and good business progress, adding that he expected to make Reunion. We are sorry to see this good fellow taken from us.
The following announcement is transcribed. It comes from the May 1 issue of The Blue List of Current Municipal Offerings. "Roald A. Morton today succeeds Richard S. Griffiths as operating head of The Blue List. Mr. Morton, who has been identified with the publication since its beginning, and has heretofore been Assistant Secretary and Assistant Treasurer, has been elected Vice President of the Company." Another of our once budding executives is now ripe.
New business department this month announces the arrival of a daughter, named Louise Edwards Anderson, to the Cleveland Heights John Andersons. Young Miss Anderson, who took her first solo flight on April 9, is slated by Andy to enter Smith, her mother's alma mater, circa 196s
Also in the province of this department, I suspect, is an announcement from Mr. & Mrs. Charles Cotsworth of newly acquired property in the person of an 8-pound male body-type, named John Manley whose overall length is 24 inches and whose manufacturers are doing well.
Long distance department leads off with a Teton Valley post card from Espenscheid, which card we trust bodes no ill to his intentions to get to Hanover and be on hand for those tales of head hunters in northern India. Only message was "This view is from our ranch. Twelve skiers are here now. Thousands of elk are nearby." Don't forget, Harry, thousands of elk don't pay the rent. We'd keep a firm hold on those twelve skiers if we were you, and forget the elk. For a time anyway.
On the rolls of Pan American Airways is an assistant meteorologist, stationed at Miami and living in that city, named Don Bunting. Until last October he had for some time been on the meteorological staff of United Air Lines, at Newark. That rebel sheet called "Dartmouth-in-Dixie Doings" reports that Don likes the job of figuring out an hour or two or a day or two in advance what the weather is going to be, for, says he, "I'm in love with this Godgiven Dixie country."
Jim Dunn, from Ambridge, Pa., says, "You'd be surprised if you could see me now and then follow me around for a day. I'm still with the American Bridge Cos. in Ambridge, but have forsaken the stool and pen for more manly pursuits—l'm foreman of welding on the construction of boats and barges. I'm out in the air all day and average about ten miles or so covering every foot of our boat yard and where does it get me—208 lbs., every day.
"Please tell Bran Brennon I beat him by 24 hours. On Christmas Eve I plighted my troth, settled my hash, or what have you. My fiancee is Antoinette Emily Zeibel, of Ambridge Heights. I had hoped to show her off in June, but we will be up to our ears in a very big barge contract and we don't fool with that kind of work when we can get it. So give Ma Smalley a kiss for me—and have a few here and there for my sake." Poor Jim—up to his ears in a barge contract. I wonder if someone threw a handful of eel grass at him, would he duck?
Emmy Day is letting a little matter like approaching fatherhood keep him from completely losing his head about Reunion. After all we said last fall on the subject! You can't say we didn't give you fellows enough warning. As early as last September we said "Fellers, please don't have any babies next June, which is Reunion month." And if the Barrett Cup winner can't count right, I don't know what the world can possibly hold in store for us guys who were lucky to leave town with a diploma.
Bob Webb just meets the deadline (our personal deadline—not the one the ALUMNI MAGAZINE indulgently allows us to stray from) with some more of that scarce Boston news. He says: "At the local '34 pep meeting held Friday, May sth at the University Club, 13 chairs were filled by the following: Don Allen (head squirt), Ed Davis, Jerry Hall, Bob Rodman, Frank Ward well, Bill Callihan, Ike Newman, Ollie Sargent, George Kimball, Stu Anderson, Dart Reck, Bill Sampson and Jake Edwards. All the lads radiated enthusiasm about Reunion, and I imagine we'll all be there.
"Of the group, Wardwell shows the most outward signs of affluence, with a gain of 25 pounds. Edwards says he intends to try out with the Boston Bees in about five years after he's slowed down a little. Reck speaks of some interesting work he is doing with Bernard De Voto—working on unpublished Mark Twain papers that have recently been unearthed.
"Today's mail brings two newsy mailing pieces. Margaret and Arthur Noble, the old squash and tennis man, announce the arrival of Jean Margaret, born March 23. The other letter says that Emmons Babb Brown and Ellen Scholl of Newton are to be married May 27th. Mr. Brown, as I recall it, is the only man extant to drop a victrola through a telephone booth from the fourth floor of North Mass without knocking the receiver off the hook.
"Nice to see some news about Boston lads in your column. Gets pretty tiresome reading about the pranks of a small group of N'Yorkers. I'm sure a great many feel as I do." Inasmuch as this offering writes finis to your secretary's five-year term, he will refrain from framing a rebuttal to the above. Pity the poor columnist who also gets it from this end,—for the local boys whom he sees daily and twice on Sundays also wonder why they never crack into print.
We have just had a few remarks relayed to us which were passed by interested celebrities of one kind or another. Says Adolf Hitler: "The 1934 Reunion is a step in the right direction—good, healthy, clean-living Americans convening for the welfare of mankind. I hope you all drown in Storr's Pond, you dirty Reds."
Says Mahatma Gandhi: "My friend Espenscheid tell me this college Dartmouth fine place. God, I'm hungry."
John Piane (from behind the cash register): You boys join the Co-op yet?"
Chamberlin (Neville, not Dean): "It is our earnest belief, and that of our colleagues, not yet confirmed by responsible sources, that 1934 is holding its reunion this month. Cheerio. Bring your wife."
Jim Campion: "Put those sharpy suits in the window, Harry. Here comes '34."
David Windsor: "At long last, the Big Fifth."
Hanover Townspeople (chimed in unison at meeting in Nugget): "We are looking forward already to 1940, when that nice quiet Class of '35 comes back."
Emperor Hirohito: "Japan believe not 1934 but! 939 having party this year. Japan hurt. Japan demand apology at once."
Orozco: "What it means? It means you. It means me. It means Slim Connors. Hasta la vista."
Hasta la fiesta. (P.S. This means Reunion.)
Secretary, 126 Beaufort PL, New Rochelle, N. Y.
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