State of Washington
FOLLOWING IS a resume of the activities of the Dartmouth Association of the State of Washington for the year 1939. There always are, of course, sundry small gatherings of two or three on Seattle street corners and at such watering places as the home of Sam Barnes '07. The same kind of thing goes on in Tacoma at the home of Chauncey Baxter '10.
During the year two large gatherings stand out, the first being the annual summer pow-wow held on Sunday, July 16th. at the summer place of Art Thompson '27, located on Lake Steilacoom outside Tacoma. The place is ideal for such a gathering, with facilities for swimming and other healthful pursuits as well as others less healthful, but more popular. Chief event of the day was a ball game featured by fast work in the outfield by Captain Francis H. Hard 'O4; umpiring in the spirit of N. L. R. B. by Dr. W. C. Woodward '99, and a fine performance along the base lines by John S. Mauk '24. The Thompson place also contains a precipitous small pitch-and-putt golf course, which gave Woodward '99 and James C. Davis '09 an opportunity to emulate the mountain goat 'Who leaps from precipice to precipice and back to the cliffs again." They were helped over the more difficult terrain by A1 Boncutter '32, who is something of a Sarazen in his own right.
At one time or another during the day your correspondent spotted Harry Higman '06, Bill Gardiner '06, who was accompanied not only by his wife and sister, but also by his Mother, who is a very enthusiastic participant in all things relating to Dartmouth, E. Pat Kelley '09, John Beranek '20, Colin Holman '39 and Bill Holman '40, Chauncey Baxter '10, John Robison '25, Fred Haley '35 and Norman Henshaw '36. The excellent and abundant cuisine was provided by host Thompson ably assisted by Fred Shaneman '24 and Walt Baumann '25. Nearly all of those present were accompanied by their wives and quite a number brought with them one or more small fry; the latter took turns in riding the Thompson pony, which was chaperoned during the large part of the day by your correspondent. The whole affair was a swell party.
During the fall we managed to get groups of fifteen or twenty together to hear the Princeton, Yale and Cornell games. The Cornell gathering was at the home of Fritz Miller whose son, Whitney Miller '40, was captain of the Dartmouth team. One lone Cornell man joined the crowd of twenty Hanoverians. Considering the circumstances, he was well treated.
Highlight of the year was the visit here on November 30th of Bob Strong '24, Dean of Freshmen and Director of Admissions. We had a fine turn-out for the dinner at the Rainier Club. Somehow or other, the great distance between Hanover and Seattle seems to be a help in keeping alive interest in Dartmouth. Bob gave a splendid account of the system of admissions and of his problems in connection therewith and made a fine impression. There were present alumni not only from Seattle and Tacoma, but we even had with us Clarence W. Tourtellotte '06, who hails from Victoria, British Columbia; and Nate Carver '23 drove down from Bellingham one hundred miles over narrow, twisting mountain roads in a heavy rain. Oldest alumnus present was Billy Redenbaugh '93, amateur fisherman and educator. Cheers were led by Bill Lingley '36. Others spotted were Tallmadge Hamilton '96, Woodward '99, George Marchand '05, Gardiner '06, Higman '06, Odlin 'll, Kelley '09, Davis '09, W. P. McGlynn 'll, Blaney '16, Allen '20, Beranek '20, Ridlon '21, Jensen '22, Mauk '24, Stevens '24, Jones '24, George Matchett '24 and Earl Matchell '25, Sim Cantril '29, Dick Sankey '31, George Nickum '31, Boncutter '32, J. R. Titcomb '23 and nearly the entire Tacoma contingent, including Baxter '10, Shaneman '24, Baumann '25, Robison '25, Thompson '27, Tart '33, Haley '35 and Henshaw '36. We also had with us Werren Smith of Lake Stevens, Washington, who has a son in the freshman class and, again, Fritz Miller, Whit Miller's father. Some of these adopted Hanoverians, by the way, are more enthusiastic than some actual alumni.
The bull session with Dean Strong, which followed the dinner, could have kept on indefinitely and probably still would be going full blast if the Dean had not been forced to make a train. As it was, he just made it. Every one counted the evening the best since the last time Hoppy was here. As always, we wish it were possible to see men from the College more frequently.
