1917*
A meeting of the 1917 Executive Committee was held March 16th, at the New York Dartmouth Club, with Spique MacIntyre and Curley Carr arriving from Boston and Charlie Wolff coming from Elizabethton, Tenn., to join Sumner Emerson, Don Brooks and your scribe. Fred Husk, Jim Rubel and Mose Hutchins were unable to make the trip. The results of five hours of discussion (yes, quite a reunion!) are too detailed for these limited columns and will be included in a letter to the class at the end of our fiscal year.
But a few important conclusions should be recorded now. Two years ago, as described in class notes, we extended Class and College news to a much larger group of classmates believing you men would be more interested if regularly informed. We could not afford to do this out of regular class dues-income, so a number of men contributed limited amounts voluntarily, both in 1938 and 1939. As a result of a wider interest which has been shown in every way, and an increase of nearly fifty percent in men paying dues, your Executive Committee voted unanimously to express appreciation for all the interest shown and special support rendered, and further voted unanimously to accept no contributions (beyond regular $5.00 dues) during the balance of our period in office.
Remember, at our "Tremendous Twentieth," the class recorded its sentiment in favor of making a gift to Dartmouth at our 25th Reunion? In order to study the feasibility of such a gift, the form it should take, the objective and practises of other 25th reunion classes, etc., your Secretary appointed a Twenty-Fifth Reunion Gift Committee in February as follows:—Sumner B. Emerson, A. B. Gile, H. Carr, E. W. McGowan, H. W. Mason, M. S. Hutch- ins, K. W. Koeniger, R. D. Scott, K. L. Thielscher, H. W. Walters and E. D. Towler (ex-officio). Summy Emerson has already given this matter considerable study and brought up the discussion at the Executive Committee meeting. We were all anxious to determine a specific objective that would be within 1917's capacity, without injuring our performance on the Alumni Fund and Class dues between now and the reunion, and we felt that contributions to the reunion gift should be received on a highly voluntary basis devoid of any "high-pressure salesmanship." The gift committee will announce its plan next summer. If you have any suggestions, send them to Sumner B. Emerson at 2 Wall Street, New York City, or to any other member of this committee. Otherwise, let's forget it until the Alumni Fund drive is over—regular business comes first.
Barney Gerrish wrote in late February he had been devoting such spare time as he could grab to skiing trips with his wife and three children, all of them addicts. After two days at Meredith, N. H„ they spent February 24th and 25th at Hanover, saw hockey and basketball games. Gerry's oldest boy, 15, became so enthusiastic about Dartmouth, they stopped on the way home and entered him at Kimball Union Academy, not far away. Barney says he saw a number of Seventeeners at the recent dinner in honor of Bill Cunningham, and had a reunion with a lot of athletes of his time, from other colleges. A year or so ago he became sole owner of Palmer & Palmer Co., importers and manufacturers of mahogany and veneers at Charlestown, Mass., in which he has been interested for some years. With management and practically all the selling to take care of, and an occasional siege of labor troubles, Barney says he has been working like a beaver. His home is at Wellesley Hills and he says the Wellesley Dartmouth Club, with 100 members, has some good gatherings and is sending some fine boys to Hanover.
Dick Morenus has joined Kelly, Nason and Winston, Advertising Agency, R. C. A. Building, 30 Rockefeller Plaza, New York, as an account executive handling the Grace Line. This set-up removes the exacting radio broadcasting duties which consumed his evening hours, and he predicts his presence at N. Y. dinners hereafter.
Cliff Murray says he's still teaching languages in Camden, N. J., High School and for several years has helped coach the track team. He divides his summers between Ocean City and the Boothbay Region in Maine. He has one son, thir-teen, a young builder of airplane and boat models.
Worcester. Here's part of a good letter he wrote: "My family—wife—three boys and one girl. One boy finished at Williston Academy last year—one there now who will knock at the gates of M.I.T. next year, and one in high school who may be at Andover next year. Our daughter is younger. Spent a week-end in Hanover last fall with one son and had a chat with Karl and Mrs. Stillman. It's interesting to look at the place through the eyes of the boys. Enjoyed the picture of Trennie but wouldn't have him think his nigger razor club is exclusive. Even I belong." (No picture, Stan, no membership card, according to the by-laws published in these columns.) Here's the first news from Larry Lockwood in a long, long time, sent from Norfolk, Virginia. "Haven't seen any classmates other than Jerry Shattuck, Commander, Supply Corps, U.S.N;, in a long time. Was recently married for the second time, to Margaret Florine Small of Sunbury, N. C. I have two daughters, one of whom, Marguerite, is attending Penn Hall in Chambersburg, Pa. The other, Mary Holly, is at Notre Dame of Maryland in Baltimore. Am in the chain grocery business with David Pender Grocery Co., in Norfolk and still residing at Cavalier Park, Virginia Beach. Would be glad to have any '17er call to see me whenever his travels bring him this way.
Stan Kingsbury is living at 54 Boylston St., Shrewsbury, Mass., a suburb of Bill Wyeth writes that he seldom sees any Seventeener but he spends vacation periods at Andover, N. H. He teaches Latin in the Mount Vernon, N. Y., Junior High School and W. H. Jr., hopes to enter Dartmouth in 1942.
Red Wendell, Brooklyn insurance man writes "Expect to settle down again soon. Last year I made two trips to California and northwest including Portland and Seattle, and was away six months between March 1939 and March 1940. Had a grand month in Arizona. Will see you soon,—am off to Chicago and St. Paul."
I have been vegetating in a country place eleven miles outside of Portland, I bought three years ago" writes Jack Hill. "Haven't been outside the county for a year and am becoming an expert on agricultural subjects. Would be glad to see any classmates and will promise not to put them to work."
Chan Steiger writes "Esther and I just returned to Holyoke from a 5500 mile tour to Miami, New Orleans and back. My one regret is that I didn't have my little green class address book with me."
Caroll Valentine says he leads the busy life of an engineer, at Wilkinsburg, Pa., with an occasional trip to other cities, notably to Houston, Texas, last year for a meeting of the American Institute of Electrical Engineers. He always goes to the Pine Tree state for summer vacation, via Hanover for a swing around the campus.
.... Parker Melvin, Bradford, Pa., oil man, spent four weeks in February playing golf and having a general good time in Florida Hunk Stillman reports seeing Spique Maclntyre, Sunny Sanborn and Don Litchard and their wives at the basketball game with Harvard February 7th. "Don said it was the first college basketball game he has seen since he managed Sisson, Steenrod, Steele, Mudgett, etal."
"Have purchased myself a home and settled down in Mobile-the-beautiful" wrote Wayne Palmer in March. "Am rushing to completion the vehicular tunnel under Mobile River which has been my responsibility as a member of the firm of Wilberding and Palmer, Inc., consulting engineers—the only tunnel in the south, the only one of it's kind in the world and built in one third the time of any subaqueous type."
Next month when we are all eyes and ears for the presidential nomination proceedings, over at Philadelphia the G. O. P. can thank Harold W. Mason for spending months in preparation, as Secretary of the Committee on Convention Arrangements. Hap has not only helped to build this stage, he has rather pertinently assisted in cleaning up the debris of an old one. In November 1939 the Republican Party had a debt exceeding $600,000.00, hanging over from the last presidential campaign. In late January 1940, every cent had been paid! Hap was a member of the "Special Committee on Deficit." Someone had to know how to ask a lot of people for limited amounts, someone who knew a lot about batting averages.
After the convention Hap will be in Washington a great deal of the time until election, serving as a member of the Executive Committee.
When John Hamilton attended a party given in his honor at Brattleboro last year by Hap Mason, the Republican National Committeeman had a grand reunion with his old Andover classmate, Angus Cecil Black '17.
GEORGE MASON '43 WILL ENTER POLY SCI. COURSES WITH A HEAD START. HERE HE IS GOING OFF ON A CRUISE WITH HIS FATHER "HAP" ('17), SECRETARY, AND JOHN HAMILTON, CHAIRMAN, REPUBLICAN NATIONAL COMMITTEE.
Secretary-Chairman, 18 Madison Ave., Cranford, N. J. Class Agent, 243 Marsh St., Belmont, Mass.
