1919*
Our Class has reached the stage where we can commend with increasing frequency the achievements of our children.
By right of seniority, first place goes to Sherwood Grant Burnett '40, whom those who attended our 20th will remember as Max Norton's able storekeeper partner. Sherwood was graduated with "distinction in physics" and finished with a 3.6 average.
HE IS THE FIRST SON OF A '19 MAN TO GO TO DARTMOUTH AND THE FIRST TO RECEIVE A DEGREE. He is continuing this year at M.I.T. taking a course in Meteorology and Weather Forecasting given by Tech for the U. S. A. Air Corps. Sherwood has five sisters—Natalie at Massachusetts Art, Virginia at Bryant and Stratton, Elinor and Patricia in High School, and Margaret in Grade School.
The father of this active family is Dorr Theron (Bunny) Burnett of Middleboro, Mass. Bunny is a partner in the decorating firm of Flora Porter at 561 Boylston St., Boston.
Bill Cunningham, fresh from a New Year's trip to New Orleans, wrote me a glowing report of the accomplishments of Gene Neely's children. Here are Bill's own words:
"Just back from New Orleans, where my personal pets, the Boston College Eagles, stunned the entire Confederacy with a swell fighting win from the gallant Tennessee Volunteers, I find in your class notes in the newest ALUMNI MAGAZINE, where Trace Kohl, my old room mate in Davison Chambers, had toured through Texas to Mexico and had visited with my original Dartmouth room mate, Gene Neely.
"No guy ever had sweller room mates than those two, and I wish I could have made it a threesome in Dallas, but what I'm getting at is Neely. Your note, coming probably via Kohl, said—'his son is in the University of Texas where he is an honor man and a letter man in football.' That's not enough.
"I wonder if anybody in our class has done as swell a job as Gene Neely in the matter of carrying the ball out where the game is really tough. He married when we all went to war. Because of his arm, they wouldn't take him, although he pleaded to buy an ambulance and drive it himself. His folks were wealthy then. The wife, Nell, a pretty Texas girl, bore him a son and a daughter, and then was stricken so grievously with spinal meningitis that she's been practically an invalid these 20 years now.
"The Neely fortunes took quite a smacking too. The guy had to get in there and pitch. He stuck with those kids and that invalid wife, getting a little balder and fatter. I tried to get the boy, Stanley, for Dartmouth, but Gene said he didn't want him to go so far away from his mother.
"Well, finally comes the payoff. The University of Texas has a student body of 13,000. Stanley Neely, Texas Varsity end of All America rank, was not only President of this entire student body but took absolutely every honor a boy could win in this mammoth institution—social, elective and academic.
"But wait a minute! While he was doing this, over on the co-ed side of the campus, his lovely sister, Adele, was exactly duplicating the feat. She took every possible honor among the women, was elected Beauty Queen, and all the top rank feminine rest.
"With it, I think they're the two finest, keenest, handsomest young people I ever saw —and do they love their daddy! He's stayed entirely in the background, pooh-poohing the pair of them, constantly pretending to be interested in more important things. But the Good Book says 'By their fruits shall ye know them.' Neely, in my humble opinion, has truly made his D in life. I wonder if any man amongst us has done a job to match his."
The following '19 men attended the Boston Alumni Dinner: Guy Cogswell, John Shelbourne, Chet Caswell, Louis Munro, Nock Wallis, Howard Steele, Bill White, John Chipman, Rock Hayes, Spen Dodd and Jim Davis.
John Fornacca is back from Italy. Since leaving college, John has been with the American Express Co. serving successively as Manager for them in Genoa, Florence and Rome. He arrived in New York right after New Year's and is located at the company's uptown office at 649 Fifth Ave.
Major Max Norton has been moving around the country in the grand manner. After having aided in Gov. Blood's inauguration at Concord, and the inaugural of the new Governor of Vermont at Montpelier, he attended President Roosevelt's inauguration in Washington. His sending-off party in Boston included Jim Davis who describes the event in these words: "I saw Max briefly Saturday noon as he and Helen were embarking from the South Station for the Inauguration in Washington. Munro came along as I was leaving the platform and when I urged him to hurry in and see the splendid figure, he said 'I'm taking that train too,' and dashed off with three layouts under his arm. I presume" he personally looked after the Governor and the Major all the way to New York."
Larry Eastman is another '19 man in active military service. With the rank of Lt. Commander, he is serving as recruiting officer for Naval Reserve at Portland, Me.
Tom Bresnahan gets around the country a good deal. Returning from the Middlewest, he reported enjoyable visits with (1) Don Eldredge, president of George Wyman & Sons Dep't Store, South Bend, Ind. (2) John Emerson, publisher of Forbes Magazine and dramatic critic for same (3) Dr. Dan Featherston who was attending the annual convention of Industrial Surgeons at the Palmer House.
Early in February, I spent a pleasant evening in Washington with Dr. H. M. Chadwell. Chaddie has been granted leave of absence from the Tufts Faculty to serve on the National Defense Research Committee of the Council of National Defense. This Committee is something. It includes an Admiral, a General, and the Presidents of Harvard and M.I.T. Chaddie and his wife, Peggy, are living at 1112—16th St. N.W. Phone National 6933—Ext. 402. Give him a call if you get to Washington. The children are at boarding school—Margaret Anne at Bancroft School Worcester, and Harriss Jesse at New Hampton School, N. H.
Other 'l9 men living in Washington are Chas. H. Warner, with R.F.C.—Ralph S. Hayes, a Naval Reserve Lieut, on Communications—and Richard L. Strout, Correspondent for the Christian Science Monitor.
Bill Carto was in Washington recently and wrote me an interesting letter upon his return to Charleston, W. Va., part of which I quote: "A week ago I was in Washington on business and had the pleasure of seeing my room mate, Marshall Chadwell, for the first time since our graduation day in June 1919. You fellows who are in central areas, who are able to meet and talk with former class mates, are perhaps unable to appreciate how I have enjoyed this past year when, tor the first time since graduation, I have met and talked with two 1919 men— namely, Spider Martin in New York and Chadwell in Washington. Although there are a few Dartmouth men scattered throughout West Virginia, I have not encountered any class mates."
We have a newsy letter from Dr. Ken Rice delivered via Jim Davis. "I have been here in So. Deerfield, Mass. for 17 years now. Am right on Greenfield to Springfield highway and have numerous calls from Bud Welsh's son who is a Dartmouth freshman, on his way to and from Hanover. Now, I just wanted to say that I have two young sons that are looking forward to going to Dartmouth some dayKenneth Jr. is 6 and David is 4. A young lady, Rachel Ellen, came to live with us on Sept. 15, 1940." Ken is a physician and surgeon and is associated with the Groton Contract Hospital.
Out in Salem, Ohio, Jim Wilson spends his working hours as Sec. and Treas. of Salem Tool Co. His idle hours, as he puts it, have been occupied with numerous civic and social organizations in which he has served or is serving as—Member of Salem School Board, V. P. of Columbiana Council—Boy Scouts of America, Past Chairman and Director Salem Community Fund, Sec. of Salem Mfrs' Ass'n, Director of Salem Business Bureau, President Salem Golf Club, Com. American Legion, Member of Selective Service Board No. 2 of Columbiana County.
Here are a couple of new addressesByron Long now at St. Andrews Hotel, Portland, Ore. and James M. Balch, c/o Lord & Thomas, 247 Park Ave., New York. I am happy to acknowledge letters from Hal Parsons and Louis Munro, and a personal call from Arthur B. Eastman who lives at 3364 Decatur Ave., Bronx, N. Y.
Each year at about this time, the Alumni and Class Fund Committee, of which Spider is our able and tactful chairman, goes into action. The merits of this undertaking are well-known and I firmly believe every last man of us wants and intends to give in proportion to his financial capacity. Where we fall down, if we fall down at all, is in not letting the Committee know our intentions promptly.
Spider has written you in connection with the 1941 Fund. If you haven't responded yet, please do so at once. It will encourage him tremendously and get us off to a fine start.
See you all again next month.
Secretary, a Park Ave., New York, N. Y.
