1939*

On April 11th, Henry Flannery was killed (Necrology, June, 1942) while on duty at Paine Field, Everett, Wash. His was the first military casualty reported in the Class of 1939. Though tragic, Henry's life was given in support of a cause which is being everlastingly pursued by his fellow classmates, both in the service and in war production work.

To all you guys who have faithfully sent in news, apologies are in order, for the long delay in putting this news into print. Because of early deadlines, omission of class notes in the June Issue, and the absence of a July issue, much of the news contained in this column dates back many months.

HERE AND THERE

Some months ago a letter was received from Lt. Chuck Grant, at the time stationed in Honolulu. Chuck briefly traced his Army Air Corps career from early flight training at Maxwell Field, with Will Parkhill in the same outfit, Navigation School at Coral Gables, to duty in the South Seas.

A more recent report places Chuck, as a navigator, in Australia..... Pvt. George Boswell reports from Camp Roberts that he is completing his preliminary training for the ski troops. George entered the Army on April 6th, after a fall and winter of teaching at the Riverdale Country School, New York. George ended his welcome letter with,"anyone who wants to reach me can use this address—it's sure to catch up with me—49l7 Center Ave., Pittsburgh, Pa.". . . . "You can have the South Seas—grass skirts and all," says Ensign Bill Bachman, Junior Turret Officer aboard one of Uncle Sam's roaming ships. Before leaving for the high seas Bill became engaged to Lois Weyand, of Detroit, late of Connecticut College. His address is: U.S.S. (censored), c/o Fleet Post Office, San Francisco, Calif Charlie Davis was inducted into the Army on April 16th, and is now stationed at Camp Lee for basic training. This militaristic trend interrupted Charlie's quest for a Ph.D. at the University of Chicago. Previously Charlie had received the first Master's Degree ever given in American Culture at this same University Buzz Spring left for Maxwell Field, Ala. early in May, for basic flight training in the Army. Two weeks later he appeared back in Hartford to wait for a future trip to Ala Ensign Russ Fette turned up in Australia as a survivor of his vessel, sunk off Java Bob Timbers was commissioned a first lieutenant in the Army, on April 23rd. He is now stationed at USMA, West Point, N. Y Paul De Witt made headlines in the Newark News, upon becoming Wing Commander of his aviation cadet class, and appears to be big boss over the thousands of cadets at Maxwell Field, Ala Bill Fair- weather was graduated from the School of Medicine of the U. of Pa., early in May.

WORD PICTURES

Corny Miller resigning his position at Riverdale Country School, New York, for defense work Ray Anderson as a non-com in the Army Medical Corps, stationed a "stone's throw from his home." . . . .Howie Stoughton, Ensign USNR, stationed in Washington for training throughout the summer months.... .Ensign Bill Lyon sailing the "seven seas," and rumored to have announced his troth. .... Bob McGurn as a wing inspector in an airplane factory in the vicinity of Chicago... . . .Colby Howe a Marine since last July, being made a First Lieutenant early in April.

. . . .Bob Fletcher, biding his time in Los Angeles, while on the Army Air Corps waiting list.. . . .Jim Donovan, as a happy Marine in Calif, after an eight-month sojourn outside the U. S Fred Upton and Johnny Little learning the art of the submarine with the Navy, in New London, Conn Tech. Sgt. Bob Kaiser, recently of Camp Bowie, Texas, returning to Camp Sill, Okla., for F.A. Officer's Candidate School (June) Al Gorman receiving his Harvard Law School Degree in absentia while attending Officer's Training School, at the Marine base in Quantico, Va Ed Oppenheim setting up a classification system for the antiaircraft command at Fort Totten, N. Y Staff Sgt. Howard Rowe at Camp Roberts, Calif., with Jim Pattridge, George Boswell, Joe Schwartzman, and Johnny Litchfield Jack Gray an Aviation Cadet at Minter Field, Calif Howie Snyder teaching school in Paso Robles, Calif., and getting married in Minneapolis in June Tom Brooks, Bill McCarthy, and Bob Hagge at USNR Midshipman's School at Northwestern, visiting Johnny Page and his charming wife Ellen Colby Coggswell visiting his folks in Hartford over the week-end of June 6th, before returning to work in New York Bill Remington working for Donald Nelson's "planning committee," returning home each night to play with Bruce Remington, aged three, Dartmouth 1960.. . . .Ensign Bob McCarty one of sixteen commissioned officers of the US Coast and Geodetic Survey, transferred to the armed forces for the duration Archie Mallon, as an Aviation Cadet at Brooks Field, Texas (June) Dick Hadley, Hal Deos, and Al Davidson studying during the past year at Vermont Medical School Bob Van Slambrouck and Zeke Hill seen around Burlington, Vt. with Johnny Haartz skiing in that vicinity over the winter months Pete Chellis, soldiering in Cheyenne, Wyo.. . . .Chuck Farnum, of Northwestern Med., showing Dick Hadley the "spots" of Chicago in between sessions of a Medical School Convention last winter.

DOWN THE AISLE

Lt. Bill (the Duke of) Kent married Mary Jane Rust, March 31st, in Washington. The Duke is one of Uncle Sam's "Devil D0g5.".... Corporal Sandy Sloane became engaged to Miss Margaret Allen in the "merry merry month of May.". . . .In Kennebunkport, Me., Ensign Dick Monahon married Joan Grant. The time: early in May.. . . .Bob Dickgiesser married a "Yalie," on May 16th in Wilton, Conn. His bride was Miss Mary Winton, a graduate student at Yale Bob Thomas married Miss June Klingman in Garden City, May 13th. Bob, recently from the Prairie State, is now in N. C. with 19 other Ensigns, studying diesel engines Bob Bryant, Ensign USNR, became engaged to Miss Helen Dale Peters in early April. .... Ensign Paul Jones took Rosemay Brown for his wife in San Francisco, Calif., on April Ist. . . . .Announcement has been made of the engagement of Miss Joan Jacobson to Bill Green. Bill has recently enlisted in the Marines Miss Julia Bassett of Ansonia, Conn, became the bride of Erwin L. Lyon Jr., in Ansonia, sometime in May. .... Pvt. Bob Obermeyer became engaged to a hometown Poughkeepsie girl in April—Angelina Sepe was the girl. Bob incidentally enlisted in the Ski Patrol last January Miss Virginia Sullivan,, Radcliffe '41, became engaged to Bob Woodward sometime in April Ed Hammel took time out from his research chemistry at the Graduate School of Princeton to become engaged to Miss Caroline Moore, daughter of the President of Skidmore The engagement of Miss Claire McVey and Bud McLaughlin was announced in the latter part of May Ensign Bill McCarthy became engaged to Miss Jane Claffen of Linden, N. J. Bill is at present stationed in the office of the Chief of Naval Operations in "Washington Old Greenwich was the setting for the marriage of Royce Randlett to Miss Ann Emery, on May 12th. Royce is an Ensign in the Navy, and as a matter of fact, was married by the chaplain of the U.S.S. Prairie State.

WRITER OF THE MONTH

The Writer of the Month of August takes on a dual personality. Below are excerpts from very excellent letters from Johnny Mecklin in Washington, D. C., and Hank Merrill, in Lima, Peru.

"Guess it's time Mecklin kicked through with a contribution to the Alumni Column, though I am afraid it will be dismally colorless compared with the tales beginning to trickle in from '39ers in Iceland, Ireland, and other spots 'somewhere'.... in this unhappy world. But first of all a word of appreciation to yourself, Bert, and Brownie for your efforts in keeping track of our class.

"After nearly a year as a press agent for United Airlines in New York, Boston, and Chicago, I decided to become an honest newsman again, joining United Press at Chicago in February, 1941. I was Late-Night Editor there until October when they made me Assistant Bureau Manager at Minneapolis. Then came the business at Pearl Harbor and the Washington Bureau needed a larger staff. I was one of several guys called in from the sticks.

"Since then I have been covering at one time or another the War Department, Selective Service, the Supreme Court, and the numerous agencies under Harold Ickes (mostly gasoline rationing of late) and Paul McNutt (currently the new Man-power Commission), plus a number of spot assignments.

"If you can learn to put up with Washington and the noisiest most short-sighted collection of extroverts in the world, it's a damn fine job. You enjoy the questionable privilege of rubbing shoulders with the great, near-great, and countless hangers-on who keep the wheels turning, often in spite of themselves, and you soon pick up enough 'inside stuff' to make you feel important as all hell.

"But working in Washington, particularly when you spend most of your time trying to write about the Government, is a real challenge to a guy's sanity, and it's no place for an idealist. After a day's floundering amid platoons of government press agents and great quantities of red-tape and downright stupidity, you often begin to wonder. Then you remember that, stupid and inefficient or not, these jokers are individualists, doing things their own way, and somehow, you'd rather have it that way.

"Have seen a few others '39ers: Ensign Dune Farr, stationed here; Sgt. Bill Mulkie, who reports he is about to enter Officer's Candidate Training School; Ensign Johnny Steele, who was with UP on Capitol Hill until recently; plus quite a number of Dartmouthers from other classes.

"I have been trying to get into the Navy for several months "

From Hank Merrill:

"... .As a matter of fact, I have been running all around the place down here lately. Topped it all off last month with a trip from Cali, Colombia, to Quito, Ecuador, BY ROAD, when space on our little airline got so crowded that there was practically no alternative. The road, if it can be called a road, runs right down the center of the Andes, which, although they aren't very high in that section, keeps you up around eight to ten thousand feet, except when you go down to sea level three or four times a day to cross some valley. It took us two and a half days to cover the same ground as it takes two hours in a plane, and we traveled just twice as far as the crow flies. Most of the trip you look out one side or the other of the car and there is nothing to see for the next five thousand feet straight down, not even the road at times. Feel like you were a fly on the wall or something. It's the most beautiful country I have ever seen.

"Right now I am back in Lima, settling down to forecasting the winter weather. This will be our third winter here "

CLEARING HOUSE

'39ers everywhere doff their hats to Bert and Brownie, for their swell job on the Alumni Fund.

Since the ALUMNI MAGAZINE took its only month off in July, this issue ends the 1941 -'42 publication year, with the first in the next year beginning with October. It would therefore seem to be an appropriate time to start thinking about a few '39 get-togethers in various locations. Any of you guys, whether in military camps, or in civilian life who want to round up a group, drop me a line, and I shall try to pass on the latest dope with respect to addresses, etc., received from Hanover. Plans for any get-together may easily be publicized through this column.

CLASS OF IGG9 GATHERS AT FAR FLUNG POINTS At the left are shown Bob Fletcher '39 and Lieut. Bob MacLeod '39, U. S. Marine AirCorps. At right is group holding Pow-Wow in California, left to right: Lt. J. A. Donovan'39, Lt. R. F. MacLeod '39, Lt. J. C. Barrett '3B, Lt. C. D. Howe '39, Lt. R. R. O'Brien '4O,and R. G. Fletcher.

Acting Secretary, c/o Aetna Insurance Company 670 Main St., Hartford, Connecticut