1908*
Nice lot of letters in response to the questionnaire mailed last month, many from men we haven't heard from in years. If the 1908 class had regimented thoughts 35 years ago, the men have gone entirely individual since—at least on such matters as a class report and regional round-ups in lieu of the formal 35th Reunion. Some classmates are entirely cold to the round-up idea, others are hot for it; there is great enthusiasm for a class book in some quarters; in others, great indifference. The re- plies are still coming in, and we haven't yet tried to tabulate the galloping poll. And maybe never will.
Many of the replies have bits of personal news. We'll skim off some now, and save some for next month.
Deep sympathy goes to Ralph Crowley. In January the War Department notified him that his oldest son, Lieut. John G. Crowley, had lost his life in the Panama Canal Zone. Ralph's second son, Thomas, is a first lieutenant of Engineers in North Africa. Ralph himself is busy with manufacture of the marvelous 20 mm. Oerlikon anti-aircraft machine guns, in Providence.
Frank McKone left Dartmouth to enter NHU. Maybe few classmates know that in 1917 he got his M.S. degree at M.I.T. in aeronautical engineering, later worked for General Electric, and is now active in aero-engineering.
Fred Hodgson has four sons, one in the armed forces, and three grandchildren. Fred says he really does raise pollens, commercially and sells 'em to hospitals for immunity treatments. He says "I act as consultant on all matters related to the connections between botanical information associated with allergies." An allergy, we believe, is something found in a Country Churchyard, especially one where the weeds grow.
Art Wyman's son, Richard, is in the Air Corps at Miami. Chet Melville is in Florida too, escaping the Boston oil shortage and hunting rare shells (seashells, not shrapnel, he's the class conchologist) at Fort Myers Beach.
Honker Joyce says—well, we think he says he had lunch with Mort Hull and that Bob Rugg is the best dressed banker in Boston. His handwriting shows he holds his pen like he used to his cards, close to his vest.
The two parsons, Bill English and Joe Hammond, write non-ministerial letters. Bill says he's just completed 10 years in one pastorate, and Joe says he is running two Congregational churches, one at Buxton and one at North Buxton, and weekdays works in a fibre mill on defense work. He's a real member of the 3-H Club, working to beat Hell, Hitler and Hirohito.
Guy Blodgett says he'll be at any class gathering near Boston; as do many others.. . . .-George Baine reports two sons in military service Tat Badger writes "no news." But the newspapers recently had quite a story about another "E" award to E. B. Badger & Sons. Pianists Adler and Chesley, also Harry Rogers, write they will make every effort to attend a week-end class gathering anywhere east of Buffalo Jack and Mrs. Everett are busy in civilian defense jobs and son John Jr., just graduated at U. of Maine, is now in the Navy Dr. Clate Royce has sons in the service, and is raising oranges commercially in Jacksonville.
Allan Perkins since May has been in Washington, a lieutenant commander in the Bureau of Ships. His oldest son, Van Ostrand, lieutenant in the Navy, was wounded in battle of Solomon Islands. Second son, Woodbury, is a Navy lieutenant (j.g.)
Letter from Park Stickney mentions just missing Art Lewis at the N. Y. Power Show, and again missing him in Chicago. Lewis, who rarely misses, suggests a class round-up when and if Dartmouth plays Harvard in baseball at Cambridge.
Life Greeley is a coxswain in the Coast Guard, both sea and shore duty. Pneumonia nearly got him at Christmas. This from Henry Stone who has four sons, two in the Army.
Chick Currier means it when he invites the whole durn class to a round-up as his guests, in California's Imperial Valley. Chick's son enters Dartmouth this year, and the Old Man hopes to accompany the boy to Hanover and hunt up classmates in the Frozen East, probably thawed by May.
Bill Squier, son of George, is a Naval aviator, believed to be flying patrol planes in the region of Bermuda.
Hotelman Larry Treadway has taken on a new line, industrial cafeterias. Says he served seven million meals in 1942, will top ten million this year. That's dishing it out. But Larry says you have to take it, too, in the hotel business when they're mostly resort hotels and tourist travel ain't.
And you probably read in the papers about the toastmaster at the Dartmouth Alumni dinner in Boston February 4, Lieut. Col. Arthur T. Soule? He was the retiring president of the Boston Association. By "retiring" we mean only that he was finishing his term in office. When Art retires, everybody else is under the tables.
From A. B. ROTCH
