1932*

The Naiad emerging from the galvanized iron fountain is none other than Katy Marks, plump and gleeful descendant of Ed and Margaret, and though it is not her latest publicity still, it is one of her best. On the side of the tub it says something about zinc alloy, but there's no alloy to Katy. The girl is pure gold.

Speaking of pure gold, Jerry Altman kindly sends in a review from the Sunday section of the New York Times (Feb. 7), a review of a book called Leg Man by none other than our own Edward McCray Thompson, who was born in New York, was graduated from Dartmouth, and did a leg man job as reporter for the St. Louis Star-Times. I haven't yet seen the book, but the review says it is worth anybody's two dollars and more. A leg-man, in case you have forgotten, is the reporter who legs it to see the wounded and the dead, fires, explosions, cave-ins, lost children, lost pets, hangings, electrocutions, and gory accidents of all descriptions. Ted Thompson has been a leg man and he has written a book about the art of being one. Says the reviewer,

"He has written a very good book. It has only one obvious fault. There is not enough of it. He has put into his book the magnificent boredom of the leg man who has seen too many corpses, too many homicidal men and women, too many fires, and too many lost babies. He does it with vignettes that will pass anywhere for masterful literary carvings. . . . . He brings to his little pieces a brittle technique which, in clumsier hands, would have broken into literary shards Thompson works in this dangerous medium with astounding ease and self-assurance and produces something that sparkles."

You can buy these 187 pages of vignettes by a classmate, who has been through the mill. Publisher: E. P. Dutton. Title: LegMan.

To get back on the subject we started out with, viz., babies, there are several acquisitions which ought to be recorded officially in these columns. One young lady is getting on towards a year now, but through some slip-up, her name and debut may not have been announced. She is Mary Elizabeth Auten, born last April 30, and her pappy is now a doctor, Lt. Hanford L. Auten, in the Medical Corps of the Army Air Force. Then there is Gail Lois Kenworthy, born June 13 to Bea and George Kenworthy. And finally, and very recently, there is Peter Creighton Kendal, born January 28, 1943, weighing 7 lb. 15 oz., the bouncing son of Bob Kendal. The Kendals live at Florence Road, Easthampton, Mass., three miles from Northampton, and Pete's father is now Resident Controller of the Cardanic Corporation of Easthampton, a firm which is busily engaged in war work. Congratulations to all.

My urgent request for letters from men in the services has received a heartening response in the past three weeks, not only from service men, but from other men engaged in work vital to the war. Jim Moore's New Year's resolution was to write the letter which follows:

"Last October, I was transferred from the Bureau of Ordnance in Washington out here to take over an assignment in the Crosley Primrose Plant in Cincinnati, which is working full blast for the Navy at the present time. It's a grand assignment, and the training I got at Macy's certainly fills the bill in keeping production running. Problems are much the same: scheduling, procurement, per- sonnel troubles, priorities, etc. Another thing that has made it more than worth while was a promotion to senior lieutenant last month from the Bureau. A kid with a lollipop never got a bigger thrill than I did to get that extra half-stripe. I noticed in the mail coming across my desk that with steel, Lt. N. W. Pearson is a person of note, being referred to as Chief, Iron and Steel Section, Resources Division, ANMB, 1021 Social Security Bldg. This looks impressive on the letter-head, and from all accounts Nate has a very big assignment there. .... We have a very nice home out here, being on one of the highest points in Cincinnati which gets us out of the smog that fills the valleys every morning. The climate, of course, leaves a lot to be desired, with little sun, much rain, high humidity, and tough summers."

Jim wonders if any of our class are in the neighborhood. He can be reached at 2337 North Bend Road.

Another welcome letter comes from Ev Hokanson, who is in the Naval Reserve stationed at Rood Field, the "University of the Air" at Corpus Christi, Texas. His rank is lieutenant, junior grade. Ev admits to a feeling of being quietly ashamed for not having written some bits of news to the class secretary in the ten long years since he graduated, and says he envies the men of 1932 who were privileged to return to Dartmouth for eight weeks of Navy Indoctrination.

"Following our three months of training here at Corpus Christi we expect to be assigned to E bases as primary flight instructors. All of the men here have held civilian pilot's licenses, some with the minimum of 50 solo hours while others have had several thousand hours with experience as CPT instructors or airline jobs.

"As you probably already know, Dr. Handy Auten is a lieutenant with the Army at Boise, Idaho. Tom Wollaeger recently received his commission as lieutenant with the Army upon completion of the Officer's Training course in Florida, and is now stationed in one of the Western states. I last saw Jim Hannon in Milwaukee in November. He was then very happy about his new position with the Globe Union (battery) company. Jim, as you recall, is a graduate of Marquette U. Law School and for several years served as an adjuster for the Hardware Mutual Insurance Co. I am sure he is slated for a splendid position with Globe Union The one Dartmouth man I have met here happens to be the officer in charge of all our activities outside of actual squadron flight. He is Lt. Comdr. V. B. Hagenbuckle '29. He once served as line coach for the football team. We all admire him and feel lucky that he is our chief."

Then there was a fine letter from Don Marcus, now on active duty at a place known as A.P.O. 677, Presque Isle, Maine. It's quite a change, says Don, from the O.T.S. at Miami Beach, where he spent six weeks in training, and found Jim North in the class just following him.

"I was transferred to Morrison Field at West Palm Beach for further schooling, post-graduate work, for a month, and then shipped to Presque Isle, Maine. After a stay of a few weeks there, I shipped to this place, as indicated above. This brings you to date on my Army career. This post is excellent, but could never compare with dear old Morrison Field. Our stay down there was the cream of the crop. We had the use of the Sun and Surf Club daily for swimming. Then there were dances, and even a tea dance one Saturday. It looks as if I had my dessert before the entree. In these days, it's nice to get a dessert—any dessert, any time."

Then the handsome Lieutenant (j.g.) George Bladworth pops through with a brief communique from the U. S. Naval Air Station at Alameda, California. George is glad to say he has wife Kay and daughters Bonnie (4) and Leila (1) out there with him, and what with that and the weather, he thinks California is grand.

And finally Ed Marks, whose young lady heads this column, establishes the following facts:

"Charlie Mayo and wife Ing have solved the Washington housing problem by living on Charlie's boat, the Blue Sea. Charlie's turning his nautical experience to practical war-time use in the office Of the Coordinator of Inter-American affairs. Charlie is out of town the best part of every week checking up materials at Boston, New York, Philadelphia, and other sea-ports.

"Whip (Better-Milk-Among-The-Americas) Walser, is also with C.1.A.A., and is currently in Central America, probably Honduras. You've probably already had a card from him. (Editor's note: So T did, a picture postcard, with a view of some mighty grubby-looking Central American Indians who look as if they could use some of Whip's dairy products.) Paul Leach's work with the Ass'n of American Railroads keeps him in their Washington office these days, but I think he commutes to Baltimore.'"

Ed records seeing Naval Lt. Nate Pearson (Steel Chief, see above) at a Washington performance of Ruddigore, and adds some more news about his own job which I shall have to postpone for use next month. Have to close now and write a couple of lectures.

THREE DARTMOUTH SURGEONS Left to right, Capt. Donald Hull '24, Lt.Ferdinand McAllister '34, and Capt. RockyKieth '2B, USA MC, standing in front of aNissen hut in Northern Ireland.

Secretary, 210 Moore St., Princeton, N. J