1926
Cleary thought there ought to be more dope about Dartmouth '26 in Washington. Here then, is the lowdown, Cleary and men.
Art and Peg Stack are walking the floor with a new daughter, Melinda Margaret, born January 8. That's three for the Stacks Junior, 8, and Sandra, 6, completing the family. They live at 7911 Chicago Ave., Silver Spring, Md., and Art has been with the Washington Gas Light Cos. for the last 11 years. He is now Ass't Mgr. of the Utilization Dep't where they test all new domestic equipment sold, make house heating estimates, and determine special applications of gas for commercial and industrial consumption. Art, you may recall, married the girl he met on a blind date in Montreal.
Marty Brand, a local boy, is an optician at smart Edmonds, in downtown D. C. He's doing nicely, thanx, after being ill for a year, but he's given up bowling for the Dartmouth team. Lives with the Missus out at 5130 Conn. Ave., where, he says, it would be okay for him to receive a line from Hal Lewis, erstwhile roommate.
It's been a year since Larry Smith returned from a two months' junket into the wilds of Alaska for the Civil Aeronautics Authority. Soon after checking in, he was upped a notch or two, and is now Chief of Classification for the Bureau of the Census, Dep't of Commerce. Last fall he dropped a line to Cleary, telling Bob there weren't many '26ers in D. C. He knows better now. There must be 30 of us in town, nearly half of whom are in uniform including: Ritchie Smith who, according to a phone call from Paul Allen, barged in from the Coast last Saturday in a sailor suit to take up residence. Haven't seen Smythe yet, but will get a fill-in for next month.
Bob Salinger sends a little note from Mrs. Pat Allen who advises that her old man "was called to D. C. this month as Chief Business Specialist of the War Production Board." That sounds terrificmaybe we can get a line on Pat for May.
Jim Traquair recently sent Cleary a background letter from his new address at 2702 Wisconsin Ave., D. C., which deserves generous quotes as a sidelight on wartime Washington.
"To begin at the beginning, I went into the office of the Inspector of Naval Materials, Cincinnati, as a civilian on Feb. 15, 1942 pending the arrival of my commission. It seems that my application papers got separated and before the two parts could be brought together many weeks went by and only by furnishing duplicates did I receive my commission in the Naval Reserve on May 15. I was on duty in Cincinnati and had a very interesting and busy job. Unfortunately, I came to Washington for a con- ference and forgetting how well off I was, I shot off my big mouth and was tagged to do the work as a result of the conference. I reported down here on October 5, and after finding a single room for myself, a month later I found a double room and Betty came on.
"Betty and I have been disporting ourselves in a "one room front" sharing the bath with six other people and competing with everybody else for seats on busses, and standing in line for meals. Now, holy of holies, we have secured an apartment. We have sold our house in Cincinnati and will await the end of the war before making any plans.
"We have seen a lot of '26ers—the Harwoods, Merrills, Willards, Paul Allen and occasionally Bob Stopford and Larry Kennison. Living conditions have prevented us from doing any entertaining but now that we have a "luxurious apartment" we expect to see more of them. "My present duty provided a trip to the West Coast which was interesting since it was my first out there but it was entirely too hurried to allow for sightseeing."
You get some idea of what Jim meant by the "Unfortunately, I came to Washington" stuff when he describes so well the difficulties of finding a place to hang your hat and feed your stomach. Fun, eh Jim?
On some highbrow stationery of the Office of the Judge Advocate General, War Department, the Wizard-of-Oz Fitts scribbled off a long letter which Cleary forwarded. We'll high-light it, Oz, with a little 7-point.
Oz came on as a captain, May 12, with an assignment in the JAG's office. Took time out for attendance at the meeting of the American Bar Association, Detroit, August, "where, as a member of the House of Delegates, I was privileged to help elevate George Maurice Morris 'll to its presidency."
Assigned to Judge Advocate General's Schools Ann Arbor, Mich., between Sept. and November, where Dot joined him, and both returned about Thanksgiving time, stopping off en route in Pittsburgh for a weekend with Dick Husband. He and Dot now have a house (lucky!) in Chillum (suburb), where the phone is RAndolph 2277 and the "latch string is always out!" Now we'll swing into your song-and-dance, Oz, about the '26 dinner preceding the D Smoker, early in Feb.:
"Hub Harwood was unable to be present last night at '26 dinner in the Willard Coffee Shop-the dinner he so ably planned. Clyde Hall arrived first. I had to uphold the Army's side all alone against Larry Kennison, Chuck Webster, Bill Willard, Bob Stopford, Jim Traquair, Frank Baileyall Navy lieutenants! Webster was making his D debut in uniform and the silver crown looked swell (Ed. Note: Chuck's grey-white hair) which showed up Bob Stopford's bald pate to say nothing of my own! Swell to see Bob McConnaughey. Present, but without brass buttons, were Paul Allen, Courtney Brown (Ed. Note: Vice President of the Commodity Credit Corp., U. S. Dep't of Agric.), Maury Storer (also Dep't Agric.), and Larry Smith. Absent from dinner but present at Smoker were Red Merrill and Jack Cannon (Ist Lt. USMC), and Lt. Col. Red Raisbeck. Understand Ted Sullivan, Capt. Red Willis, Art Stack, A 1 Milans, Larry Vermillion, and Marty Brand are also in the city. (Ed. Note: Will try to get a line on some of these guys for May number.) Oh, Warner Thompson, just called me up for lunch. He has just bought a hotel in Phoenix, Ariz., and threatens to move out there.
"The Smoker was swell. Nat Burleigh 'll told about WPB. Bill Munnecke '27 told of plans for training soldiers at college plants—-not college boys in uniform, he insisted! Pudge Neidlinger '23, ye deanne, did his usual brilliant job on the College, present and prospective. George Morris '11 presided. The dozen or more at '26 dinner expanded to 250 at the Smoker with another promised for March with Prexy present.
"My greatest regret is that as president of the Vermont Club I wasn't able to carry through plans for a Spring get-together in the southern part of the State as planned, but the strain of closing my Brattleboro office (both associates also now in armed services) plus gas situation required that I give it all up. Hope to redeem myself soon! Oz."
Milkman Cleary, proprietor of Welsh Farms, Inc., Milk and Cream Products, Country Bottled Pasteurized Milk a Specialty, of Long Valley, N. J., came to town a couple of weeks ago, and a dozen or more of us dined him at the Hay-Adams House, across Lafayette Square from the White House (sounds important as hell, don't it?). Most of the mob mentioned elsewhere in these notes was there—surprising number of bourbon drinkers for D. Cleary in fine fettle because priorities had been okayed on some dairy equipment he needed.
Ye Ed. makes the observation that for a bunch of old timers our representation in the military is pretty damned good. I was surprised, and pretty proud of the class when I saw the gang in uniform. Incidentally, Gob DeMarais, and some of you guys in 'Frisco, I learned through the USMC the other day that Bill Stickriey can be reached through the Headquarters and Service Company, First Marines, c/o Fleet Post Office, San Francisco. Last I knew he was a major, and I'd take a bet that he was a colonel by now. Look him up, eh? Or does that "Fleet" stuff mean he's out on Guadalcanal?
If I could get away with it, I'd say hello to some of the gang I knew through these columns, but I suppose Sid would blue pencil any personal stuff. Does anyone know whether Doug Everett and Les McFadden are still alive? Let me know at the Board of Economic Warfare, Information Division, where I'm still writing little pieces for the press. More about what Washington '26 is doing in the May issue.
Secretary, Welsh Farms, Inc., Long Valley, N. J. Guest Editor, CLYDE C. HALL Class Agent, 604 Lincoln Alliance Bank Building Rochester, N. Y.
