1916

A recent issue of the Manchester (N. H.)Union carries under a Kittery, Maine, dateline an interesting interview with the Reverend Robert S. McClure and prints his picture. Your acting secretary acted at once, of course, and has just received a prompt reply from Bob, now sojourning in Pasadena 8, Calif. (78 South Allen Street). This transcontinental migration might serve as token of Bob's eventful life, as we glean the data from his letter and from the newspaper.

For example, Bob's graduation from the College, his marriage, and his departure for China under the auspices of the American Board of Foreign Missions all came about within a few days of each other. Since then his formal work in China has been administrative in character; he has served as treasurer of missions, of Fukien Christian University and other schools, and of a large hospital. Recently, he has acted as counselor to the Chinese general who dealt effectively with the Japanese invaders of the Fukien Province in 1941. Bob's family came home from China in 1937. His wife, who was Miss Jean Graham and a graduate of Bates, was a teacher in the Foochow University. The, McClures have two sons and two daughters. The elder son John is an electrical engineer in the employ of Lockheed Aircraft Corporation, and the younger, George, is a lieutenant in the Navy. Of the two daughters, Agnes is the wife of Lieutenant Alden USAAF, now stationed in India, and Joanne is a senior in the University of California. Bob's own trip home this summer required three months and involved crossing to Western China by military truck, flying to India (where he met his son-in-law, Lt. Alden, for a brief visit), then traversing India by train, and finally the passage to the States by a naval transport which zigzagged for 17000 miles to land at a West Coast port. It is Bob's opinion that "conditions in China are growing steadily worse and the potential of defence steadily weakening.... inflation is practically beyond control.... we will be foolish to expect much in the way of Chinese effort to defeat Japan except as we train and arm Chinese soldiers our- selves." Bob's health is reported as none too good. He declares that it is "mighty good" to be back in the United States. We are glad to have him back and we hope that his health will rapidly be restored.

Yes, sixteeners have lived their share of Odysseys and the tale might be told of all o£ them someday. But for the moment we must be content to call to the attention of that segment of the class (small segment, no doubt) which doesn't regularly read Harper'sMagazine a recent result of still another Odyssey in the form of an article in the September issue called "Russians Like our Planes" and written by Leighton Rogers. Obviously this article need not here be reported to you inextenso; you will read it in extenso—also congusto, for it is both thoughtful and flavorful, timely and tasty. Make sure also that you consult the personal data about Leigh contained in "Personal and Otherwise," further on in the same issue. You will be reminded that Leigh visited Russia in 1916, served in the AEF in 'iB-'i9, later visited Europe at large in the foreign service of the Department of Commerce, covered China and Japan in '35, and since '43 has served as assistant to the President of the Bell Aircraft Corp., a post which occasioned his trip to Russia in August '43. Leigh's literary achievement is also impressive and of interest to us ..,. but consult Harper's.

The gratitude which 1916 feels to Parker Hayden and the committee on the Alumni Fund should be expressed here as sincerely as it is felt, but that's not easy. The boys know we are grateful for the labor and the love, for the zest with which they spent their time and trouble; most of us know it isn't all fun, all of us know there's no hiring such service, no paying for it when it's done, and only one way of thanking them—a bigger check another time. You don't have to be any better at figures than I am to grasp the fact that they done good; they raised 110% of their quota from the 82% of the class which made gifts, which makes 1916 one of the eight classes to attain marked improvement in percentage of objective and shoves us ten places up this competitive list. If I were to pick me a favorite statistic out of the mess of'em in Parker's file, I should select this: more than half of this year's gifts from 1916 were bigger than last year's gifts, which at least leaves us something to shoot at next year. Parker says he and the committee congratulate the class, but that's just another of his neat turns of phrase; we. know where the congratulations belong and, by gumme, here's to you.

Mail has been a trifle scarce of late but we have learned that Sam Cutler's elder son is now an ensign and that the younger was inducted into the Army at Camp Devens in July. Visitors to Hanover have also been few this month, but we were glad to greet Edward Kirkland recently with his son Edward Jr., now in the Infantry and soon to be stationed at a camp in Oklahoma. Our list of sons of 1916 in service is long, but I doubt if it is complete. Will you help to make it so?

Recent military promotions in our class that of Sterling Wilson to the grade of lieutenant commander, and that of Jack English to the grade of major. Are there others, too?

The following addresses have been changed: Lt. Col. Fletcher Andrews, 4000 Cathedral Ave. N. W., Washington 16; Lt. Arno M. Behnke, C-47, Wright Circle, Yorktown, Va.; Robert Clunie, Gould Academy, Bethel, Maine; William P. Costello, 4309 40th St., Long Island City, N. Y.; Earl Cranston, 2 Webster Terrace, Han- over, N. H.; James P. Desmond, 333 West 124 th St., Los Angeles 3, Calif.; Shirley W. Harvey, Wheelock College, Pilgrim Rd., Boston, Mass.; Alfred O. Houle, 25 E. Concord St., Dover, N. H.; Lt. Comdr. John F. McEndy, Hotel Knickerbocker, Milwaukee, Wise.; William S. Nagle, 176 Oakley Rd., Belmont, Mass.; Warren D. Shumway, 517 Fillmore Ave., East Aurora, N. Y.; Herbert C. Comstock, 23 Chase St., White Plains, N. Y.; Robert E. Sherer, 1125 36th St., Des Moines, la.; Samuel N. Stone, c/o William Mattison, Williams Rd., Concord, Mass.

Secretary, 2542 Stratford Rd., Cleveland Hgts., Ohio Acting Secretary, 3 Downing Rd., Hanover, N. H. Treasurer, 34 White Oak Road Wellesley Hills, Mass.