1940
This issue rounds out a full year for me on the writing of class notes, which, with the correspondence attendant to it, seems to be the sole duty of a third assistant acting secretary for a Dartmouth class gone to war. Most of the time I feel that the job is worth while. It is—from a strictly personal point of view; for the opportunities it affords to maintain contact with a larger portion of the class than would otherwise be the case are important to any Dartmouth man. But frequently, and increasingly as the casualty reports come through, the realization of the inadequacy of the small bits of news that come to me and are passed along here brings with it a sense of frustration. Joe '40, in all theatres of the war is being killed, and hurt, and the civilian waits for the news and then writes that Joe was a good egg, and he belonged to this or that, and he was such and such at Dartmouth. The important part of his story, the part in which his real accomplishments, were fulfilled, are summed up in a few words on time and place. Neither he nor we care that he sunk a house, or made Phi Bete or was Green Key from the Athletic Comp. The things he cared about were bigger than those, and the little jot in class notes that we give him very nearly approaches absurdity. So now I've come to listing the barest facts, his name, what he did that carried a convenient label and hence was recorded, and the circum- stances of his passing. The rest of his known history is so unimportant beside the unknown that it's better left unwritten.
Last month it was Edward Giorchino and Norbert Hamilton. This month the news of Eliot Bridge. The small notes that reached us from all three have indicated bigger and more complete stories. Ed flew in raids over Europe for many months. We learned of his decorations, and then of his death in a plane crash in England. Norbert, we knew, was in the Army in England, then the usual War Department announcement, "killed in action somewhere in France." Elly was, they said, a leader of men, but all we heard was that plus a decoration, and the story of his death on a landing boat at Guam. For these three, and the others, we express our deepest feeling of respect and admiration, and our regret that the class can record their lives only through cold words and a few paragraphs of notes.
These few items were left out last month for lack of space:
Ed Miller is reported back at work again following another bout with an old back injury. DaveDavenport has finally appeared in Ireland where he's working for Pan-American Airways. PhilDostal, traveling again, has returned to. the West Coast. Bill Harriman has turned up, via a change of address report. He's now in Venezuela for Creole Petroleum Corp. as a geologist. GordonStokes, M.D. and recently married, is a fellow of the Mayo Foundation at the Mayo Clinic. AllenStein has changed names and will henceforth respond to calls for Alan Johnson. Capt. Les Nichols is public relations officer for the 10th Armored Division at Camp Gordon, Ga.
Via Jack Rourke, who, it would appear from changed addresses, is traveling all over the country for N. W. Ayer, comes a letter from Deane Freeman, LSTing in the . Pacific, complaining in a nice way of the continual mixup resulting from the similarity of his name to Socks Freeman and ScottyTreeman. It seems that we located Scotty with the Amphibious Forces, and Deane, after checking with nine others, an insufficient number to check anything in the Navy, still isn't sure which one is in the Navy and which in the Caribbean flying for the Army. An apology is perhaps in order, but it'll probably happen again next month, so what s the use. And another from Lew Chipman, medical officer on a destroyer in the Pacific, who reports an expected furlough in California, and a long delayed reunion with his wife.
Capt. Bud Hewitt checks in after a few months lapse. He now carries the imposing title of Chief, Enlisted Assignment Section, Personnel Branch, Second Air Force, which means that all transfers of enlisted men for the Superfortresses as well as replacement crews on Fortresses, Liberators, P-40's and P-47's are ordered through his office. He finds Colorado Springs a delightful place to be stationed, and reports a very nice surplus of desirable dates. Bud and Ned Jacoby, after three months of red-tape-cutting, " have secured Ned's transfer to special training for the B-29's. Ned's experience flying every type of ship for the ATC makes the jump to the big. ones a bit easier. The line is to- ward a job as Operations Officer for a Very Heavy Squadron. Bud also reports on Capt. ]oe Bird, also in the Second Air Force and currently in charge of their metereology in the Northwest. Joe is stationed at Gowen Field, Boise, Idaho. There are now four Dartmouth men at Colorado Springs, and if any more show up there should be room for another Alumni club.
We almost missed this month on additions to the class family, but A/C Jay Weinberg, with the usual cooperation from Mrs. W, showed up with one James Schaap Weinberg on Septembers.
PUBLICITY WRITER Les Nichols '40 beams when talking of his new daughter, Nancy Ann. He is with the 10th Armored Division.
Acting Secretary, 1 Terrace St., Montpelier, Vt.
