1916
Only sound reason for disinterring the Notre Dame game is that the night before it a pretty good mess of '16ers assembled with the avowed intent of hearing talks about Hanover by official Hanoverians then on tour in Boston. The talks were superlative and appreciated, but at about this point accounts deposited anonymously with the present writer suddenly go incoherent (i.e. blooie), like a Freshman exam. Frankly, one suspects hilarity, in view of the fact that those present and (at least partially) accounted for include: Hobey Baker, Cliff Bean, Frank Bobst, Sam Cutler, Dan Dinsmoor, Dick Ellis, Jack English, Lincoln Filene, Jock Fletcher, Gran Fuller, Alec Jardine, Bill McKenzie, Art Marsden, Bert Phinney, Bob Stewart, Tug Tyler. Note the Symbolic sixteen sixteeners. But you don't need many '16ers to make you a good mess—not near so many as you do smelts—or other folks. Must be that esprit de corps stuff.
And even as individuals '16ers appear to be disporting themselves with astonishing vivacity. Take as witness this heart-warming bundle of 1916 communications which I have just alphabetized and will now retail in alphabetical order insofar as they prove to be legible and free from the grosser forms of indelicacy.
John Ames, now equipped with the grade of lieutenant colonel and a new assignment, has been kind as always in writing from France where he serves us and 130 million other folks as Chief of Morale Branch, with the 12 Army Group of peerless General Omar Bradley. John's comments on cathedrals and vintages and so forth and vintages stirs the sweet nostalgia of longing to be young and in France again, in France anyway. Max Bernkopf was immobilized recently with an attack of la grippe so that he missed the Notre Dame game (so called) and the pre-game meeting. Fortunately, he is now better—in fact, completely reestablished, as those cute French put it. Cap Carey, on the other hand, made what we must call the game with Notre Dame (patriai sermonis egistas) but was forced by circumstances undisclosed to miss the meeting, with regrets on all sides. Pete Cleaves? Well, Pete attended the Penn game and apparently enjoyed the idea for he is intent on following through with attendance at the Columbia game in company with Art Conley and, he hopes, other '16ers. As for Jim Coffin, Jim reports that his son is now a lieutenant (jg), was married in June, is assigned at present to transport training in Georgia. John Curtin stoutly asserts that he is "still grinding 'em out" but admits his presence at the Penn game with sole comment "Ouch!but there will be better days." Quite so, Jack, much better days, and lots of 'em. Sam (Nimrod) Cutler connived somehow to get him some shells and went hunting, a sport which he loves. Unverified reports from sources usually reliable indicate that Sam recently broke a bone in his foot in his quite understandable haste to take a 'phone-call from his son now in active service. Said reports further show that Sam's foot was painful and required a cast, but the snapper on the end of the yarn is that Sam went hunting anyway, cast and all, and took his vainly protesting physician with him. Sounds like Sam. Now, that's only the A B C of my letter file; D-Z next issue; give us more letters.
I used to suppose that piece about the melancholy days have come again, the saddest of the year.... referred to falling autumn leaves, but it doesn't—the feller was thinking about 1916 dues. Alec reports that despite his Caledonian efforts our standing in this respect is not so good this year as last and isn't getting any better fast. Even after usual allowances for the cussed large number of '16ers who won't pay dues there remains an extra cussed large number who haven't. If you know anyone in this latter category, tell him to see a specialist—he's in bad shape. The names of those thus far credited:
Abraham, Andrews, Bean, Behnke, Bernkopf, Biel, Blaney, Bobst, Burnham, Butler, Caiman, Campbell, Carey, Cleaves, Coburn, Coffin, Colton, Cranston, Craver, Curtin, Cutler, Dana, Davidson, DeVoe, Dingwall, Dinsmoor, Drury, Dudley, Eastman, Eskeline, Evans, Fenno, Filene, Fishback, Fletcher, Fuller, Gammons, Garcia, Gaylord, George, Gile, Green, Gufnbart, Hale, Harrington, Harris, Harvey, Hayden, Hayward, Herold, Holmes, Hosmer, Howell, Jardine, Kirkland, Knight, Lapierre, Larmon, Lawson, Lincoln, Lindman, Linihan, Lyman, McClellan, McFalls, McKenzie, McQuesten, Magill, Marsden, Mason, Merryman, Morse, Mott, Moxon, Newmark, Paine, Palmer, Parkhurst, Parsons, Perkins, Pettengill, Phinney, Pratt, Riley, Shanahan, Shaw, Smith St. G., Smith O. R., Stamatiades, Stearns, Stowell, Soule, Sully, Tripolitis, Upham, Ward, Welch, Williams, White, Woolworth. One hundred even, but....
Sure, the treasurer is smart and his name is Alec, but he's no smart Alec, just poor old Jardine who needs your money, needs it bad, and needs it now. Why don't you give the devil his dues? What in the name of naughtynaughty do you want the guy to do—fight you for it? O K then, activate this matter, and quick like a bunny. Whole darn business would make anyone else feel meaner'n a stubb-tailed bull in fly time, as we say down home, but Alec, bless him, he's as sweet and calm as Joe Stalin on election eve.
Only three recent 'changes of address: Glen C. Gould, 3630 Foster Hill Drive, St. Petersburg, Fla.; Robert W. McClure, 78 S Allen Ave., Pasadena 8, Calif.; Harley H. Chamberlin, 44 S Spring St., Concord, N. H.
Secretary, 2543 Stratford Rd., Cleveland Hgts., Ohio Secretary, 3 Downing Rd., Hanover, N. H. Treasurer, 34 White Oak Road Wellesley Hills, Mass.
