1921
The biggest '21 news to come out of Washington since the last blast is the nomination (and confirmation) of Ellis O. Briggs as Ambassador to the Dominican Republic. This new post is right in line with El's career in the foreign service, which has always been concerned with Latin American affairs. You will recall that his assignments outside of Washington have been in Peru, Cuba, Chile, and then Cuba again. Checking with Gord Merriam at the Dept. of State, this reporter learned that brother-in-law El was due back from Habana late in April and probably would depart for Ciudad Trujillo (Santo Domingo to you) the latter part of May. We hope to secure an exclusive interview for this sheet while he's back in the States The '21 delegation in the Nation's Capital is staggering under a double blow. Early in April, Lewis (Red) Kerlin resigned his WPB post to return to the National Carbon Cos. at its Lakewood (Cleveland) Works; a week later, Hank Palmer turned over his laboring on the synthetic rubber program to assistants and hied himself back to Akron, his company, Firestone T. & R., having decided that 24 months was the maximum period it could loan Hank's technical ability to the Rubber Reserve Co. (RFC) Family items gleaned by your reporter on the Washington front: Nichols Grundman joined Rock's family in the Virginia suburbs March 23, 1943, giving father and son a common birthday to celebrate. Young Rock Jr., is about 10 years the senior of his brother. Nelson Lee Smith Jr., 19, is about to complete the QM training course at Sampson (N. Y.) Naval Training Sta. as this issue goes to press. Mary Shoup (re. age, seethis column for April, 1944) with her father recently journeyed from Colorado to the Nation's shrine at Mount Vernon, Va.; was interviewed in Washington's Hotel Willard by one of our spies, and left town without giving this department even a tumble.
R. DeWitt Mallary, Springfield attorney, was elected a director of Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Co. at the 92nd annual meeting of policyholders on February 2. We are indebted to both Cory Litchard and the company for sending extensive material about this nice honor for Fat, including the photograph on this page. Congratulations to the principal in the story, who yielded this column a nice long letter dealing primarily with the Mallary family. De and Gertrude have-sold their home in Springfield and established headquarters (at least for the duration) at the farm in Fairlee, Vt., to and from which De commutes every Friday noon and Sunday night. Gertrude is doing a war job of management at the farm, which you'll recall is no one-horse establishment by any stretch of the imagination. Callers in Springfield, Mass., should seek out DeWitt in his law offices at 1323 Main St., care of the firm of Mallary and Gilbert While still in the legal dept., a grand letter from Joe Vance discloses that his firm, Beaumont, Smith & Harris, is now quartered at 1100 Ford Bldg., Detroit, Mich. Joe writes that Harold Bowen is living at 818 Lawrence Ave., Detroit, rather than on Grosse He Speaking of Detroit, Lt. Comdr. Ky Frost turns up as Executive and Operations Officer of the Advanced Base Section, Naval Supply Depot, Oakland, Calif., which makes him a neighbor of Lt. Col. Roland Batchelder at the Army QM Depot in that city. Ky wrote March 27 that "our job is to assemble and process the equipment necessary for the establishment of the various advanced bases now going into the Pacific. Needless to say, it is an extremely interesting assignment. I haven't been back to Washington since I came out here last June, but don't be surprised if I turn up there for a short visit one of these days, in which case I will most certainly look you up." How about some of you other guys doing the same, when you hit this remote post?
D. C. RED TAPE
Howie Heath, so busy across the Potomac at the Pentagon that no one in Washington has seen him tor many moons, communicates with headquarters via Chicago, this oblique technique no doubt being attributable to War Department experience. Howie wrote Bob Mac Donald in the Windy City March 22 that he was heading into the busy season, "for as efficiency rating officer of the War Dept., I have to sparkplug the program covering 750,000 classified civilian employees in the U. S. A. and points East, West, South, and North. This program is reaching its peak March 31, when about 90 to 99% will receive their 'regular' annual rating." .... Bob Burroughs in the N. H. presidential preference primary was elected a delegate to the Rep. National Convention. This department is now trying to find out the name of Bob's favorite candidate following Willkie's withdrawal from the race Jim Stanley is manager of the Fairfield Woolen Mills at Waterville, Me.
SAINT LOUIS
Lt. Jack Hurd writes a mighty interesting letter from the Naval Air Sta., Lambert Field, Saint Louis (where he is Head o£ Recognition) which we wish space permitted quoting at length. Jack was transferred there last December from the Naval Flight Preparatory School, Louisiana State Normal College, Natchitoches, where he was Ground School Officer, and is now living, with his wife, in Clayton, Mo., about eight miles from Lambert Field "and in the immediate vicinity are a dozen Dartmouth men fond of beer and poker and two Dartmouth aviators, flight instructors, at Lambert."
Secretary, 201 W. Montgomery Ave., Rockville, Md. Treasurer,545 Hinman Ave., Evanston, Ill.
