1928

With a navigation exam to prepare for and with both arms full of freshly injected yellow fever and tetanus germs, the deadline for these notes comes at an inopportune time. Hosever, this indoctrination course at Fort Schuyler (New York City) will be over May 19 and none of the thousand or more overworked officers here will be sorry.

Lt. Bob McPhail has recently been appointed commanding officer of the Navy's largest Flight Preparatory School, at California Polytechnic Institute, San Lois Obispo. A picture in another column shows Bob welcoming Rear Admiral Hardison, new chief of Naval Air Primary Training, while the latter was on an inspection tour.

Lt. Comdr. Sherm Baketel has been promoted to commanding officer of the destroyer escort of which he was formerly executive officer. He certainly has done well to climb from ensign to his present rank and to the command of a 300-footer in a comparatively short time.

Lt. Lew Hutcheson is on the staff of Commander Fleet Air at Quonset Point, R. I. Before the war Lew was one of the best marksmen in the country, so the Navy is utilizing his skill and ability by having him supervise the gunnery training of combat air crewmen. He travels a lot—had dinner recently in Jacksonville with Lt. Johnny Scott USNR.

Lt. Jack Heston is in the Norfolk area after a year of sea duty, but expects to go out again soon.

Lt. Norm Nash is serving on a carrier. Bud Waring, the old salt, doesn't have to wear sailor suits any more. He was commissioned a lieutenant (jg) and is now instructing midshipmen at Columbia University in the art of seamanship.

When I saw Lt. Comdr. Tom Talbot in Philadelphia two months ago he was trying to get away from his desk job there. He finally succeeded because he is now undergoing rigorous training at Fort Pierce, Florida, for advanced tactical base duty.

Hark Leach, who has just been promoted to captain in the Army Air Corps, writes from "somewhere in India":

"I recently spent some time with a QM trucking outfit of which Lt. Elliott W. Whitney '40 is one of the officers, and he showed me the issue of the ALUMNI MAGAZINE which had our New York 15th Reunion picture in it. I haven't received any of my copies since I left the states, but I am getting the Campaigner regularly.

"Have been on detached service with the RAF since December, and now have just started a new job with one of our own fighter squadrons in a little camp away out in the rice paddies and far from anything except semi-wild tribesmen and a few friendly monkeys. Not suffering any of the physical hardships more serious than living in a tent, eating from a mess kit, and bathing in a helmet.

"The Christmas V-Mail from President Hopkins made a hit with me—also the carton of Chesterfields which arrived March 10th. Please convey my appreciation to the class for this most welcome gift."

Collie Weeks is a lieutenant at Army Headquarters in Iceland. Lt. Al Perkins of the Army Air Force writes that he occasionally gets to London and intends to look up Ed Lockett, London representative of Time Magazine. He adds his thanks to the class for the cigarettes which finally caught up with him.

Barney Nova has changed rank and command. He is now a major and staff judge advocate of a certain well known AFSC and shouldn't be too hard to find in a certain large city in Italy. He says:

"I'd like Jack McLaughlin to tell me how one arranges to get back to New York. It appears that those in this theatre will sweat it out for the duration. However, our present setup is the best yet (anything is better than bivouac areas, mess lines and Spam)—we have hot water, beds, and heat in our building."

Lew Beers has been appointed Camp Manager by the N. Y. Telephone Co. and is responsible for all public telephone arrangements for the armed forces in three-quarters of Manhattan.

In the rush of our daily life we sometimes lose track of what is happening to some of our friends who are less fortunate than ourselves. What brought this to mind was a word that Jack Bell is in Trudeau Sanatorium, Saranac Lake, N. Y., fighting an attack of tuberculosis which was discovered when he tried to enter the Army.

And from Grace Anthony comes word that Ace has left Maryland and gone to St. Joseph's Sanatorium, El Paso, Texas. For over five years he has put up a magnificent fight against the same disease, and his courage and determination have been a source of inspiration to a great many of us. Grace is working in the Supply Office of the Naval Training Station, Cambridge, Md., and reports running across Lt. Dick Wallis, who is attached to the station.

Three years ago Woody Isham went to Washington as representative of the Standard Register Co. Two years of overwork landed him in the hospital for a ten-week fight with an anemic condition. Now he has recovered, but he's sold his house in Chevy Chase and moved to 1717 Loma Vista St., Pasadena, California, for a long rest.

Alumni Fund contributors are coming in from all over the world—just today I received a generous money order from Tech. Sgt. Larry Miter in Cairo and an equally generous check from Pvt. Merrill Whittemore in Italy. Merrill says his activities for the most part have been pretty dull—yet I've learned from my brother, who was in his outfit, that Merrill's campaign ribbon bears three stars—for engagements at Casablanca, Tunis and Italy. Dull, did you say, Merrill!

Chris Livingston is out of the country again —this time he is managing director of Caltex (Ceylon) Ltd., Colombo, Ceylon. Chris worked for the Texas Co. in China for years until the fall of Hong Kong when he was taken prisoner by the Japs. He was repatriated on the Gripsholm in 1942, along with Jerry Warner.

Merrill Shurtleff has been appointed by the N. H. State Board of Probation as probation officer for Carroll and Coos Counties.

Ernie Wright's company is busy making currency for several foreign countries—you boys in North Africa are using it as legal tender.

HAVE YOU MAILED YOUR ALUMNI FUND CONTRIBUTION??

1928 SECRETARY, Osmun Skinner, recently commissioned a Lt. (jg) in the Naval Reserve, will complete the indoctrination course at Fort Schuyler, New York, this month.

COMMANDING OFFICER of the Navy's largest Flight Preparatory School is Lt. Bob MacPhail '28 (right). He is welcoming Rear Admiral O. B. Hardison, new Chief of Naval Air Primary Training at San Luis Obispo.

Secretary, Troy, Pa. Treasurer, Lewis Historical Pub. Co., Inc. 80-Bth Ave., New York, N. Y.