ALUMNI OFFICERS MEET

Six Groups Represented by 150 at Hanover Gathering

THE FIRST GENERAL gathering of Dartmouth alumni officers since the spring of 1942 was held in Hanover on the week-end of June 9-10, with the Board of Trustees and the Dartmouth Alumni Council heading upwards of 150 men who returned to the College. Also in town for joint and separate meetings were the Dartmouth Secretaries Association, the Class Treasurers Association, the Class Agents Association, and the Dartmouth Athletic Council, all of whom met together with the Trustees and Council for the annual dinner at the Hanover Inn.

In conjunction with the gathering of these alumni officers, the annual meeting of the General Association of Alumni of Dartmouth College was held in Dartmouth Hall on the evening of June 9. Sigurd S. Larmon '14, president of the General Association, presided over this meeting at which note was taken of Dartmouth's 175 th anniversary, and speakers included President Hopkins; Captain Damon E. Cummings, USN, commanding officer of the Dartmouth V-12 Unit; Henry E. Atwood 'l3, chairman of the 1944 Alumni Fund Committee; and Robert Frost '96, Ticknor Fellow in the Humanities at Dartmouth. Following the meeting, President and Mrs. Hopkins held a garden reception at their home for alumni, Navy staff, faculty, and Dartmouth students.

Ideal Hanover spring weather was available on Friday, June 9, and the Navy V-12 dress parade held that afternoon in honor of the visiting alumni was an impressive sight of trim white uniforms against the green of the campus and bordering elms. On the following day one of New Hampshire's harder rainstorms washed out the baseball doubleheader with Pennsylvania (and with it the Big Green's chance to tie for the Eastern Intercollegiate League title) and forced indoors that evening the smoker and V-12 boxing finals scheduled to be held on the new outdoor stage in the football stadium. Sunday dawned clear and perfect again, sending alumni off with cheery rather than rain-drenched memories.

During the week-end alumni had ample opportunity to see the College operating in its new Wartime role and to absorb some of the nautical atmosphere which now pervades the campus. In addition to the regimental review, alumni inspected the commando course on Chase Field; saw an exhibition of Navy teaching aids in College Hall; saw the reenactment, through the use of ship models, of the Battle of the Scharnhorst; and visited Middle Mass dormitory, one of the Navy V-12 billets. The Trustees and members of the Alumni Council capped the Navy sampling by going through the Thayer Hall chow line Friday noon, starting at one end and coming out the other one minute later with a full and tasty meal on their compartmented trays.

The alumni business sessions got under way on Thursday night, June 8, when the Athletic Council held its spring meeting. The Council discussed present and postwar policies with President Hopkins and elected the following officers for the year 1944-45: President, James M. Mathes '11, Greenwich, Conn.; secretary, Prof. Leslie F. Murch, Hanover; and treasurer, Max A. Norton '19, Hanover.

The following morning the Board of Trustees and the Alumni Council entered upon all-day sessions, while secretaries, class treasurers, and class agents arrived for their meetings which began Saturday morning with a joint session, followed by separate meetings of the three groups.

The annual meeting of the General Association of Dartmouth Alumni on Friday night climaxed the week-end program with a highly successful speaking program. Following the invocation by the Rev. Charles C. Merrill '94 and the report by Mr. Atwood on 1944's record-breaking Alumni Fund, Mr. Larmon introduced Captain Cummings, Dartmouth's V-12 skipper. Captain Cummings told the assembled alumni that all the evidence pointed to the fact that Dartmouth was doing a good job for the Navy and that reports coming back from graduated V-12 men gave a uniform pattern of appreciation for what they had received from the College.

Pointing out that what the Navy needs from the colleges is sound citizens, Captain Cummings stated:

We are turning out from here young men fit to go in the Navy and fight and I believe that Dartmouth College is giving them the basic elements of sound citizenship. I see it in the classrooms; I see the faculty earnestly concerned over them; and I congratulate Dartmouth College on the job it is doing there. So again I think you need have no fear of what Dartmouth is turning out in her V-12 men, and I think that if you can do some of the things which are vital to good citizenship, which are being done to these young men here in this special course, you will continue to do a very fine job of teaching."

Robert Frost, instead of giving a talk, chose to read some of his poems, to the delight of the alumni audience. He was followed by President Hopkins, the final speaker of the evening, who commented that the spirit of the 175th anniversary of the College could be better presented in poetry than in prose.

President Hopkins recalled the first triennial meeting of the Dartmouth alumni in 1855 and said, "The speakers at that celebration—as had been the habit of Dartmouth alumni always—came back to speak of it not primarily as a great educational institution—which it may or may not have been—but as a great influence. And it is that family aspect, supplementing all else, that prevails even to the present day and that means so much at a time like this."

Space does not permit the printing of all of President Hopkins' address to the alumni, but the following excerpts cover its essential points:

Here tonight we have commemorated a century and three quarters of. a great liberal arts college. And this is what I really have wanted to say, that without the interest, affection, solicitude and support of yourselves and the thousands you represent, Dartmouth could not be the college she is today. It has been said that Rome was not loved because she was great but that she was great because she was loved. Certainly this can be said of Dartmouth

Tonight our interest is in the liberal arts college and we are dealing with the independent undergraduate college of private endowment. This is the type of college that was mother of us all. When you talk about the great universities and the great technical schools and all that is offered in the newer educational systems of the country, you are considering the offspring of the historic, independent, privately endowed, undergraduate college of which Dartmouth is representative. It is therefore something more than a self-satisfaction that is involved so far as we are concerned in maintaining such an institution as ours and in making it strong and it is something more than nostalgia that at a period of stress and storm such as the present time we should occasionally turn our thoughts to what the civilian college ought to be in peace time as well as what the civilian college should be transformed into in time of war.

Let there be no misunderstanding; we are happy to be able to render the service that we are rendering; we are happy to have the privilege of extending hospitality to such a unit as V-12; we are happy in the association with such men as make up the Navy staff. But it is a war-time emergency that we are endeavoring to meet and it is foreign to the function which is primarily ours in times of peace. We serve now as a war necessity, willingly and gladly and hopeful of serving well, but the longtime service to the country must be a service to those qualities of heart and mind and soul which make for better living and for better understanding of life. It is with such matters in mind that here in this gathering and at this time acknowledgement of appreciation to the faculty should be made for what they have done and for what they are doing. We express our deep gratitude to these men- who are so willingly diverting their attention from what are their primary interests and are effectively doing the necessary things. They are our reserves for reconversion of the College to the needs of peace.

As to the future I am not entirely sure but what in the long working out of educational programs there may be a desirable mean between the processes of the Naval Academy and those of the liberal arts college. It may be that there should be more education in the one and it is possible that there should be more training in the other, but those are things to be worked out in the long future. For the time being our role must be that of an influence within the great field of education.

.... We speak of the great numbers enrolled in the Army and in the Navy,, but between three and four times as many are engaged in the ordinary processes of education at any given time. But what should be the inspiration of that educational process? Shouldn't it be the thing for which the liberal college stands? Shouldn't it be the aspiration that life should be made happier and more satisfactory for the individual? That is what we believe and that is what the educational process at Dartmouth is designed to achieve.

In recent months, as the principles of good living have been attacked and as cumulatively they have been endangered, we have become more conscious and more sensitive, I think, than ever before to what our opportunity is and have come to new consciousness of the points at which opportunity has not been utilized effectively in times past. As it has been for the one hundred seventyfive years past, sometimes without understanding and sometimes with a very keen understanding, so it is tonight again that Dartmouth seeks comprehension of the limitless bounds of its opportunity and of its obligation. And furthermore I know that as spokesman of you men of the alumni as well as of the Faculty and of the Trustees, I speak with authority in pledging Dartmouth's every effort to press such search.

WALTER WANGER HEADS ALUMNI

In addition to the speaking program, election of officers for the coming year constituted an important part of the General Association meeting. Walter F. Wanger '15 of Hollywood, Calif., was elected president; Ben Ames Williams '10 of Boston, first vice president; Charles F. McGoughran '20 of New York City, second vice president; Sidney C. Hayward '26 of Hanover, secretary-treasurer; and John M. Comstock '77 of Chelsea, Vt., statistical secretary. The Association's executive committee consists of Harold W. Mason '17 of Brattleboro, Vt., chairman; Roland E. Stevens '95, White River Junction, Vt.; Leon B. Richardson '00, HanDonald C. Bennink '15, Lawrence, Mass.; Parker Merrow '25, Center Ossipee, N. H.; and G. Warren French '30, New York City.

ALUMNI COUNCIL MEETING

The Dartmouth Alumni Council meeting was presided over by J. William Embree Jr. 'si of Chicago, the Council president, and was devoted to a full docket of business. Reports were heard from Philip H. Chase '07, chairman of the Committee on Admissions and Schools; Percy O. Dorr '02, chairman of the Parents Committee; Philip S. Marden '94, chairmanf the Special Committee on the Wheelock Memorial; Clifford A. Randall '27, chairman of the Special Committee on Alumni Club Activity; Carl F. Woods '04, chairman of the Dartmouth College Athletic Council; Prof. Francis L. Childs '06, chairman of the Committee on Alumni Projects; Henry E. Atwood '13, chairman of the Alumni Fund Committee; Edward E. Martin 'l9, chairman of the Committee onClass Gifts to the College; Rudolf F. Haffenreffer '25, chairman of the Committee on Class Organization; and Fred C. Shaneman '24, chairman of the Vocational Committee.

Others who spoke to the Council were Dean Robert C. Strong '24, who discussed both admissions and the Marine V-12 academic matters, of which he is in charge; William H. McCarter 'l9, director of athletics; Albert I. Dickerson '30, executive secretary of the Alumni Fund; Prof. Francis J. Neef, director of the Personnel Bureau, who is playing a large part in the Council's vocational plan for alumni; Dean Lloyd K. Neidlinger '23, who reviewed recent Navy V-12 developments; Halsey C. Edgerton '06, College treasurer, who spoke on Navy contractual relationships; Dean E. Gordon Bill, who described the faculty's V-12 activities; and Sidney C. Hayward '26, who discussed V-12 alumni relationships.

The matter of the future relationship of V-12 men to Dartmouth was discussed at length by the Council and members were largely in favor of offering some form of alumni affiliation to interested Navy and Marine students. By formal vote the Alumni Council approved the establishment of an alumni organization for both the V-12 and Indoctrination Naval Training Schools and appointed a special committee to report back to the Council at the October 13 meeting in Boston. Leslie W. Snow 'l2 of New York was named chairman of this committee and the other members are Sidney C. Hayward '26, secretary; Prof. Francis L. Childs '06, Rudolf F. Haffenreffer '25, Doane Arnold '27, Alex J. McFarland '30, and Lt. Mansfield D. Sprague '33. This committee includes representatives from all the various associations of alumni officers.

ATWOOD COUNCIL PRESIDENT

In its election of officers for 1944-45, the Alumni Council named Henry E. Atwood 'l3 of Minneapolis as president; Leslie W. Snow 'l2 of New York, vice president; and Sidney C. Hayward '26 of Hanover, secretary. Two members-at-large elected for three-year terms were Joshua A. Davis '27, New York City, and James F. Woods '33, Boston. Lloyd D. Brace '25 of Boston was elected an alumni member of the Athletic Council for three years, and James M. Langley '18 of Concord, N. H., was chosen alumni member of the Board of Proprietors of The Dartmouth for three years. The Council's executive committee will include the president, vice president and secretary and two other members: James J. Norton 'OB of Los Angeles, Calif., and Edward R. Keeler 'll of Chicago.

Among the resolutions adopted by the Alumni Council were the following brought in by the committee headed by Alex J. McFarland '30 of Boston;

RESOLVED: That in this crucial and critical period of the Battle for Freedom, the Alumni Council acclaim and wish God's favor to the more than 8,000 men of Dartmouth in uniform who, with untold sacrifice, are battling at home and abroad for the preservation of those ideals and ideas upon which the future of Dartmouth depends.

RESOLVED: That to the Chairman of the Alumni Fund Committee, Henry E. Atwood '13, and to the Executive Secretary of that Committee, Albert I. Dickerson '3O, the Council voice its deep respect and esteem for their untiring, capable and surely-to-be successful labors in directing the 1944 Dartmouth Alumni Fund, and that the Council acknowledge with gratitude the admirable services rendered by George F. Theriault '33, and Miss Evonne Coburn to the Alumni Fund Committee and to the Class Agents of the College.

RESOLVED: That the Council express to Captain D. E. Cummings, Commanding Officer of the Dartmouth V-12 Navy Unit, the appreciation of the alumni for the spirit and attitude of cooperation which he and his staff have exhibited in working with the College in administering Navy affairs in Hanover.

RESOLVED: That in this year of the 175th anniversary of the founding of Dartmouth, the Alumni Council, speaking for itself and for all Dartmouth alumni the world over, express to Ernest Martin Hopkins, in the 28th year of his administration as President of the College, immeasurable thanks for the leadership, wisdom and vision he has afforded the institution of Dartmouth which we hold so dear, and repledge to him, upon his call in the interests of Dartmouth College, the fullest resources of the sons of Dartmouth who regard so highly the place he has taken in the life of the College and in the lives of Dartmouth men.

The joint meeting of class and club secretaries, class treasurers, and class agents on Saturday morning was presided over by Henry R. Lane '07, head of the Secretaries Association. Following talks on the Dartmouth Vocational Plan, class memorial funds, and V-12 alumni relations, the three groups broke up into separate meetings, Chandler H. Foster '15 presiding over the treasurers' session, James B. Reynolds '90 over that of the class agents, James C. White '24 of the Dartmouth Club of New York over that of the club and association secretaries, and Mr. Lane over the meeting of the class secretaries. Election of officers in the various groups resulted in the following slates for the year 1944-45:

SECRETARIES ASSOCIATION

President—Robert E. Cleary '26, Montclair, N. J:; Vice President—Laurence M. Symmes '08, New York City; Secretary-Treasurer—Sidney C. Hayward '26, Hanover; Editor of the ALUMNI MAGAZINE—CharIes E. Widmayer '30, Hanover. Executive Committee—Mr. Cleary, chairman; Mr. Symmes; Mr. Hayward; Ernest H. Earley '18, New York City; James T. White '24, New York City.

Alumni Council Representative for 3 Years— Doane Arnold '27, Boston.

Member of the Advisory Board of the ALUMNI MAGAZINE—CarIos H. Baker '32, Princeton, N. J.

CLASS TREASURERS ASSOCIATION

President—Robert D. Salinger '26, Boston; Vice President—Donald Brooks '17, Upper Montclair, N. J.; Secretary-Treasurer—Donald L. Barr '18, Hanover. Executive Committee—Mr. Salinger, chairman; Mr. Brooks; Mr. Barr; Charles V. Raymond '30, Welles-ley, Mass.; Alexander J. Jardine '16, Wellesley, Mass. Alumni Council Representative—Rudolf F. Haffenreffer 3rd '25, Bristol, R. 1., continues.

CLASS AGENTS ASSOCIATION

President—Roscoe G. Geller '12, Owego, N. Y.; Vice President—M. Crawford Pollock '2B, Wilmington, Del.; Secretary—Albert I. Dickerson '30, Hanover.

Executive Committee—Mr. Geller, chairman; Mr. Pollock; Mr. Dickerson; Joshua A. Davis '27, New York City.

Alumni Council Representative—Alex J. McFarland '30, Boston, continues.

SPEAKERS AT THE ANNUAL ALUMNI ASSOCIATION MEETING (left), shown on the steps of Dartmouth Hall, were (I. to r.) Henry E. Atwood '13, Alumni Fund chairman and newly elected president of the Alumni Council; Sigurd S. Larmon '14, 1943-44 president of the General Association; President Hopkins; Captain Damon E. Cummings; and Robert Frost '96. At the right are shown President and Mrs. Hopkins and Captain and Mrs. Cummings receiving at the President's garden reception which followed the annual alumni meeting.

ALUMNI OFFICERS ATTENDING THE HANOVER MEETINGS JUNE 9-10 SHOWN AT SPECIAL NAVY V-12 REVIEW IN THEIR HONOR