1927
The holidays sure slid by fast this year and here it is time to write another column. We hope your families all had a Merry Christmas and that all your New Year's resolutions are not broken yet.
A month ago we wrote that we had just learned that Lt. Gordon Hope USNR was stationed at Hingham, and that we hoped to see him before he left these parts. The following morning much to our surprise and pleasure Gordon phoned us at the office. He had just come up to Boston with a new LST and invited us to come down to see it. We took advantage of his kind offer and spent a most interesting hour inspecting this new ship from stem to stern. Gordon was a most excellent guide for not only is he now attached to a pre-commissioning detail at the yard where many of these ships are built, but also he had spent some months aboard an LST in the Pacific. He participated in several invasions including Tarawa so he really knew what the ships are built to do and how they do it. Gordon became executive officer of his ship before leaving the Pacific, and on his way back to a new assignment it was discovered that he had combat fatigue which resulted in his spending four months in a hospital in Hawaii. He looks to be in the pink of condition now, however, and is happily settled with his family in Cohasset, a neighboring town to Hingham.
We ran into Bill Cusack and Andy Rankin having lunch today. Both appeared to be hale and hearty. Andy seemed pleased to report that his job in Washington is taking less of his time now so that he can be at home for longer periods.
Had a phone call from Harry Benson today. He is still living out in Walpole where he works for Kendall Mills. Harry reported that he and his family are all well.
A recent letter from Charlie Bartlett informs us that he spent Christmas day at sea. We also heard recently that when Charlie's new ship sailed for her first active duty, Lt. Bill Abbott had the honor of casting off the last line.
A fine letter from Bill King who is still working in Boston as vice president of the Felters Co. Bill modestly states that his company is generous with that title. Bill adds:
I like my work okay except that it cuts in on my time so much. I live in Marshfield now on the North River and would like to have time to fish more, hunt ducks more, use my bird dog more, run. rabbits with 6 Beagles another guy and I own] fuss with a boat on the river, play a little tennis besides taking care of 8 acres of land, 6 mallards] 20 chickens and 4 Shropshire sheep. I'm also expected to occasionally check in with Mrs. K. and three kids.
One good reason Bill has had so little time for those pleasant pursuits is the fine job he has been doing in the U. S. Coast Guard Temporary Reserve. For over a year he has been a lieutenant (jg) and personnel officer for Division 5b which covers the South Shore from Cohasset through Plymouth. Prior to that Bill was a chief bos'un's mate and commanding officer of the Cohasset unit whose duties involved beach patrol work. Bill says: "Beach patrol the winter of 1942 was something in case you don't know. There is nothing like a nice high narrow sea wall iced up good, with a stiff N. E. wind and strict orders not to use a flash light except in emergencies."
The Berlin, N. H., paper recently published a picture of Paul Hannah with a nice article saying, among other things, that he is the first Berlin man to be honored by promotion to the rank of colonel. We quote: "Colonel Hannah is at present commanding officer of the Dayton Signal Corps Procurement District of the DSCSA. He entered the United States Army December 1, 1941, and was assigned to the office of the Chief Signal Officer, Washington, D. C. He was promoted to the rank of lieutenant colonel in June 1942, and was assigned to the Ft. Monmouth Signal Corps Procurement District, Bradley Beach, N. J., January 25, 1944."
Paul was assigned to the Dayton office in April of 1944. He attended the George Washington University Law School and received the LL.B. degree in 1933. He is a member of the American Bar Association, District of Columbia Bar Association, Barristers, Advocate Club, Order of Coif, Phi Delta Phi, Phi Beta Kappa, Kappa Sigma and past Chairman of the Jun'or Bar Association. Paul's wife, Elizabeth, and their two children, Paul Jr. eight, and Richard four are with him in Dayton. The article ends with the news that the Colonel graduated from Berlin High School in 1923 and was editor-in-chief of school publications and valedictorian of his class so you can see he got the habit before coming to Dartmouth.
Frank Cloran and his wife Margaret have moved to California and are now living in Pasadena.
Don Swenson is now a captain in the Army and is stationed in Arcadia, Calif. Lloyd Eno lives in Washington, D. C., where he is working for the Government as assistant director for administration of the Federal Public Housing Authority. Marshall Schacht is in New York City living at 325 East 24th Street. Latest address for Norman Page is 65 Broadway, N. Y. 6, N. Y.
More and more of our good classmates are on overseas duty in the armed forces. We know from our correspondence the thing they appreciate most is mail. This column tries to keep you informed as to who these men are and we sincerely hope you are keeping the letters going to them. If you want any of their addresses we will be glad to forward them to you or, if you prefer, you may send the letters to us and we will see that they are properly addressed and mailed. What if the guy wasn't your best friend in college? He'll get a great kick out of the thought that you spent a few minutes to sit down and write to him.
Here's another overseas classmate: Major John W. Draper, c/o Mr. Thayer P. Draper, Hastings-on-Hudson, N. Y.
FOUR DARTMOUTH MEN HOLD IMPORTANT POSTS AT THE Mayport, Fla., Naval Auxiliary Air Station. They are (I. to r.) Lt. Cmdr. Melville P. Merritt '20 USNR, commanding officer; Lt. Richard T. Willis '22 USNR, air operations officer; Lt. John E. McLaughlin '28, executive officer; Ens. Robert Hershfield '43, crash boat skipper. In college/ Merritt was on the football and baseball teams; Willis with the Barbary Coast Band; McLaughlin on the soccer team and in the Players; and Hershfield on the basketball squad.
Secretary, 134 Vine St., Chestnut Hill, 67, Mass.
Treasurer, Box 1412, Pittsburgh 30, Penna.
