1934
You probably remember reading a short time back about the Coast Guard doing a nifty piece of work capturing three German weather-reporting expeditions in the Greenland area. A great deal of credit for that action went to the Coast Guard ship Eastwind, of which Lt. Curt Howard was then navigator. Curt was put in charge of the prize crew which brought the only surviving German trawler into port and then took to the air lanes to give the story of the capture on the March of Time program.
Capt. Bob Smith helped straighten us out on what he's been doing in recent months, with a short note:
I was converted from Air Corps to Ground Forces in February and then joined the 100 th General Hospital which worked in England through the spring and summer; then after the usual scenic camping trip through the best cowpastures in Normandy, we have set up a little nearer the source of supply and are trying to operate in made-over stables while engineers drop pipes and plaster all over us I had a visit with Stan Neill before I left England,, and realized for sure that I was in the wrong outfit when I had a taste of how the Navy lives. Colored waiters, steaks, not to mention ice cream twice every day .... really is gilding the lily a bit.
News of a football game may seem a little untimely when this gets into print, but you know how slow deliveries are these days, and by the time it reaches some of you lads in far off waters, we may not miss the '45 season so far. Anyhow, Scherman went to see it, wrote about it, and since you've missed hearing from him for several months, here's a sample of the stuff that will be coming your way in the Newsletter shortly.
Saw the Columbia game a week ago, was quite exhilarated at the victory, even though it looked a little bit like a high school game. Guess the V-12s just ain't got the time to practice. Some '34s who had seats in our vicinity were Gene Orsenigo, Bob U. Brown and Dr. Sarge Sarajian, the demon saw- bones of Park Ridge, N. J. Sarge and his wife sat just behind us, and during the half we reviewed the past ten years in our own lives and those of our mutual friends in the class. Ray Hulsart is back from the Gilberts, sporting—of all things—a modest tan. He is headed for a Navy Radar school down in Georgia.
Lt. William Crites (Peaches to you) Ramsey Jr. has been accomplishing lots of thingshe hasn't mentioned before. First, he's beenmarried since March of '42 to Mary JaneKopperad of Omaha. They now have adaughter, Mary Laura, born in February '43.Bill is now in Washington and surroundedby more '34 men than I knew were left atany one spot in this country "You shouldmove your biz to these parts. Everybody elseis here; Hedges, Dick Poisson, Dick Gerstell,Stan Smoyer, Board Veazie, Dick Lyons, BillBrister, etc., etc.even saw Jack Gilbert Sunday at a Moral Rearmament meeting I'm still plugging away in the Bureau ofOrdnance—too old to get out, consideringrank (which is the only time they notice it)."
Capt. June Kneisel rated quite a column in his home-town paper, which makes good reading and brings us up to date on the doc and his activities
Captain John J. Kneisel Jr. 31, son of Mrs. Mamie Kneisel of 947 Grant Ave., and the late John J. Kneisel, is a member of a portable surgical unit which operates as close as 200 yards behind the front lines in jungle fighting, and has played an important part in saving the lives of American soldiers in the invasion of Morotai in the Southwest Pacific.
Captain Kneisel's unit, the Fifth Portable Surgical Hospital, was performing operations in its small tent-covered hospital on its first case three hours after the first assault troops hit the beaches.
Chief function of the portable surgical units is to bring surgery to wounded soldiers often within 30 minutes after being hit. They were first used in the bloody Buna campaign almost two years ago. They carry some of their instruments and equipment with them, but rely a good deal on parachute supplies. Operations are performed wherever a bomb-protected pit can be dug.
Captain Kneisel, who has lived in Pelham for 15 years, is a graduate of Barnard School for Boys at Fieldston, N. Y., Dartmouth, and Harvard Medical School, where he specialized in brain surgery under the world-renowned Dr. Elliott Cutler. He first took a medical internship and then a surgical internship at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, after which he was house officer there. He also was connected with Peter Brent Brigham Hospital and Children's Hospital, Boston.
He entered the service January 4, 1941, and was stationed at Fort Dix and Walter Reed General Hospital in Washington, and Fort Lewis, Ta- coma, Wash., before going overseas April 20, 1941. He spent two years in Australia before joining t he portable unit.
Our cub reporter for the metropolitan New York area sent in a very sketchy account of the '34s in attendance at the Dartmouth Night celebration. It makes up quite an impressive list, including such names as Si Lewis, Van Thorne, Major Babe Shea, who is purchasing medical supplies in New York, Len Harrison, Roald Morton, currently the executive partner of the Blue List Publishing Co., Lt. Les Lummis of the Navy, Dave Callaway, Bill Gilmore, who is among other things the first officer of one of the planes flown by American Airlines, and Perry Woodbury.
Our own Stork Club announcements for the month include Agnes Barye Taggart, daughter of Dan and Katherine, who has been with us since August 23, 1944. Anothe newcomer is young Jimmy Dunn Jr. with October 7, '44, the big date. Dr. Joe Furst, who is now in private practice as a psychoanalyst and psychiatrist in New York, is rather new as a pappy, having had his first child, a daughter, Diana, in December of '43. Fred Rinaldo has helped to better the national average by making it three chillun. This time it's a boy that will probably be called Bob in later life and will get his birthday presents on May 29. This year will be the first anniversary. Benny is a little late in bringing to our attention the fact that his daughter Susanne Benoit has been a member of their family since February 4, 1942. Benny is still busy with Underwood Elliot Fisher (and if you've got any new typewriters you'd like to have sampled for the postwar markets, I'd be more than glad to act as a guinea pig, as this model of mine was shaky before I finished freshman English).
Another item that may be a little old to be classed as news by some columns, but still plenty hot for us is word from Charlie Strauss that on January 21, 1943, he added both his second and third child; Andrew and Charles Jr. by name. Bob Thompson, who signs mail at the Burlington Rapid Transit Cos. as a vice president, has a second child, William Page, with November 22 '42 marked as the birth date. Just a couple of days earlier, November 19, to be fussy, the Solon Palmers (now Pvt. Solon Palmer incidentally) decided on Susan Mayfield as the name for their second child. And just a few days later, on November 27, Henry Bryan Jr. took his first few breaths of Delaware air. Believe me, I haven't been stacking these notes on you, but the next one in order is Ann Denise Meigher, a produce of November 28, same year. Capt. Stevie is now surgering in England and recently dined with the Dowager Duchess of Devonshire. Coming a little closer to date, we find that Lt. Paul and Mary Louise Willgeroth have a gal called Susan Jane, who will be one year old next September 18. And exactly one month younger to the day is Richardson V. Murphy, son of the Johnny Murphys'. The other interesting news of the West Hartford Murphys' is that Johnny is now vice president and general manager of the Wiremold Co. and has led them to three Army-Navy E awards. .
During 1944 Dan Cupid was even busier than we knew. Among the weddings that have recently come to our attention is that of Miss Jane Strauss of New Haven to Sgt. Bill Sein on February 20. In another, Lt. John Hoyt of the Coast Guard married Miss Lois Henderson of St. Augustine, Fla., on March 31.
Word has been received that Capt. Ken Keeley has been transferred to a prison camp in the Osaka area after a year in Davao, P. I. Word has reached his family of some of the fine surgical and medical work he did within the prison camp.
I know you'll all be sorry to learn of the death of Capt. Gerry Hall, after a short illness, while serving as an instructor at West Point.
ON MARCH OF TIME RADIO program, Lt. Curtis Howard '34 told the story of the capture of three German weather-reporting expeditions off Greenland by the Coast Guard. Lt. Howard was navigator on one of the Coast Guard craft, taking part in the capture.
Secretary and Treasurer,
General Box Co. 816 S. 16th St., Louisville 1, Ky.
