1909
The class of 1909 as usual was well represented at the Alumni Dinner held in Boston on February 28. Bob Burns was president and put on one of the best meetings that has been held in years. We thought Freddie Carroll's was good last year but this year the motive was entirely different. The following members were present:—Curly Blake, Jim Hitchcock, Jack Mason, Lynde Tucker, Dan Watson, Art Swenson, Gordon Weinz, Cad Cummings, Clark Saville, Ira Kilburn, Ben Scully, Jim Tuttle, Allen Newton, Mike Farley, Plum Leighton, Norm Catharin, Wallie Ross, Sandy Hooker, Joe Worthen, Bob Holmes, Dick Lord, and Howard Spaulding.
At the table with us were also Bob Burns' son Carl and Sandy Hooker's son Burton, who was recently wounded and still has his leg in a cast and his hand in bandages. Doctor Ed O'Brien, the famous football referee, also sat with us, as his son was being honored at the head table; he came as a guest of Dan Watson.
The singers among the Alumni were called to the platform and three from our class were picked to join the group, Sandy Hooker, Art Swenson, and Jimmie Hitchcock. They really did a swell job and, as usual, you could hear Art Swenson above the group. After the dinner the group all gathered at the Wheelock Tavern where free beer was dispersed, and Sandy and Art were the first ones to the piano, to sing for hours.
Sandy was in an especialy good mood in as much as he and Lillian had received word that same day that their son, Bob, who had been reported missing in action for some months, wrote to them from a prison camp in Germany. The class joined with him in congratulations.
Jim Hitchcock ran into a little tragic luck two weeks ago—his house in Concord was' burned to the ground.
I received a most interesting letter from Nut Root relative to Bill Patterson, who has been a prisoner at Santo Tomas. Mrs. Menaul, his sister, stated Bill had lost sixty-two pounds and Mrs. Patterson, who could ill afford to lose any weight, lost thirty pounds, but both were in good spirits and regaining their strength rapidly. A representative of the NBC contacted their daughter, Virginia, a student at Stanford University, and informed her that as of a certain day and hour they were going to broadcast from Manila and talk to her, which they did and, naturally, she got the thrill of her life. Virginia lives in the sorority house and one of the girls made a record of the broadcast for her. Bill, at the time of his internment, was vice president of the Manila Trading and Supply Co.
Edwin, son of Cad and Ruth Cummings, was recently awarded a citation and an Oak Leaf Cluster—as follows: "For meritorious achievement while participating in heavy bombardment missions in the air offensive against enemy over continental Europe. The courage, coolness, and skill displayed by this officer upon these occasions reflect great credit upon himself and the armed forces of the United States." This award was given to him on December 3, 1944, while he was a second lieutenant, but on January 17, 1945, he was made a first lieutenant. He has already completed twenty-six missions.
Jack Childs reports his son John is now across the ocean and that he hasn't heard from him since he arrived there.
Bunk Irwin has a later address than the one I gave you a short time ago. It is now 1402 South Grand Avenue, Saint Louis, Mo.
Taintor Parkinson has just been advanced from associate professor to professor of electrical engineering at Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, La.
I am sorry to report that Bob Holmes recently underwent an operation at the Massachusetts Memorial Hospital for gall stones but is back to work again and feeling better than ever.
I recently ran into Bob Burns in his uniform of U. S. Coast Guard Reserve and he was pretty snappy looking. He just recently received a citation for his completion of six hundred hours of active service as a temporary chief boatswain's mate of the U. S. Coast Guard Reserve. With all the work Bob has to do and all the other organizations in which he is active you certainly have to take your hat off to him that he could find six hundred hours to give to this work.
Frank O'Brien whom I recently noted as having left the Continental Can Co. has now been made president of the Metal and Thermite Corp., 120 Broadway, New York. He had intended to take a rest for himself for several months but this opportunity came along so he took it. More power to him!
STATIONED IN TULSA, Capt. Henry C. Comey '10, USAAC, is AAF Resident Representative at the NAA Modification Center.
Secretary, Wm. Filene's Sons Co. 426 Washington St., Boston, Mass.
Treasurer, 16 Wall St., New York, N. Y.
