1931

Last month we spoke about Dick Holbrookbeing moved to the West Coast, and only theother day the brother of a very good friend ofours returned from the Pacific and told aboutrunning into him. About the same time we received a letter from the good Captain himself:

I'm an officer in the Headquarters of the Marine Air Wing. Every day, including Sunday, I prepare the official Summary, a modest mimeographed newspaper which tells the story and gives the vital statistics for all operations under this command. This is, of course, quite secret and is circulated only to the squadrons and groups concerned, and to the higher commands from here to Washington. Aside from this bread-andbutter job, I am also historical officer for the Wing, charged with keeping all records and telling the story about this great outfit. Day by day I see the makings of a sensational true-life yarn unfolding. It's about a crusade and 10,000 men, made over thousands of miles of blue ocean and green jungle to win a war from a ruthless invader. It's about a general's genius, a captain's courage, a sergeant's resourcefulness and a private's sense of humor. It has the same memorable masculine quality of Balch Hill, Memorial Field, Robinson Hall, Commons, the ski jump, Leb and the June, in pin-ups, pledge night and graduation. It's a mighty liberal college course for all those men who planned to go to Dartmouth. And in some ways a Ready Room has it all over a Tower Room. But anyway, Charlie, that's the long-range picture as we feel it—though dayto-day things like food and mail and orders and weather cover ninety per cent of our talk and thoughts. I probably ought to close with the usual invitation I've so often seen in your columns: If any of the class gets out this way we'd love to have you drop in and say hello.

Thanks, Dick, for the letter. It's good to hear from you.

* News about another captain—Ted Johnson —who has been promoted from the rank of first lieutenant. Ted is the Chief of Military Personnel Branch of the service command which embraces the Alaska Highway, Canal Project, and the other defenses in the far Northwest. Nice going, Ted.

Also had a short note from Dick Cukor. Dick, as was recently reported, had returned from a trek in the Pacific and is stationed at Sampson Training Center:

"We are pretty well settled up here now and like it very much. We have a swell house over in Lake Cayuga (far above which it stinks like hell), where while it is some distance from the Center has everything to offer that we could want. Right on the Lake and all conveniences.

My work is interesting. The Center's main function is recruit training, although we also have advanced training schools and a large hospital. My job is to process the recruits between the time they finish their training and when they leave for further assignment. We have quite a large set-up to handle and I am the personnel officer. Quite a change from the Armed Guard and I like being able to be home each night.

Thanks, Dick, and write again when you get the chance.

Got hell the other day in a letter from Ernie Moore for not answering a previous letter of his and including my brother's address for which he had formerly asked. Ernie is with the Military Government and has been moving all over France and Belgium. He enclosed a description of the work done and the places his group have been, which was turned out by one of his warrant officers. I have sent it to Hanover in case they would like to print the entire description in other parts of the MAGAZINE. If they don't, we'll give you excerpts in our next column. Thanks, Ernie, and by the time this gets to press you'll have a letter from me or I'll eat the next issue.

And speaking of eating, a '31 Class Dinner was held on the night of March 6 at the Dartmouth Club, under the able handling of Dutch Holland. Red Gristede, Will Light, Mel Levinson, Mai Hallenback, Jack Frisbie, Jim Lyall, Dick Henry, George Miller, Jim Rick, Al Sutton, Hank Richmond and Shep Wolff were on hand and all had a grand time.

Here's a flash from the Whitestone, N. Y., College Point News. "Bob Sloane, who plays the gravel-voiced muggs on Columbia's, 'The Adventures of the Thin Man,' is a graduate of Dartmouth and holder of a Phi Beta Kappa key!" Our own Bob, and who'd have recognized him by the voice?

Back to the Marines, again; this time to Capt. Dick Baldwin, who was married last December to Florence Wainwright at Coronado, Calif. Congratulations, Florence and Dick—best from all of us.

And finally a letter from Tower Snow after a hell of a lapse of time and the example set by George Hawkins a few issues ago:

This afternoon's mail was a double-header with the February issue of the ALUMNI MAGAZINE and the second letter in 14 years from my erstwhile roommate of 3 years at school, none other than that famous lawyer, Alfred E. Jones Jr., who is announcing the arrival of his second son, Daniel Carroll Jones, at Magee Hospital, Pittsburgh, Pa., on February 7, 1945. I quote from his letter:—

"You had better get going, Bub. And another thing, when are you and I going to war? You once said I would get fat and bald. I will admit that I am slightly overweight, but my hair is still luxurious. Potency good. This boy, 6 and 8. Also, and this will kill you, 1 have taken up painting. Make it worth my while and I will toss you off an oil. Give my best to Mardie if she is still rooming with you. I suppose your one girl is quite grown up by now. Diapers, bottles, at al, all over again. Oh, me. Let us hear from you."

In a weak moment and probably due to shock I reached for the phone to offer congratulations on an event I thought could not happen again and luckily caught him, the proud father just back from the hospital. He sounded fine but said nothing about cigars. Al says that Bob Powell and George Stevens are both in the service and that Buell Whitehill is in OCS. Jones and I are still waiting for Uncle Sam to tap us on the shoulder.

I recently saw Teddy Danforth, who is just back from the West Coast and on his way to a new job in the Adirondacks. Jim Purdy I see fre- quently and he is selling most of the oil to all the plants around Buffalo. No other '31s that I know of are around here with the exception of Bud Ewing, who, I guess, is snow-bound in Olean as I have not seen him this winter.

Thought I would follow George Hawkins and send in some news. Particularly that from Jones as he sometimes procrastinates!!

Thanks, Tower, and congratulations, Al, to you and your good wife.

At the New York Annual Alumni Dinner to be given at the Hotel Pennsylvania, April 26, at 6:30 P.M., our class representative is Homer MacVean, and Kenneth Fraser is on the Arrangements Committee.

Don't forget the Alumni Fund. Send your checks in now and give the red-head a break.

Secretary, 224 Beverly Rd., Scarsdale, New York

Treasurer, 400 W. Madison St., Chicago, Ill.