Boston
ON FEE. 28 there was held at the Copley Plaza Hotel one of the best attended and most enthusiastically received Annual Dinners of recent years. Some 600 alumni were in attendance, and many wives and families were guest onlookers from the ballroom gallery. Association President Bob Burns '09 presided. Principal speakers were Captain Cummings, USN, who is in charge of the Naval Training Program at Hanover, and President Hopkins.
Dinner, a brief business meeting, and the introduction of head table guests were followed by a period of song featuring Bill Cunningham '19 at the organ and Harry McDevitt '07 at the microphone. It was a real joy to hear Harry's beautiful tenor solos, and how the boys loved it when an impromptu glee club was selected from those present to render several old Dartmouth songs we all cherish.
Captain Cummings talked most interestingly about the many problems the Navy has faced at various stages of the war in training properly the requisite officer personnel, and of the way these problems have been met. It was gratifying to hear him speak so well of Dartmouth—and Dartmouth is proud and happy to have had the Captain and his proteges with her in Hanover.
President Hopkins was introduced by Bill Cunningham. Hoppy's message was of the intimate problems of the college today—present enrollment, prospective enrollments after the war, new courses, and in general a frank discussion of the facts facing the administration and of what the administration proposes to do to meet the situation. It was enthusiastically received, for it covered just the points most in the minds of the alumni—and it always is a real pleasure again to see Hoppy and to welcome him to our midst!
Following the more formal part of the program the meeting adjourned to The Wheelock Tavern, where there were double pianos, free-lance harmonizing, and ample opportunity for informal mingling and renewing of old acquaintance. This feature of our annual get-together was new this year, and it met with so favorable a response as to be practically guaranteed in years to come; though people felt free to leave at any time, the general break-up of the party did not come until close to the witching hour.
Officers elected for the coming year were:
President, E. J. Shattuck '10; vice presidents, E. B. Badger 'OB, H. R. Lane 07, H. Stockwell '17; treasurer, R. D. Muzzy '35; secretary, D H Newell, Jr. '36; chorister, H. McDevitt '07; executive committee, E. Langenback '31, C. Geary '32, G. Rideout '33, S. Neill '34, G. Cushman '35 R. Morton '36, J. Devlin '37, W. Ganter '38, L' Pleasants '39, D. Flanders '40, R. York '41.
ANNUAL NEW YORK DINNER, APRIL 26 HOTEL PENNSYLVANIA AT 6:30 P.M.
