Reaches 70th Birthday

Robert Frost '96, George Ticknor Fellow in Dartmouth College and foremost poet in America, these days is the center of a round of parties celebrating his seventieth birthday and publication of his new long poem, A Masque of Reason. Both events—the second by design of the publishers—occurred March 26 when he was given a luncheon in New York by Henry Holt and Company. On the same evening he was honored at a dinner by the international literary society P. E. N. and the evening before by the New School for Social Research.

Although quite sure of the day and month of his birth, the poet does not certainly know the year. Once when he made an effort to settle the question definitely the officials of his native San Francisco reported that vital statistics for the period had been lost, in what they delicately referred to as "the conflagration." In the absence of proper documents, President Hopkins has ruled that the burden of proof lies with the Ticknor Fellow himself and he told Mr. Frost that, for College purposes, he would have to choose his own birthday.

The poet and teacher has been lecturing in the south and he now returns to the campus to resume seminar meetings with students through the month of April. During the similar three-weeks course last term the enthusiastic attendance quickly outgrew seminar size and some limitation will be necessary if Mr. Frost's intention of informal group discussion is carried out in the spring session. Besides the seminar, he will be available for daily conferences with students in his Baker Library study.

ROBERT FROST '96, Dartmouth's George Ticknor Fellow, who was the recipient of birthday congratulations on March 26, poses with his dog, Gillie.

* Reviewed in this issue of the MAGAZINE by Prof. Sidney Cox.