1929

The event of the past month (April as this is written) for me was an evening in Washington with Duke Barto, Mort Jaquith, Gerry Swope and Dud Orr. Jake and I were the visiting firemen, Duke the townie and Dud and Gerry the goldstriped representatives of the Navy. Swope, by the way, has recently become General Counsel for the Bureau of Personnel and elevated to the rank of commander. Not counting Barto, who really belongs there, Swope is becoming one of the oldest Washingtonians in the class, what with his prior residence there in the old days as assistant counsel for the Securities & Exchange Commission. Johnny Dicky was the only local member of the class executive committee who was absent. He had a good excuse, however. He is one of the State Department's representatives at the San Francisco conference. We met in Lt. Orr's apartment, the larder of which consisted of a modest supply of both crackers, and a very rare beverage, the consumption of which was regulated by its scarcity.

The subject of the evening's discussion was the Alumni Fund, the standing of the class in the current drive, its why's and wherefore's and the means to achieve improvement. The amount of work which Duke and his assistants have put into the Fund elfort, for example, the keeping of the detailed records of contributions, is vastly greater than any of us can appreciate until we have participated in the work of soliciting. But most of us are asked simply to participate in the giving the principal responsibility of which is to take a few moments to evaluate the necessity and desirability of the gift and our own individual ability to contribute generously. And in this function, it should be recognized that as the years have gone by, our ability as individuals to make this annual gift to the College has changed in most cases to make it possible for each one to substantially increase his gift in keeping with his other responsibilities and interests.

Lt. Phil Gage is stationed at the Replacement Depot, Fort Ord, Calif., where as he puts it, he is still processing replacements for shipment overseas. It is interesting and necessary work but one wonders if _he is doing his part when all these boys are going overseas; but being an old man and over age in grade, I expect to be here quite a while."

Tal Babcock was here in Boston for a few days on business for the Continental Bank & Trust Cos Dick Brown reports from Detroit that Karl Pittlekow has made a change which takes him to New York and a bigger job in his old field of advertising.

Ed Coddington is teaching at the Teachers College of Connecticut in New Britain and recalls with nostalgia a visit he and his wife made to Hanover last spring, a time of year, as he remembers, when we were more than glad to get out of Hanover.

Eddie Walsh (remember those beer mugs he got us for the Tenth) is still on duty in Washington as Officer in Charge of the Container Section, Bureau of Supplies & Accounts, where he has been for almost two years; so long, says Eddie, that they should be about ready to sweep him out. Eddie further relates that Lt. Comdr. Cliff Purse has reported in Washington for duty at the Bureau of Ordnance, looking very fit after sunning himself at Pensacola for almost three years where he was assistant security officer. The last letter from Cliff from Pensacola regretted that no classmates were permanently stationed there, although •Chick Sherburne and George Mosher were there for a few days on temporary duty, and Dr. Ellie Cavanagh managed to get down from Tallahassee for a weekend visit.

Lt. George Foss reports from Norfolk that he sees Lt. Dick Johnson occasionally and often receives Bureau of Personnel Directives containing Gerry Swope's signature.

Heinie Richardson is Superintendent of Schools, Hartford, Vt„ which township consists of the village of Hartford, Quechee, Dewey's Mills, West Hartford, White River Junction and Wilder. He reports having seen joe d'Esopo. Joe is Clerk of the Grafton County, New Hampshire Selective Service Board, and still takes parts (with his customary success) in Hanover's theatrical productions. Heinie has recently heard from Brett Sine who is very busy with his lumber business and collateral war effort in Calgary, Alberta.

Because this is about our most famous and -dearly beloved Country Judge, Willsie "Beedie" Brisbin, editor and publisher of Twenty-Nine UP!, who is always writing about somebody else and very seldom gives an account of himself, here's Heinie's eye 'witness report:

I was in Montpelier yesterday and saw the Judge for a few minutes. I happened to come up behind him when he was giving a lot of palaver to a couple of old ladies in the State Legislature. They were praising him on his daily broadcasts of doings an the State Legislature, and Beedie was blushing even to the growing bald spot on the back of his head. He seems to be quite popular and knows ■everyone in the Gapitol after several years as Clerk of the Senate.

John and Emily Irving have announced the arrival of John Weil Irving Jr. on April 20.

Secretary, 75 Federal St., Boston, Mass. Treasurer, Batten, Barton, Durstine & Osborn 383 Madison Ave., New York, N. Y.