1931
We were all terribly shocked and sorry to hear of the recent death of Bob St. Louis. When someone like Bob pays the supreme price it certainly makes the inconveniences with which we have to put up seem trifling by comparison. All of us join in expressing our sincere sympathy to the members of Bob's family.
Thirteen members of the class attended the class dinner at the Dartmouth Club the other night: Sid Rubin, Chuck Briggs, Red Gristede, Len Clark, Jim Lyall, Al Sutton, Will Light, Mel Levison (and speaking of Mel, I owe him a public apology for the miserable way we mispelled his name a couple of columns ago. This time I know we have it right.), Bob Spotts, Dutch Holland, Charlie Schneider, Shep Wolf and myself. Will Light reported that Byron Garson has just been promoted to lieutenant colonel. We have also received word that Bob Alcorn has also been promoted to lieutenant colonel, which gives us, I believe, three with this high rating. Congratulations both of you.
Sid Rubin, a sergeant in the Air Force told us something of the thirty-eight months he has been in the service, from Miami north to the Personnel Officers School here at 141 Broadway where he is now part of the Air Transport Command. Bob Spotts is now located here in New York as the treasurer of Telautograph. Bob was formerly with Devoe & Reynolds, paint manufacturers, and says that he quite frequently sees Walt Hausman, now with Republic Aviation. We were all sorry to hear that Shep is leaving these environs, but wish him the best of luck on his new job. After fourteen years with the Brooklyn Union Gas Company, Shep has resigned and is going to Boston as the New England District Representative for the Bryant Heater Company. He has already found a place in Wayland, outside of Boston, so what's New York's loss is Boston's gain.
A good letter from Red Chamberlin who crashes through for us with a high degree of consistency:
Last July I resigned as Assistant General Counsel and Enforcement Director for the National War Labor Board, and hied myself overseas as director of operational research for the Ist Air Division of the 8th Air Force. My first crossing, and flying is a dandy way to do it. (Airlines looking for an exeoitive can take this as a plug and contact me.) While burdened with baggage (not in the English sense) in London and looking for a cab to take me to a train so that I could report at Hqs., saw Bill Alton, likewise seeking a conveyance. We conversed for about five minutes; he was then a lieutenant with paratroops. That concludes my overseas report on classmates, for I saw no others. My apologies.
I was stationed in the Cromwell-Pepys countryside (I don't think this is a military secret any more, for I have seen news articles as to more exact location of our groups) and had a most interesting time. I may even have done some good. Saw a bit of England, had some evenings in London, got along quite well with our British cousins. Am glad that the buzz bombs were no more successful than they were. My only accident was one evening when riding from my office to Hqs. to my dearly beloved Nissen hut on my darling bike I was hit by a motorcycle. In damp weather (and is there any other) I still feel the effects. The boys were tempted to give me a special award, which wouldn't have been the purple heart. In order to avoid international complications, I didn't sue. (Since I'm a lawyer, I knew that if I did I'd probably be there long after V-E and V-J days, and I didn't wish to become a permanent inhabitant.)
I new back not so long ago, and am again in Chicago. While still on the AAF rolls as an expert consultant, I'm using up leave at present, and the chances are that I will do no further work for the Air Force. So there is a wonderful opportunity for someone to make me a lucrative offer. (Adv ) Brochure sent on request.
When I've circulated a bit I may have some news for you about other '31ers, and I'll try to be a bit better about dropping a line now and then.
Thanks, Red, it was certainly good to hear from you.
We have two more members of the Class of '31 to add to our list. Mary Elizabeth Adams was married to Bob Frederick on June go here in New York, where Bob is with the sales department of McGraw-Hill, and Ann Harlow Wilkinson, the daughter of Vice Admiral Theodore Stark Wilkinson, was married June 30 to Ralph Hunter in Washington. Ralph is a lieutenant commander in the Navy on duty at the Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, Md. Ralph had been on duty for two years in Ireland and returned here to Bethesda last autumn. Best wishes to all four of you.
With the skip in publication dates we also fell behind in our announcements and didn't have a chance to report that Bill and Edna Wilson have another fine son and brother for Bill Jr., Thomas Charles, who was born on April 12. And Major and Mrs. Roily Peterson also have an addition in their family, also a son, Mark Francis Peterson born June 14 in Washington, D. C.
From the College Address Bureau here are some address changes: George Coley now living at 636 Mulford Rd., Wyncote, Pa., Pete Evans, 1223 Locust St., Philadelphia, Earle Morrow, 17 Custom House St., Providence, R. I., and Jim Lyall at his new house on 205 Hale Avenue in White Plains. Arnie Rich, lieutenant in the Navy, has been transferred to the West Coast with a Fleet Post Office address in San Francisco.
There have also been five more service promotions with Art Ecker being promoted to major, Bill Grant to lieutenant commander, Art Brettler to second lieutenant, and Bill McIntyre to lieutenant and Monty Smith to technical sergeant. Congratulations to all of you.
In connection with Monty's promotion, we got a nice press release from the Army which we are passing on to you:
"WITH U. S. ARMY FORCES ON NEW CALEDONIA Promotion of Montague T. Smith, whose wife, Mrs. Jean Folsom Smith, and son live at 111 South Avenue, New Canaan, Conn., to technical sergeant was announced today at the South Pacific Base Command headquarters of Major General Frederick Gilgreath.
"A graduate Dartmouth Alumnus, class of 1931, Sergeant Smith was employed by the Bowery Savings Bank in New York at the time of his induction into the Army, June 1, 1943.
"After training in the Infantry at Camp Croft, S. C., the sergeant was ordered overseas in December, 1943. Arriving in the South Pacific, he was assigned to the Historical Section of Headquarters, United States Army Forces in the area.
"Entering the section soon after it commenced a historical project covering the course of the war against the Japanese in the Solomon Islands, the sergeant was charged with both the research and writing. Early work of his included a study of Army operations in the Bougainville campaign, and subsequently extensive research and recording of supply activities since the United States first began to mass forces in the South Pacific to drive the Japanese from their Solomons bases.
"When the South Pacific War Theater was redesignated as South Pacific Base Command, Sergeant Smith continued working in the Base Command historical unit. His duties remained substantially the same, except that his work was centered on historical writing of current supply activities and other facets of the command's mission of supply and rehabilitation of combat divisions.
"While in the banking business in New York, Sergeant Smith also attended evening classes of the Graduate School of Banking and Finance, New York University. For a time he was a resident of Montclair, New Jersey."
We also had a clipping from the Atlanta, Ga Constitution of June 10, which announces that Bill Marsh, an executive with the southeastern division of General .Mills has been elected one of the Councillors representing District Five on the Dartmouth Alumni Council. Bill is also secretary of the Dartmouth Club of Georgia. He was also supposed to attend the annual meeting of the Alumni Council at Dartmouth which should have been a real treat these days. How about a report on this, Bill?
No issue for September, so we'll see you again in October.
Secretary, 224 Beverly Rd., Scarsdale, New York Treasurer, 400 W. Madison St., Chicago, Ill.
