1932
The tragic death of Bill Harlow, which ensued immediately upon his liberation from a German prison camp during an attempt to go to the rescue of other American prisoners, is more fully reported in the In Memoriam section at the back of the MAGAZINE. Lt. Col. Bo Wentworth, who attended the memorial service for Bill, spoke for us all in saying that "the jam-packed church confirmed what we already knew, that Bill was one of the best: popular and respected despite his modesty, a credit to his fine parents, and an honor to that dandy little family of his. His wife Louise bore up bravely as Bill would have wished, and her fortitude, like that of the wives and families of our other fallen comrades, provides more reason than ever for all of us to punch a little harder and help to end the war quickly."
Col. Wentworth spent part of June in Washington, having participated in the Southern France invasion by the 7th Army, which moved up the Rhone, through the Vosges into Alsace, then across the Rhine, into Bavaria, and to the Austrian border, whence Bo was sent, shortly after V-E day, back to the States as official courier, with a bag of reports and an A-i priority. As of late June, he expected another European assignment, possibly with the Control Commission in Germany. Godspeed to him, and congratulations on the promotion.
Lt. Comdr. Art Allen is to be congratulated on assuming command of a fast destroyerescort in the Pacific. The proud ship carries battle-stars for the Gilberts, Marshalls, Palaus, and Iwo Jima. Art is "blessed with experienced officers and a veteran crew," who aid him in escort duty, anti-submarine hunter-killer operations, and an occasional shore bombardment. with salty humor the recent action of a small task force which removed 600 friendly natives from a Japheld atoll under fire: "It had all the elements of a good comic strip. The scouts put ashore from LCl's at night, the natives coming out at dawn to the ships in outriggers, rafts, and by breaststroke. There were women with babies in their arms, and old people so feeble you would have thought the exertion of escaping would have killed them. These people had lived under Jap rule for twenty-five years, but were willing to leave everything they owned to get away—a poor ad for the Greater East Asia Co-Prosperity gag." Art's only glimpse of a classmate: Lt. Ned Rollins, skipper of a rocket-firing LCI, popped up at Eniwetok and again at Guam.
Cpl. Cliff Fitton of Bridgeport has been stationed within recent months at George Field, 111., and late in May was transferred to the Air Forces. Chuck Adkins, for reasons of family health, has transferred his teaching activities from Millikan University to the Putney School, Putney, Vt., where he will begin his new duties after a summer in the Adirondacks. Prexy Stanley King of Amherst, who got a Dartmouth honorary LL. D. the June we were graduated, has resigned his presidency, effective in June 1946. Brave Amherst grew up under Dr. King's administration.
Recent service promotions not previously reported include: Major Bob Buckley, Capt. Tom Wollaeger, Lt.(jg) Dick Leach, Lt. Clarence Willey, 2nd Lt. Ken Todd, Lt. Comdr. Tom Curtis, Major Joe Bennett, and Lt. Comdr. Fred Leyser. We record with pardonable pride that Major Bill Gerstley recently received the Bronze Star medal from the Commander-in-Chief of MAAF in a Royal Palace ceremony in Caserta, Italia.
Lt. (jg) Howie Newcomb, who "wouldn't trade the Navy" or his part in it "for anything until the war's over," describes with gusto how one of his men carried a cake of soap ashore on some Pacific isle, and was nearly mobbed until he threw the# soap away. Impressed by the rapacity of the natives more than by their cleanliness, Howie says he steps cautiously when ashore—"some of the natives would knock a man on the head for his clothes alone." But civilized shore leave looks as good to Howie as to any other sailor. George Blaesi is a lawyer-editor at 111 Wall St., N.Y.C.; Mike Cardozo and Joe Fanelli are still in Arlington, Va.; Bill Kendall, a Pennsy RR super, lives in Wilmington, Delaware; Chuck Meyers is in Europe with Hq., 15th Army; Bob House is Washington Branch Manager for the firm of RockwellBarnes. Mort Howard is consulting expert with Dyer Engineers of Cleveland, and living in New York. Vic Ruebhausen is a radio engineer in Los Angeles. Pete Cygan is a functionary in Connecticut State Juvenile Court at Darien. Sam Moore is a special agent with the FBI in Chicago. Bob Hanner is branch service manager for the Hoover Co., Pittsburgh. Felix Laub is an assistant field director, American National Red Cross, with headquarters at Fort Wadsworth, Staten Island. John Perrino of Middletown, N. Y., is in the Army, and Bill Shaw of Worcester, Mass., is in the Marines.
All of which winds up another year of the 1932 Chronicle, with the request that you all let the Chronicler know how things are with you this fall.
Secretary, 178 Prospect Ave., Princeton, N. J. Treasurer, 7 North St., Old Greenwich, Conn.
Lieutenant William L. Harlow Killed in Action April 3, 1945, Hamilburg, Germany Requiescat
