1917
"Just a few lines" have been received from Capt. Walter Kipp USNR, "to break the glad news of his promotion. We heartily congratulate our most recent Brass Hat on the honor and reward justly bestowed. "Returned from the Marshall Islands in October and am now on duty here for an indefinite period, after which I shall be pleased to return to my old job of teaching." Walt's letter was on the stationery of The Joint Security Control of The Joint Chiefs of Staff, so apparently he is topping off a long and interesting period of service with even more intriguing work in Washington. His address for the "indefinite period" is, Chancery Apartments, 3130 Wisconsin Ave., N. W., and, while he did not say, we suspect that his resumption of teaching will be at the old stand in Charlemont, Mass. Will the residents of that town be glad to see Walter backl
Two recently revised addresses indicate that Capt. Walt Walters and Lt. Comdr. Hen Sturgess, both USNR, have returned to civilian life. Walt is back in Rochester, Minn., a surgeon in Mayo Clinic. Hen has returned to Atlanta and his old Peachtree St., address of the Sturgess Realty Management Cos. May they find complete satisfaction in their peaceful pursuits after their long tours of duty away.
The accompanying picture of Howie and Dorothy Stockwell and their family is particularly appropriate. In the first place, Howie and Dorothy first met in Hanover at a Dartmouth Summer School session in 1917. In the second place, because of the absences of the various members from home for long periods, it shows the first complete family reunion in five years. And, we may now add that not only is Howie Chairman of the 30th Reunion Committee, coming up, but that at the February 27th meeting at the Copley Plaza the Dartmouth Alumni Association of Boston elected him its President. The details of this dinner will follow in the next issue, but you may be sure the affair was well attended by 'l7. The gang enjoys and profits by Howie's willingness and ability to serve the College and the Class.
The fortunate ones who were privileged to visit Hanover during and after the holiday season were Bob and Mrs. Boynton, no doubt celebrating Bob's recent return from his service in the Caribbean, Karl Koeniger, our kompitant kollector, Bruce and Mrs. Ludgate, still honeymooning no doubt, and in the ideal setting, and Bill and Mrs. Stewart, probably for some mild winter sports and a breather from the great metropolis. Unfortunately, only the visits of the Ludgates and the Stewarts overlapped, and those only for a day, so no word of any impromptu reuning has arrived.
It was our pleasure recently to have dinner with Vin Smith in Cleveland. When he first appeared neither of us was too sure of the other's identity. But on a closer inspection both were amazed that there should have been any doubts. Vin has changed little in face and figger,—just the differences that a few years naturally make. After World War I he spent two years at Harvard Law, then came home to Cleveland and practiced for the next twelve years. In 1934, with the proven formula of law as a foundation for business in the background, he joined the Ohio Electric Manufacturing Cos., manufacturers of fractional horsepower motors styled for special uses. And today he is general and sales manager of that company. Vin admits that the general management has taken most of his time in the past few years,-what with the Navy taking eightyfive per cent of his output*, the OPA sitting on the lid, and his civilian customers continually beseeching him. He travels part of the time,— in fact was en route to Washington three and a half years ago when he participated in the B. and O. wreck which was reported in this column. Incidentally, Vin was the only one to leave the wrecked last car of his train under his own power, and thereafter spent three weeks in the hospital at Frederick, Md., and three weeks more at home recuperating before he was able to resume even a reduced usual day's schedule. Anne manages the home which Vin and she built fifteen years ago in suburban Gates Mills, and son J., twelve, keeps the Smith household alert and active. He is a husky, weighing 140 pounds, and Vin says he will top six feet before he is through growing. Last summer, with J. in Camp Monomoy at Brewster, Mass., and Anne summering nearby, Vin came east to convoy them home, but he took time out only to look up Walt Carr in Boston. Naturally he was delighted to find Walt the same, in the main, as when he parted from his old roommate in Hanover in 1917.
We called the Harris residence, also in hospitable Cleveland, and found that Dan was away for a few days, he being a consistent traveller, as reported before. In a long talk with Chet, '44, we learned that he (Chet), as a Captain AUS., was on terminal leave until late January, having returned in December from Germany after twenty-two months as armament officer with a fighter squadron. He is transferring to Case and there plans to get his engineering degree. Dan Jr. '4O, is home, too, having been discharged in October as a Captain, AS, from a navigation school in Texas. He is working for his master's degree in astronomy, also at Case. Margaret is completing day school this spring and currently in the midst of the all-important decision as to which college it shall be. Dan and Mrs. Harris are in excellent health and spirits, and no doubt revelling in having the family together again at home after all this time. All the Harrises are looking forward to Hanover and the big Reunion next year.
Continuing along south for a few miles we pulled up at the First Federal Savings and Loan Association, Warren, Ohio, and there found the Secretary-Treasurer busy interviewing clientsßabe Goss, no less. We sandwiched ourselves into his busy schedule with comparative ease and were delighted to find that he still fills the same specificationsa little gray at the temples, but not much of that either. We planned to get together for dinner but the winter season in the Mahoning Valley intervened. So the reunion in Warren, or Youngstown, is postponed for a few months. Babe's hobby and recreation is golf, and while he takes no particular credit on his game, we did notice that he was good enough to cop the President's Cup in the local club in 1938. Helen is a Gray Lady at the hospital and in that capacity has done her stint while son Bob, twenty-two, has spent seventeen months overseas as a staff sergeant in the Marines. His principal tour of duty was in China where he served as a radio operator on a transport plane. A graduate of Western Reserve Academy, he plans to return to Hobart as a junior and pick up where he left off when the call came. Babe had just heard from Col. Trennie Trenholm, the old campaigner, who is well and happy in China,—and carrying on.
We bumped into Bill Eaton in the lobby of the Commodore Perry in Toledo, but Bill had a room and our reservation had not been honored, so any reuning was put off until the following evening. Later, when we searched, Bill was nowhere to be found. So, maybe we will find him at home in Pittsburgh. At any rate, it was swell to see him, even though just briefly.
Perhaps the pleasures of being a travelling secretary can best be demonstrated by a letter recently received from Pa Holt. ' Huntington is not too distant from Urbana for me to hope to see you here sometime, and if you are ever in this neighborhood, I hope you will look me up. You know the old saying about old books to read, old wood to burn, old wine to drink, etc. If you do come over I can promise you that there will be plenty or old wood to burn in our fireplaces, a good many old
books around, and something decent in the beverage line." To date we have not stopped of in Urbana, but it goes without saying that a cordial 'l7 invitation like Pa's cannot be overlooked. His letter is on the stationery of the College of Law of the University of Illinois, so we know he is at the same old stand.
Speaking of our 30th, Searles Morton says, "I will be there. But how you or anyone else, at the approximate age of fifty, can hope or wish for any acceleration in the passage of time, even for the purpose of seeing once again members of the class of 1917, is beyond my comprehension. My friend, it is passing fast enough for me, as it is." So perhaps we had best just pipe down and let nature take its course Reg Smith, who is with Union Steel Products Cos., Albion, Mich., says, "We hope the appointment for June 1947 will not interfere with too many high school commencements, church conferences, or Rotary assemblies, all of which seem to come the first two weeks every June." You can read between the lines that Reg is active no end with family and community affairs, but we'll bet the Reg Smiths all get there, just the same.
.... Kent Hawley is a new member of the New York Dartmouth Club. He is busy dashing back and forth from Hartford getting his new advertising novelty business established.
Vic Smith has recently changed his address without even moving. His house remains 315 Oxford Road, but his post office is now Havertown, Pa., instead of Brookline, Upper Darby, as of old. It all came about when "the postal authorities granted us the privilege of naming a post office to serve our township. They finally agreed on Havertown as a contraction of Haverford Township. That, sir, is the story in a nutshell. Irene and I are very busy with our regular and special duties. We are both mixed up with Red Cross, and devote quite a lot of time to it. Virginia is teaching vocal music in the public schools of Ambler, Pa., living at home and commuting. She is studying at Penn and hopes to get her Master's degree in education by the end of next summer. Vic Jr. '45 is out on Guam with the Seabees. He went out there last April. It is almost a year since he got his commission. He is well and in good spirits. I think he wants to go back to Hanover for a semester or two after they let him out so he can get his C.E. from Thayer School. Larry, sixteen, is a junior in Haverford High School. He is not headed for Dartmouth but thinks he'd like to be a farmer. We are already looking forward to 1947 and a big reunion. Saw Heinie Wright, Sumner Emerson, and Russ Fisher at the Princeton game this year. Art Jopson's son, A. B. Jopson Jr., is working for me. He is a fine boy, just out of the air corps."
Ralph Sawyer experienced a particularly happy evening recently when his son, Richard, was awarded the highest honor for bravery within the province of the National Boy Scout Council of America. Richard, with another Scout similarly decorated, planned and executed the quick and daring rescue of a friend who had fallen through thin ice while skating. All's well that ends .well, and two Sawyer chests, at least, are extended as the result of the gold medal. Ralph's large Spring Poultry Farm, Littleton, Mass., is an institution in that section and Ralph is known as an authority. His quality products grace the tables of a number of Dartmouth families.
Jim Durkee heard from Jack Baer recently, and Jack mentioned the fact that he had seen Nace Young,—but no details. Jim said, "Had a nice afternoon recently with George Allison who was in town." (Los Angeles) .... Len Reade spent much of last summer in Chicago for his Reade Manufacturing Cos., of which the main office is in Jersey City. He had "a terrific job to do, and the boys in Washington made it about ten times as difficult as it should be. Couldn't get raw materials. Couldn't get tank cars. Couldn't get anything on time, and the railroads raised hell all day long every day." .... Bill Birtwell, City Engineer of Asbury Park, says he spent all fall, winter, and spring last year "rebuilding our boardwalk and repairing our beachfront buildings that were damaged by the hurricane. Then we were just about ready for business." Rog Haggerty's daughter, Margaret Ann, Skidmore '44, is at home and commuting to Alfred University for some special work. Roger Jr.'s, plans to enter Dartmouth were delayed by his Army service in which he spent a long time in Germany with his field artillery battalion. And the Doc himself deserves special mention for bravery for he threatens to invade New. York again, even with car and hotel situations what they , are, "even if I have to dig a fox-hole, after I get there.
The class will be greatly saddened at the news of Walt Ferguson's death following an operation.
A BANNER DAY—When 1918 Was Very Young
Secretary, 57 Chestnut St., Dedham, Mass. Treasurer, 9 Park Terrace, Upper Montclair, N. J.
ANNUAL NEW YORK DINNER, APRIL 11 HOTEL COMMODORE AT 6:30 P.M.
