1912
This month's column of notes will commence with a confession-at the same time giving credit to some of my faithful contributors. Whenever you read a particular breezy or well-written item you can count on it that I have given you an item verbatim as received by me without credit to its source. For example, the paragraph on Don Augur two months ago was "cribbed" word for word from Lyme Armes. The anecdote that appeared last month on Puddle Pond was in the words of Ralph Pettingell. Almost every month you have an item written by Dick Plumer. Of course, as you know, the bulk of the class news comes from your letters to Boss Geller and Ralph Pettingell. There probably is other talent in the class that can contribute to the interest of these class notes and such assistance would be appreciated. I know that all of you, as well as I, will be glad when Connie Snow drops the title of "Colonel" from the front of his name and assumes the suffix of "Esquire" so that he again can resume his functions as class secretary.
If a Dartmouth Club of Delray Beach, Fla., had been organized in January, as it might very well have been, it would have consisted of Phil Thompson '02 (Secretary of his class), Stan Weld '12, Jack Thayer '18 (ex-Mayor of Delray Beach), George Boughton '28 (Manager of The Colony Hotel), Ed Bruenhof '46 (Veteran of World War II) and Mat Berwick (Dr. Kingsford's right hand man). The President of the club would have been Phil Thompson because of his seniority and the Secretary might then have been Stan Weld. The club held no meetings but met informally in groups of two or more to discuss Dartmouth, the Hanover winter and the postwar college.
Henry Van Dyne has recently "been on the road" conferring with members of the Class concerning plans for his committee. In New York he had lunch with Randy Burns, Charlie Gately, Lee White, Carle Rollins and Heinie Urion. A couple of days later—on February 27, to be exact, he had lunch in Boston with Fletcher Clark, Wallie Wallburg, Caesar Young, Rollie Linscott, Eddie Luitwieler, Queechee French, Chet Haycock, Click Morrill, Ted Lampee, Ray Cabot, Tommy Thomas, Gee Bullard, Hal Fuller, Ben Hunt, Ralph Whitney, Pett Pettingell, Lyme Armes and Mike Norton.
Again I realize that this is no newspaper and sometimes an item is pretty stale by the time you read it. Last month I said that the engagement of Eddie Luitwieler's twin daughter, Joan, was "recently announced." Before you had an opportunity to read it, not only was Joan married but so was her twin sister Elizabeth. They were married at a double wedding ceremony at Maiden, Mass., on March 2- Joan became the bride of Sgt. David Woodbury Crockett, and Elizabeth the bride of Ensign Dudley Wayne Burke USCGR. The following members of the class, together with their wives, were at the wedding: Jimmy Cleaves, Ev Gammons, Harold Belcher, Ray Cabot and Ralph Pettingell.
I think one of the biggest kicks that Doc O'Connor gets out of being Chairman of the American Red Cross is the receipt, from time to time, of letters from Dartmouth men, particularly classmates, relating some personal service that the writer has received through the Red Cross. The middle of February Tommy Thomas wrote Doc:
I want you to know what a splendid job your American Red Cross did for me recently. My oldest boy, who had just landed on the West Coast from Japan, telephoned me that he was to fly East. We thought he said from Sacramento, Calif., but the newspaper said that he had landed in Seattle, Wash. A day or so later it came over the radio that a transport plane bound east out of Seattle had crashed on Elk Mountain, Wyoming, and that it contained 12 servicemen. After trying to get my feet on the ground, with not much success, I called the Lowell Red Cross Home Service. These reassuring words came over the phone, "Mr. Thomas, we will help you, now just catch your breath and tell me what information you have." Actually a few minutes later, although it seemed hours to me, Mrs. Alice McNeill called and said, "Mr. Thomas your boy was definitely not on that plane. He landed at San Francisco so he would not be flying from Seattle." Others who helped me, besides Mrs. McNeill, were Mrs. McLean of Lowell and your Red Cross Headquarters at Fort Devens where a Mr. Callahan arranged for a meeting of this older boy and my sailor boy. They, hadn't seen each other for over two years—the sailor was to go to sea next day for extended sea duty—otherwise it would be a long time before they could get together. Both boys are headed for Dartmouth.
According to the Hanover Inn Bulletin Board, "Dartmouth's in Town," Hal Fuller was in Hanover on January 24.
As some of you who have visited me at my office know, Doc O'Connor has an extensive collection of old Dartmouth books and memorabilia. The bookcases on three walls of my office contain only a part of his collection, which includes such items as bound volumes of the early issues of The Dartmouth, almost a complete set of the Aegis, class- reports- going back to the Class of 1811, many theological and medical works of early Dartmouth graduates, an extensive Webster collection and many other items too numerous to mention. To this collection Pat Lovell recently contributed his personal bound volumes of The Dartmouth and college catalogs covering the period while we were in college, and other items pertaining to our Class
Rollie Linscott has been made regional director of The National Foundation for Infantile Paralysis and will be in charge of the activities of that organization in the.New England States, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Delaware, the District of Columbia and West Virginia.
On February 13, Andy Phelps was installed as Commander of Bethlehem Commandery No. 53 Knights Templar, at the Masonic Temple in Mount Vernon. New York.
Acting Secretary} 120 Broadway, New York, N. Y.
Acting Treasurer, Court House, Dedham, Mass.
