1933
The State of "the long river," Quonecktacut, more recently known as the Nutmeg State, moves to the center of the '33 stage this month by virtue of two developments. First, we picked up a little '33 intelligence on our recent safari to New Haven for the Yale game; and secondly, Dame Fortune dealt your exSecretary, John S. Monagan, a lusty blow, sending him down to defeat in his recent campaign for re-election as Mayor of Waterbury.
The New York Herald Tribune, in its article on the outcome of the election, reflected all the press accounts we have seen in calling it a puzzling upset. By all accounts, Republican as well as Democratic and Independent, John's administration of Waterbury's affairs during his two terms in office was exemplary in every respect, and he was very highly respected for his business-like management of the city's affairs. What made it all the more puzzling was the fact that the city, a copper and brass center with a large industrial population, had been traditionally Democratic and had had a Democratic mayor continuously for 26 years.
The consensus in Waterbury seems to be that he lost, by the margin of 2,565 votes, to his Republican opponent, Raymond E. Snyder, chiefly because of an "almost instinctive feeling among the voters that 26 years is long enough for any party to hold power." One other factor that may have influenced the outcome was a revaluation of city real estate, increasing assessments by some §25,000,000, carried out during John's tenure of office, which may have lost him the support of a number of small-home owners adversely affected by it. Whatever the reason or reasons, John is returning to the practice of law with a splendid record of accomplishment behind him, and if he should choose to re-enter the political lists again in the future that record, and not this electoral setback, can be his springboard to broader fields of service. In the meantime, while devoting his energies to the law, he might do worse than follow Connecticut's motto "Qui transtulit sustinet," which might be translated freely, for those of you who took math instead of Latin, as "He who transplanted still sustains."
Our Yale junket took us to West Hartford Friday and a reunion with ToplifE roommate Bill Bates, frau Eleanor, and little Bateses Bunkie, 5, and Suzie, 2. Bill set us back on our heels immediately with the announcement that he was leaving the Hartford National Bank and Trust Cos., where he has worked since graduation from Tuck in 1934 (except for his interlude in the Navy during the war) and which he has served in recent years as trust officer. On December 1 Bill will take over as investment manager of the Aetna Fire Insurance Company, where his investment talents will be employed in the modest responsibility of investing, we suppose, some tens or, for all we know, some hundreds of millions. Which reminds us, we'll have a chance come Cornell week-end to find out how good he really is; we'll see whether he can make any sense out of our family budget, poor crippled thing.
Saturday after the game we had our first opportunity to get acquainted with New Britain, home of The Stanley Works and oui; beloved Class Agent, Sam Black. It is an old custom among Class Agents to hibernate in the fall to build up a great dollar-hunger for the following spring, but Sam slipped up and made the mistake of inviting the Bateses and ourselves over for dinner and the evening. Now, it isn't often that you get the chance to tap a Class Agent for a free meal and drinks, so we jumped at the chance. Of course, when we got there we found that he hadn't let his guard down completely. It was one of those progressive community affairs that started at Bill and Margaret Judd's ('34) and moved on to the Blacks'. But that was all right with us, because you don't get a dinner out of '34 very often either. Anyway, it was a good show, and before it was over Jeff andBea Davis, and Don and Marge Doherty had come in from somewhere out in the hinterland, and we'd had a small but highly satisfactory reunion.
A good letter from John Meek recently, reporting on developments in and around Washington. John missed the Dartmouth Night gathering early in October, having been called out o£ town on business on that date, but he passed on Larry Reeves' report that there was a fine turnout and that '33 carried off highest honors for having the largest delegation present. Those there, in addition to Reeves, were Jim Pimper, Bill Gaynor, Dick Lyon,Vin Young, Hob Hagen, Win Hobbs, Cal Milans, Page Worthington, Charlie Grob, and Bill Sampson. John said that '33 was supposed to have a class meeting prior to the official Dartmouth Night functions to plan for participation in our Fifteenth next spring, but that this item was lost "in the general aura of good feeling" that set in too soon after the arrival of the second '33 to permit the meeting to be held. John's understanding is that the first item on the agenda when, as, and if this meeting is held will be the question as to whether the Washington group should not charter an airplane next spring, to avoid a repeat of the misadventures that befell the Hobbs-King-Gaynor-Worthington-Reeves expedition last year. The details of the latter have never been cleared up, in spite of intensive sleuthing. Once over the District of Columbia line, all accounts agree only in their utter confusion.
A note from Lee Eckels recently reported that in his recent travels he had had a pleasant visit with Meek in Alexandria, lunch with May Fechheimer in Cincinnati, and assurances over the phone from John Faegre in Minneapolis that all was well with the Faegres, who now have a son, six, and a daughter, six months. Lee also reported having had word from Don Phinney, a latter day John Ledyard adventuring in the oil fields of Venezuela, that while his work was interesting he was in a god-forsaken spot and would appreciate hearing from any classmates who could find a minute to pass news along to him. Letters should be sent Ai Mail, and Don's address is Creole Petroleum Corporation, Jusepin Camp, Caripito, Venezuela.
In our notes last month we reported that in the accident that took Spike Geddes's life last jurs™" his two small daughters had been injured. Vanwood Cobb 'O3, of the Chevy Chase Country School, wrote us recently that both Carol and Sylvia were attending the school and had completely recovered from their injuries.
A note from Ford Marden, along with clippings on the Monagan defeat, informs us thatthe Mardens are flourishing after being transplanted from Hanover to New Jersey, ut that a week's deer hunting at Thanksgiving time, with headquarters in Hanover, will offer
Secretary, 20 Valley Rd., Hanover, N. H. Treasurer, 2812 Grant Bldg., Pittsburgh 19, Pa
