1928
Intoxicated by the size of our audience last month (the MAGAZINE went to 700 '28ers instead of the usual 410) we splurged and used up every last scrap of news. As deadline time approached this month the scarcity of news turned our mind to the possibility of filling in with reminiscences as able Doane Arnold does under similar circumstances. However, in the nick of time some of our pleas for help were answered. Heading the list of contributors of succulent, succinct items is Curly Prosser:
Twenty-four members of the class, including four from Philadelphia and three from New England, attended the '28 dinner at the Dartmouth Club on December 11. From Philadelphia: John Flanagan, felt business; Dick Frame, whose new photography concern is doing well; George Pasfield, builder of housing developments; and Ernie Wright, president of a large printing firm. Crushed stone dealer Topper Robinson came down from Whately, Mass., adman Fred Cheever came from Boston, and tobacco buyer Herb Russell came from Suffield, Conn.
Regulars and semi-regulars present were: Ted Baehr, Cal Billings, Bill Cogswell, Esty Estabrook, Ev Field, Art Hassell, Jack Herpel, Ed Heyn, Gerry Johnston, Rocky Keith, George Klein, Paul Kruming, Bruce Lewis, Barney Nova, Phil Orsi, Curly Prosser, and Ken Rice.
After dinner Kruming got the gang started on a round-the-table recital of each man's funniest experience as an undergraduate. The result was a choice collection of yarns of which Rocky Keith's about his initial experiences as an interne at Hitchcock Hospital drew the longest laughter.
Bill Morton, the new Alumni Fund Agent, came to New York from Syracuse for a lunch meeting December 18 at the Dartmouth Club to plan the 1947 campaign. In attendance were Orsi, Kruming, Cogswell, Treanor, Lewis and Prosser. Red Edgar was in New York January 3 and Hammesfahr, Kruming, Orsi and Prosser joined him for cocktails. Kruming departs soon for a six weeks tour of Africa and Europe for clients of his National Export Advertising Service.
Bob Maclellan was in New York in December for the life insurance convention John Cronin is now associated with Shearson, Hammill & Co., 14 Wall St., New York, members of the New York Stock Exchange.
Roy Milliken has forsaken New York and William Iselin & Co. for a farm outside of Reading, Pa., and an executive post with the Lieberknecht Machine Co., manufacturers of textile machinery. Fed up with shuttling
day in and day out from the city to Summit, Roy finally did something about it, while others, similarly minded, just think about it. The Dartmouth Club will have to find a new treasurer to replace him.
Bob Clark, advertising manager of the Strathmore Paper Co., points out that a booklet issued by the Association of National Advertisers lists Frederick L. Cheever Jr., advertising manager of the Pepperell Manufacturing Co., and John P. Waters, advertising manager of Sylvania Electric Products, Inc., as members of the Films Committee, set up to get information for advertisers on the production and distribution of films.
Congratulations to George and Agnes Boughton on the arrival of Jestena Christy on September 29. The event is all the more noteworthy because she is their first child after twelve years of married life. We enjoyed talking to George on the telephone around the holidays when we called to get a reservation in his Hotel (The Colony) in Delray Beach, Fla., for Mary's father and mother. George has a beautiful hotel and it is the site for an annual midwinter '28 reunion in future years.
Roy Myers has been in Europe for three years, first with the Army, and now as a civilian in the Civil Administration Division of the U. S. Military Government of Germany. He sent us a very interesting report on an official trip he made through the Russian, English, French and American zones to study elections and political parties. It is not for publication, but if you are interested we will loan it to you. Roy says, "There are a number of Dartmouth men on the campus of DMGUS—Office of Military Government (Germany) U. S.—but we've had no meeting as yet, although it's threatened. Bill Monaco is in Wiesbaden and I intend to get over to see him soon."
First to borrow Roy's report is Les Mason, Professor of History at State Teachers College at Buffalo. Les called me from a nearby town on his way to Buffalo after spending his Christmas vacation in Florida. Les has been teaching a course on Germany since 1938 and is writing a book on the German problem. He hopes to go to Germany next year.
Charlie Crosby's terminal leave ended last June and he spent the summer at his family's home in Brattleboro, Vt. He writes, "I am mixed up in a couple of things, and am keeping an office at 95 Front St., New York. This fall have been doing a bit of night work at N.Y.U. to catch up on some of the things I missed during the five years I was away."
Roy Dickerson's terminal leave also ended last June, after over four years in the Army. He is with Dickie-Raymond, Inc., 80 Broad St., Boston, merchandising and sales promotion counsel.
Clint Goodwin went into the Army as a sergeant in the cavalry in March, 1941, and got out in July, 1946, after 64 months. He was with the Bth and 9th Air Forces in Europe from Aug. 1943 to Oct. 1945, trying general court martial cases. He is at present with the Veteran's Administration in Washington as a civilian employee.
Thanks to Mart Reeves '25, who ran the dinner in Dallas on December 5 at which President Dickey spoke, for telling us that Earl Fain was there. As far as we know, Earl is still in the oil business.
Dave Thompson is in the cotton business in Dallas, with offices in the Cotton Exchange building.
We haven't received all our questionnaires
back yet, but on the face of the returns so far Arnold Van Benschoten is at the head of the list as far as length of service is concerned, with a total of 70 months. He went on active duty February 4, 1941, as a lieutenant (jg) in Naval Intelligence at the Navy Department and remained there until November 1943. The following month he was in New Caledonia, and then for the next six months was liaison officer from the Naval Advance Base, Guadalcanal, to V Island Air Command (Army). He attended militry government schools at the Universities of Virginia and Michigan from September 1944 to May 1945, and later was sent to Japan. He returned in August, 1946, and his terminal leave expired December 19. He spent 10 months in Japan, part of the time as commanding officer of the Himeji Military Government Office, regulating the lives of 200,000 people.
We are indebted to John Lyman, presidentof the Dartmouth Alumni Association ofSouthern California, for prying the followinginformation out of Clark Blyth about hisnaval career.
Clark went in the Navy in April 1944 as an enlisted man, but his commission came through when he finished boot camp in Idaho. After courses at Princeton and Harvard he sailed for Honolulu on December 30, 1944, and was attached to a naval air field in Honolulu until shortly before he was returned to inactive duty in November, 1945. He left the service as a Lieutenant. He has resumed his work with Fox West Coast .Theatres, Inc., inspecting and auditing various theatre accounts throughout California. He travels a considerable portion of the time.
The only other '28 men in this area that I see fairly often are Bob Reid and Woody Isham. Curt Bird is out here but I haven't seen him in some time. While in St. Paul recently I attempted to contact Bud Osborn but he was in New York.
Fran Young's terminal leave expired Sept.29, 1946, after 39 months in Naval Intelligence,the latter part as a lieutenant commander.Our efforts to find out what some of Fran's"secret" activities were during the war metwith only partial success as you can see fromhis reply to our letter:
I was at indoctrination and Intelligence schools from December, 1942, to March 1943. Then at District Intelligence Office, Boston, followed by a year and a half as Assistant District Intelligence Officer in Panama.
Since I am still in the Reserve I can't comment too freely on my duty in the Ist Naval District except to say it was in intelligence and I was fortunate in being kept busy in not too dull jobs ranging from interviewing Edgar Bergen (Charley and Mortimer as well) through cooperating with the fish business to the care and feeding of pidgeons. My duties at one time even required me to buy dog food.
The duty in the 15th Naval District was very interesting—somewhat in the diplomatic field with overtones of E. Phillips Oppenheim. The Army in Panama having a surplus of ribbons was kind enough to award me their commendation ribbon. This is not as bad as it sounds since the Admiral, another officer and myself were the only Naval officers decorated by the Army up to the time I left.
To be congratulated are Helen and HankGraupner,—in addition to Sally they now haveWilliam, born July 19.
Dick Walker sends an interesting account ofthe '28ers in Omaha:
John Dickey made an excellent talk at the alumni meeting here and everyone liked him immensely. The class of '28 had 100% attendance with Emil Shukert, Gil Swanson, Craw Pollock and myself on hand.
I believe you are familiar with Craw's connection with C. A. Swanson & Sons. His work could best be described as sales promotion and I believe that both parties feel that this is going to be a very happy association. C. A. Swanson & Sons is bigger and better than ever. It really is a tremendous organization. In their Omaha creamery, for example, they now manufacture under one roof more butter than any other creamery in the world.
Emil Shukert is now starting on his second million, having finished up on the first one by being in the real estate business the last few years. The Shukerts have a boy and a girl, and the Swansons two boys and a baby girl. I am still in the same old rut, i.e., still a V.P. (of Byron Reed Co., real estate) and still two children. Gil Swanson's bridge is really quite hopeless and I doubt that he ever will learn to play. Of course, he is very skillful at show-down poker, and a short session of that immediately following a bridge game will usually reduce his bridge losses by about 50%. Of course this removes the sting and makes it a delightful pastime for all of us.
On a recent visit to relatives in Glens Falls we enjoyed seeing George and Marion Davis. George said Vic Liddle is doing very well in the book store business, with a store in Glens Falls and another in Saratoga Springs. We tried to see Vic before leaving the next morning but his store didn't open until an hour after we had to start.
A NEWSPAPER MAN WITH AN ENVIABLE BEAT IS OMAR RANNEY '28, right, motion picture editor of The Cleveland Press, snapped on the set of "Moss Rose" with its charming feminine lead, Peggy Cummins, center, and producer Gene Markey '18, left. "Moss Rose" is Markey's first production since his discharge from the United States Navy.
Secretary, Van Dyne Oil Co., Troy, Pa.
Treasurer, Providence National Bank Providence, R. I.
ANNUAL BOSTON DINNER, FEB. 26 COPLEY PLAZA HOTEL, 6:15 P. M.
