1925
Here's a 23-year resumee from Dick Holden: "My first venture after graduation was, with the help of Harry Wellman, with the Dennison Manufacturing Cos. of Framingham, Mass. After a two year period with Dennison I went in with the shipping firm of Furness, Withy and Cos., Ltd. in the Passenger Department. I was a lowly employee and 'polished up the handle of the big front door.' A year later I was appointed New England Passenger Agent and remained in that capacity for twelve years. During that time I traveled in South America, Mexico, the West Indies, Nova Scotia, Newfoundland, Bermuda, Sweden, Denmark, England and Scotland.
"When England declared war on Germany I was out of a job. All of England's ships immediately were recalled to the mother country and there I was an employee of a shipping company that had no ships to offer. By Sept.3 of '39 I was selling life insurance as a street agent. Two years later I was appointed Sales Promotion Manager.
"Shortly thereafter Uncle Sam tapped me on the shoulder and I left for Washington. Because of my shipping experience and a nodding acquaintance with two or three foreign languages, I was assigned to Naval Intelligence. After a month's training in Washington I was immediately assigned to a position in Caracas, Venezuela, where I had the special title of Assistant Naval Attache, being on the Ambassador's Staff with special diplomatic rank. I spent three very enjoyable months in Caracas, which is a very beautiful modern city high in the Andes with a wonderfully temperate climate year-round and rather a large American population due to the U. S. oil interests down there.
"My next assignment took me to Puerto Cabello and there I languished for the next eighteen months. My duties were in connection with the American ships which put into port only once or twice a week. I was also supposed to keep a sharp eye out for anything unusual that was.going on and I did this to such good effect that I was arrested twice.
"In July '44 I returned to the States to be married after one of those whirlwind courtships you read about—l'd known her barely nine years. News reached me just before my wedding day that as soon as a visa could be secured I was to be sent to North Russia. Four months later I took off from Washington by plane for the U.S.S.R. and Archangel, which is located up on the Southern tip of the White Sea. It was quite a change from Puerto Cabello.
"By this time I had become a Lt. Comdr., and once again held the diplomatic rank of Assistant U. S. Naval Attache. Because there were so few Americans there, I found myself mostly in the company of the British Unit. I spent both V-E Day and V-J Day there in Archangel, and left in October '45 on my way back to the States via Berlin, Frankfort, Paris and Bermuda. Ten months after I was mustered out and had rejoined Columbian National I found myself heading up the Agency Depart ment with the title of Second Vice President and Manager of Agencies. The following February I was elected a director of the Company.
"Our daughter Judith was born July 5 1947 and I decided to settle down in a job that required no traveling, so I took the agency for the Company in the state of Rhode Island, effective June 1 of this year. We are now living in Providence and like it very much."
Bill Sleigh has recently joined the firm of Putnam, Btell, Dutch & Sentry in Boston.
Clarence "Fergy" Ferguson is with the management counsel firm of Frank C. Brown & Cos. at 30 Rockefeller Plaza in New York. His daughter, Patricia Ann, is a senior at Emma Willard in Troy, where she is Head of Day Girls. His son, Trent, is a senior at Lansingburg High School and recently made the grade as an Eagle Scout.
Our Boston Correspondent, Ken Hill, reports as follows: "Joe Leavitt still oversees a dozen or more departments in R. H. Steam's exclusive department store. Last month he and Jean went up to Hillsboro Camp, N. H. to bring home their eleven-year-old daughter Susan, and whom should they see but the Ralph Tuckers leaving their daughter for a stay at the same camp.
"Had a letter from Roily Whitney, the Sage of Marlboro. Aside from running Whitney Bros. Cos., who have manufactured toys since 1904, Roily and Harriett spend a good bit of time at their farm in Marlboro. They have adopted a son, Richard, who is 2 1/2 now, and that keeps their schedule pretty close to Marlboro."
Curt Abel has recently been appointed sales and advertising manager of the Minute and Certo divisions of General Foods.
Among those who have been guests at The Inn in the past several months are: Mr. and Mrs. Robert Hardy from New York (Bob is practicing law in New York and they have a home in Connecticut), Mr. Nathan D. Bugbee of West Newton, Mass., Mr. Thomas Carpenter of Palo Alto, California, Mr. and Mrs.Henry Bjorkman and family, Mr. and Mrs.B. H. Bowden of Beverly, Mass., and Mr. E. L.Yates, of Detroit.
RICHARD K. HOLDEN '25
Secretary, Room 1100 420 Lexington Ave., New York 1, N. Y. Treasurer, 49 Federal St., Boston, Mass. Memorial Fund Chairman, 231 South La Salle St., Chicago, Ill.
