1897

886 Main St., Bridgeport 3, Conn.

I have been running over the articles in the ALUMNI MAGAZINE since X was hog-tied and induced under duress to take up the '97 pen. I find in reading over these notes that a part of the picture of the college of our time has been painted. John Henderson's letter was like an etching. Sibley's letter got by the censors, I think, because he is a judge or was one before he got too busy to bother with sitting on the bench to see "the drunks go staggering by and hear them say, 'Good morning, Judge'." EddieCarr's letter was a classic. I am sorry that Rowe made such an unfortunate deferred payment contract on the Plymouth Rock pants. "Pa" Rollins, "Gov" Tent, "Cappy" Holt, and"Jigger" Pender, with their letters and authentic contemporary photograph, settled for all time the way skiing started not only in the college but in the north country. "Gov."Tent's skis are now with the college as a permanent gift of this historic development. Morris Lull has given me lots of joy the last two years by his letters which are so human and so mathematical that the departments who taught him ought to be proud of this kind of record. These few letters are only a part of the pipe line supply from our classmates to your secretary.

One man has held me back from publishing what I want to say by a claim that he makes of being personally modest-"Hiram" Tuttle. Fellows, when you read this issue I want each of you to stand up and take off your hat, (Billy Balch your cap, see '97 freshman picture), and drink a toast with me to the one man in our class who has written more dunning letters and made the recipients of them happy to be dunned than any other graduate of the College. These letters ought to be published for the good of the College. I have a bundle of them and not one but brings "Hiram" to me just the same "Hiram" we all know. That's why '97's contribution to the Alumni Fund went over the top this year. Let's look back a little at this guy. He roomed with "Sliver" Rice his first year and "Sliver" tried to house-break him, tried not only to house-break this new member of our class but to train him under the name of Morton. It wouldn't work. It was a shame, and "Sliver" gave up being his manager. Think of anybody trying to manage a star under the name of Morton with no nickname. When I became his roommate, I found things had to be changed. "Sliver" gave me a set of rules about slop-jugs, water buckets and pitchers and dusting the room, trying to house-break me so that I would be a fit person to live with Morton. I knew the picture had to be changed. "We started to change things by not doing those that had instructed us in. The nickname of our classmate came about in this way. He told me his name was Tuttle and that his first name was Morton and that sometimes he was given the nickname of "Hiram" because of the old Governor of New Hampshire being named Hiram Tuttle. The "Ship's Company" was growing in influence and in numbers and we needed able Reed Hall fellows to put us on campus. The Company had been on the lawn of Hellgarten and rather parochial you know. We had branched out a little with Eddie Carr and Joe Ryan from the "rude" House. The name "rude" should be spelled in small letters as it is an adjective. Well, be that as V may. When Mr. Tuttle was inducted into the "Ship's Company", you fellows all know he had to be "Hiram." "Hiram" he was and is. His wife calls him "Hiram." "Sliver" tried to housebreak us both and it didn't work. "Hiram" and I had a real dog to house-break our senior year, Vic, who loved us both. We told Vic the nice neat things "Sliver" had told us and it worked on Vic. We gave Vic the couch (our best bed) and let him gnaw his bones from my Hellgarten Eating Club on the floor, sometimes even on the carpet. Vic was very happy about it all.

This month's notes are written to thank you fellows for the human personal letters you have already sent me and to beg for more.

Secretary and Treasurer