1923
Bunny Metzel, who is my bride, and I were East this summer for awhile, and so we had a chance to do some '23 visiting around and about, before and after the FLANIGAN GYMKANA at Hanover July 15, 16, and 17. Our first experience meeting one of the clan was on the unusual side. It was a Sunday, and we went to the Pelham Presbyterian churchright own in front, too. And were very surprised and very pleased when who should appear up there next to the pulpit, handsome as ever and in splendid voice, to sing the solo but Mox Hubert. One thing led to another, and the Huberts and ourselves eventually ended up out on the Sound in swim suits at a place they call Key Island, which is a swimming outpost of the Huguenot Yacht Club. Mox and Kay Hubert have a daughter who is pretty new—only eighteen months—named Jean, and she has a sweet smile and a grand disposition. The Huberts are mighty proud of her, in spite of the fact that she came up with some kind of inspiration to start in crying at night, just in time to keep her pappy and her mammy from joining the crowd up at Hanover the following week-end.
Being only a spit and a holler away from where they reside, we looked up the Kershaws next, and spent a very pleasant evening with them. Dick was our last Secretary, as you well recall, and a good one, so we had some shop talk to deal with. He and Dolly Kershaw had lots of news about people in Westchester, (including some choice bits about the Irishman, who used to live there), and we discovered that Dolly, like all Secretaries' wives, had plenty to do with her husband's regime. Dick has a new connection about which he is enthusiastic, having recently become identified with TheAmerican Home.
Another evening we spent with Alice andIrish Flanigan, at dinner and the theatre. Part of the time their nephew, a guy named Dickie Dolan who is headed for Dartmouth, via Kimball Union, was about. He appeared to be especially happy when the Irishman, who is usually luckier than that, lost the toss and we all had filet mignon.
The Sixth Annual Informal Summer '23 Reunion, sometimes known as Flanigan's Gymkana, The '23 Marching and Chowder Club, The Rumps Return, and other things, was held in Hanover, as per advertised schedule, July 15, 16 and 17, at the Inn. It was the biggest yet, 43 showing at one time or another during the week end. Everyone appeared to have fun, and there was a lot of talk about "next year," and plans were aired to repeat annually, and so on—all the signs of a contented bunch of guys and their women and children who were glad they came up there and were already thinking about doing it again some time.
Sherm Baldwin, who was in charge, couldn't make it, and our three Hanover residents, Neidlinger, Pollard, and Stewart, were unfortunately all away on vacation. John Read and Ted Caswell, who were on the committee with Sherm, were on hand, and helped with everything. Olive Caswell, and two of the four Caswell daughters, Carol and Patsy, both very decorative, were on deck and so was John Read's wife Kay.
Alice Flanigan fetched her husband, the new president of the Dartmouth Alumni Council.
Clary Goss fetched his wife Priscilla, his son (a big red head entering Dartmouth this fall), his mother, and his brother Walter. They came up from near Brattleboro, where Clary has a farm. We learned over the week end that Clary was made a member of Kappa Kappa Kappa within the past year, at an initiation 26 years after graduation, and we think the Tri Kaps and Clary are to be congratulated.
Ardie Herz, who hardly ever misses a '23 gathering anywhere on the Eastern seaboard, was there. So were Oscar Hockenson and wife Kay, Sam Home and wife Miriam. So was sawbones Haubrick, Joan Haubrick, husky son Rocky and cute daughter Jacqueline.
Sol Levine and Ruth Levine were there. BenMilberg was on hand, with his son. The Metzels came, with niece Elnora. Babe Miner brought his daughter Virginia and his son Richardson. Ken and Jeannette Quencer brought their daughter Jean, and she played the piano a good deal while papa Q's baritone (good enough to be heard regularly with the University Choir in New York) was lifted often and well. Charley and Dorothy Rivoire were there, and it was Charley and Ken who usually led the singing.
Paul Soley, whose wife could not make it because of the illness of her mother, brought his cute twin girls Margot and Lisa, about nine years old, and their younger sister Jennifer, about four. For a while—and not very long—the girls didn't quite know what to do with themselves. Then they were in the middle of every huddle, learning a new game, passing platefuls of appetizers, or having cokes with somebody. They liked Mildred Ungar's stories, too. (We liked Stan Ungar's story—the one about the mare, the syringe, and the office-full of patients).
Most of the customers got there Friday and didn't take long to organize the traditional "smoke filled rooms" late in the afternoon. These impromptu and informal cocktail parties, all up and down the hall in the rooms which had been reserved on the European plan, were the prelude for dinner at the Outing Club on Occum Pond. After dinner the gang drifted back to the Inn where the Ski Hut had been made available to us. There were drinks, stories, and singing—long enough into the night for the management of the Inn to finally wonder, audibly, when the folks would call it a day. It was a good evening, and the next day was a good day, with most people doing what they pleased, which was mostly to play golf or sit on the Inn porch until late afternoon. By this time we had taken on a sort of proprietary feeling about the Ski Hut. so we moved in again for a dutch treat cocktail party, with the Soley girls in command of the hors d'oevres, which meant that they had a swell crack at them themselves, and their nibbling was encouraged. This time dinner was at the Inn, the movement after dinner was again in the direction of the Ski Hut, hard by in the rear of the Inn, for more good songs and good fellowship.
On Sunday, people arose, breakfasted with one another, chewed the fat for an hour or so around the Inn porches, and finally drifted off towards home, pleased with the affair. Someone, and we think it was Stan Ungar, made the suggestion that next year, before the Seventh Annual Summertime Rump Reunion, each of us who was in Hanover for the Sixth should be responsible for fetching himself anda recruit. It's a very good idea, indeed.
We are indebted to our operative in the Detroit area for some news of Art Everit, RoyBrown, Sam Home and Jiggs Donahue.
Art has a camp up North on the Pigeon River, where he and guests can sit on his porch and catch trout without budging from the easy chairs and the cache of cold beer in the ice box. Art manages to work out a good many long week-ends at this establishment.
Roy Brown has definitely broken with the South American connections and has been firmly installed for some time as manager of a talc operation at Gouverneur, N.Y. The headquarters of this firm are at Burlington, Vt„ and the outfit owns Rock of Ages Corporation at Barre, as well as a couple of railroads. LewPutnam is President of one of the latter.
Sam Home continues to be the Samuel P. Home spotted at the top of the letterhead of Charles H. Home and Co., Haverhill, Mass., as Treasurer.
Jiggs Donahue M.D., of 520 Commonwealth Ave., Boston, is an able and extremely hard working surgeon, who has found time to render important service to a school for feebleminded children in his city.
It seems worthwhile to provide the Class with some assorted information re. '23 performance in the 1949 Alumni Fund campaign. The figures do not establish our effort this year as an outstanding performance, compared with past performances and with the performances of other classes similar to ours.
(1) We contributed $12,871 this year, against a quota of $13,810, thus falling short of our quota by 7% or $939.00.
(2) We produced the 4th highest dollar quota of all 66 classes, but we ranked 51st in that list of 66 classes in participation, (i.e. percentage of class contributing.)
(3) Looking back 10 years, in 7 of them our percentage of quota was better than in 1949, in 1 year it was worse, and in 1 year it was the same.
(4) Our record was better, in 8 of the past 10 years, than it was this year, in percentage of contributors.
(5) Compared to the 9 classes 1917-1924 which are considered contemporary, we were 8th in participation and 6th in percentage of quotd.
(6) The 344 givers in our class contributed as follows:
0 to 10 20 30 40 50 75
$ 9-99 19-99 29-99 39-99 49-99 74-99 99-99
81 men 100 77 10 2 38 4 32
24% 30 22 2 11 1 10
100 and more
(7) A distinguished group of 48 men, "THEREGULARS," has contributed every year since graduation.
(8) Seven men are both REGULARS (have given every year since they graduated) and members of the "CENTURY CLUB" (have given one hundred or more dollars) for the past 5 years.
As this month's notes are being readied for mailing to the Editors, plans are all matured for a big celebration of THIRD ANNUAL '23 NIGHT. Mr. Flanigan's SKIDDOO will contain the gory details of the far-flung parties, before this gets to you. Its going to be '23 UP!, all over again!
NEW COUNCIL PRESIDENT STEERS A STEADY COURSE: Fearless of the gales and rip-tides of Lake Fairlee, near Hanover, "Irish" Flanigan '23 (right), new president of the Dartmouth Alumni Council, poses in Al Dickerson's boat with Cliff Bean '16, chairman of the Council's committee on admissions.
Secretary, 1425 Astor St., Chicago 10, 111. Treasurer, 5 Tyler Rd., Hanover, N. H. Memorial Fund, Chairman, 744 Broad St., Newark, N. J.
