1895
The only celebration of a 55th wedding anniversary by anyone in the class of 1895 will soon be that of H. M. Loud of 3412 Stockbridge Avenue, Los Angeles 32, Calif. He and Mrs. Loud celebrated their Golden Wedding Anniversary five years ago on Thanksgiving Day. The picture in this column is one of the Loud family group. Reading from left to right in the picture, Loud is the first one and Mrs. Loud is third. Loud started his college education in our class at Dartmouth but finally graduated from Amherst. He has been a loyal and enthusiastic classmate for all the years since his freshman year. On November 21 of this year Mr. and Mrs. Loud will have been married 55 years. This, I think, is the record in our Class. In one of his communications, he writes, "When a woman is talking it is an act of courtesy on the part of the man to be a good listener. It promotes peace." It may possibly be that this explains why he and Mrs. Loud have lived together so long.
The date of this composition of Class notes is Monday, October 3, 1949. I have been looking ahead to June, 1950, wondering how many survivors of our Venerable Class will come together once more in our home in Hartford. Mrs. Stevens slipped oh a rug a few weeks ago and sustained a painful injury. But she is gradually recovering from the shock and pain of the accident and we believe that we shall be able to open our home to you all once more. So we shall be looking for you next June.
Our first Class Report was published in 1896 in a paper-covered book of 118 pages. Frank Dodge was then Secretary. In response to his circular letter and by patient prodding, finally he received 68 letters, one from each graduate, and ten from non-graduates. I quote below Rob Campbell's letter. As we all will remember, he was a son of Prof. Gabriel Campbell and was afflicted with what was then known as Quick Consumption.
Phoenix, Ariz., April 1, 1896.
"My Dear Frank:—
If I had come anywhere near to feeling well, I'd have spoken sooner. For the past year I've been losing (well a week, then sick two), until my stock of vitality has been almost annihilated. Now I am just taking the Edson treatment and expect another lease on life, and, please God, a good, long one.
I have no message for the '95 boys—ambition and prospects concern me not—but if any of them happen this way in search of health, wealth or reputation—Oh, for the sight of an old chum! You can just mention, in parenthesis, that I am alive and kicking."
SOME STATISTICS
The combined age of the Class in July, 1892, was 1,515 yrs., 9 mos. The average age was 19 yrs. 11 mos.; the oldest member was 26 yrs., 8 mos.; the youngest 17 yrs. 1 mo.
The combined weight was 12,098 lbs. Average weight was 159 lbs.; heaviest man, Mason 195 lbs.; lightest, Bacon and McCoy, 121 lbs.
Religious preference;—Congregationalists, 38; Episcopalians, 7; Baptists, 7; Unitarians, 3; Presbyterians, 3; Advent, 1; no preference, 12.
There were 50 Republicans, 18 Democrats, 2 Prohibitionists, 3 Independents, and 1 Independent Democrat. Dixiecrats, Communists, Wallaceites, New Dealers, Fair Dealers and Deep Freezers we never heard about.
We never saw wolves in sheep's clothing; neither did we see women, young or old, in men's clothing. I never saw a member of the Faculty, on the street or elsewhere, smoking a cigar, pipe or cigarette. We never saw an automobile. We did see ox-sleds and horsesleds loaded with 4 ft. wood offered for sale to students, and some of us bought a cord now and then and sawed it up.
But all this was almost 60 years ago.
HENRY M. LOUD '95 AND FAMILY on his golden wedding anniversary, Thanksgiving Day, 1944. The Louds will celebrate another anniversary, their 55th, on November 21.
Secretary, White River Jet., Vt.
Treasurer, 10 Occom Ridge, Hanover, N. H.
