1938
From long-lost Walt Dodd comes the letterof the month, in response to certain mailingsof mine last summer:
"A as for autobiography, I am now an aged 32, grey at the temples and, on a cold winter morning, a bit unprotected where I used to sprout a nice cowlick. We have two kids, Janet, aged 7, and Jed (or Walter 111, to be official) aged 5. Spent two years with Dun and Bradstreet following graduation, then with Liberty Mutual in Boston, Pittsburgh, L.A. and San Francisco, with a short time out for the Army. In 1947, somewhat appalled at the prospects of a transfer out of California, I left Liberty and took my present job as Assistant General Claims Manager for Pacific Employers Insurance Cos., which you Easterners probably never heard of, although we operate coast-to-coast except in New England. I am firmly sold on California, with all its characters and neon signs, because we also happen to have sun and warmth and no snow, except once in a while to give gagsters something new to write about, and here I stay. At present we are building a home in Pacific Palisades, on the ocean just north of Santa Monica, and if I live through the harrowing experience, I can extend a cordial welcome to any visiting firemen as we are planning on having a Kooler-keg system built in, so come on out (within reason).
"Have you ever heard what has happened to my roly-poly roommate, Wade Gayer? Last I heard, years ago, he was practicing law in Rochester, N. Y. or some such place. He's a long-lost character. I recall calling him from Boston one night around 1940 or 1941, collect, at about 2 A.M. and our beautiful friendship has been deteriorating ever since.
"It's taken 11 years for the first_ letter to you, so maybe I can carve that in half if you will remind me. I hope you can do something with the other poor souls who, like myself, are either too lazy or too ignorant to write."
Danny Marshall has just returned to theHub of the Universe from a "Grand Tour"of the provinces and reports:
"In Columbus lunched with Sam Caldwell, who works for the Pan-Ohio Mortgage Company. Sam is now married and has a daughter. Seems to be healthy in spite of his three years in the Pacific without a furlough or even a chance to get back to OCS.
"In Indianapolis glimpsed Bill McMurtrie momentarily while enroute to a formal dance to raise money for the local symphony. He was dolled up in a tux of undergraduate days which at least proves that he hasn't put on too much weight.
"Missed Ed Grace in St. Louis, but his father reported him to be on the road for the Grace Sign Company. Ed is still single and according to the above informant, there are no prospects.
"Spent a very pleasant evening with Ed andTweet Shumaker at Culver, Ind., where Ed is the adjutant for Culver Military Academy.
"In a recent issue of Tide there was a picture of Bob Jones (not the legal light of Lebanon, N. H.), who is just about to leave the local radio station at Peoria to take over KMRL at Tulsa, Oklahoma— a nice break for Bob."
At the recent festivities in Boston attendantupon the Dartmouths trouncing the Harvards(as who didn't—Holy Cross Alumni note), Ihad a pleasant "luncheon" at the Somersetwith various 1938's such as: Morgan Marshalland spouse, Bob Griffin (ditto), Dick andRuth Anderson, P. Brownell at ux. (he moderately fresh from judging "Miss Marbleheadof 1949" with Cornell Wilde and some nonprominent citizen), Stearns MacNutt at ux.,Fran Reilly (at avoirdupois at ux.), Jim andBetty Miller, Bill Ganter, Frank Brett (atdate), Chas. Hitchcock, Boit Wiswall, andMarion, Jack and Millie Lutz, Gil and Marilyn Small. It was a quite successful occasion,full of the sobriety and dignity of 11 yearsout and a welcome break in the rush of theweekend.
A letter from Dick Woodman contains some news of himself, now a resident of
Pittsburgh: "Guess the perfume business (Houbigant Sales Corp.) agrees with me—at least I'm very happy in the position and think it's a marvelous outfit to work for. Have lost contact with most of the '38 gang since moving, so no news of them."
Digging back into files of stuff accumulated during the course of last year and this summer, I come up with one from Slattery, now in San Francisco: "I see many Dartmouth men weekly in San Francisco wearing green trunks at our luncheons. Looks like my son, John J. Slattery 111, has started to count the years until he has to present a B-plus or A average to get in the Freshman class. My daughter is now five and my son aged 2½"
B. Kirby Thome (Ted to you) writes from Upper Brookville RFD, Oyster Bay, L. I. that he is still with the N.Y. Times as an aviation writer, has two boys and a girl on the way and sends word that Bob Forgan is associated with Edward B. Sturges Inc., in public relations in New York. Elliot Herrick is among the many other 38'ers turning up in Levittown. Brother-in-law Charley Mann is awaiting his third child. He explains the address as follows: "It means I was able to find a real country place within (horrible) commuting distance to New York and where class members are always welcome to the driest martinis and the wettest juleps."
George Litchfield Jr. is with Forstmann Woolen Cos. in Garfield, N. J. as Mill Manager of a Wearing Mill, has no children and is a member of the Textile Engineering Honorary Society. Jim Seaver is a Colonel USAF, stationed at Offutt Air Force Base in Omaha;
"How I happened to wind up back in the suit is a slight mystery to all interested parties. General LeMay asked me to come see him in Washington last fall, and I went there with a firm "No" in mind and later in the day wasn't too surprised to discover a medic taking my blood pressure. The man is persuasive. Right now my attitude is one of absorbed interest in being part of what I believe amounts to a national insurance policy and like any insurance company without holes in the head we hope we won't have to pay off." Jim has two children.
Charley Perryman, now a radiologist at the Baton Rouge General Hospital, father of twins born 29 April '48, sends along two mimeographed sheets of publications he has committed in answer to my stock question "Publications?" Anyone interested, they're all too technical for me, can receive a copy by coming around here and typing it out.
Bill "Wimpy" Lyle and Betty announce the birth on the 26th o£ October of Peter Kittredge Lyle. Frederick E. Wagner announces the birth on 23 June 49 of a degree of Master in Business Administration by Wagner out of Harvard Business School. Recent lucky visitors to the Hanover Hostelry included: Mr. and Mrs. Raymond Ammarell of New York, Mr. & Mrs. A. R. Southworth of Englewood, N. J., Mr. Frank H. Doane of Northampton, Mass., and Mr. ir Mrs. E. F.Perrin of West Hartford, Conn.
Having imposed my verbiage on the edi tors of this House Organ for months now, I shall stop here with address changes:
Roger M. Baker, 47 Coralyn Ave., White Plains, N. Y., now executive V.P. Insurance Brokerage with Murray, Vander Poel & Baker Inc. of N. Y.; James A. Briggs, with Eastern Pulpwood Co., Calais, Me.; William G. Clark, HQ Ordnance School, Aberdeen Proving Grounds, Aberdeen, Md. (Capt. USA); Merrell E. Condi!, 204 Parkhurst, Hanover, N. H.; Frank F. Davenport, 48 Orchard Hill Rd., R. D. 2, Harrisburg, Pa. (restaurateur); Jerome J. Hocbberg, 33 S. Munn Ave., E. Orange, N. J.; James C. Jones, 111, 407 . 8th St., St. Louis, Mo.; Robb B. Kelley, Room 612, "Western Saving Fund Bldg., Philadelphia 7, Pa. (insurance); Dr. Henry C. McDuff Jr., 53 Breton Ave., Providence, R. I.; Edward B. Meservey, 520 West 114 th St., N. Y. C. 25 (physicist); RoyceH. Randlett, 5 Canterbury Rd., Winchester, Mass.; Lt. Cmdr. Vining A. Sherman, USS Union (AKA 106), FPO San Francisco; C. Ray Troutner Jr., 28 Pinehurst Drive, Willoughby, Ohio; WellingtonWales, The Citizen-Advertiser, Auburn, N. Y., editor; Ridgely T. Bacher Jr., Brownsville Rd., R. D. 1, Langhorne, Pa.; Runyon Colie Jr., Wind Turbine Cos., West Chester, Pa.; Eugene duPont111, Douneport, Greenville, Del.; Willard F. McNeil, 7831 Milwaukee Ave., Wauwatosa, Wis,; John W. Sinclair, 22 Elm Drive, New Hyde Park, N. Y. and William P. Stratton Jr., Room 670 417 S. Hill St., Los Angeles 13, California.
EXERCISES this summer marking the striking of oil 90 years ago at Drake Well, Titusville, Pa., were attended by Major William DeVore Stevenson 39 USMC (second from right) as special aide to Secretary of Navy Francis P. Matthews.
Secretary, St. George's School, Middletown, R. I
Treasurer, 4721 N. Capital Ave., Indianapolis 8, Ind.
