1932
This is being written in Hanover. The deadline for this issue came so close to the date of the Secretaries Association Meeting, to which you fellows send me, that I felt it fitting and inspirational to bring the column forth in the garden spot of the East itself. For the benefit of any who may have lingering or incipient doubts, let me give assurance that Hanover is still Hanover, still a wonderful place to visit, and as fine a place to go to college as I have seen or heard of.
Even when I receive a letter from one of our classmates, it frequently evidences a lack of understanding of the type of news and comment that in my opinion is most desirable for use in these notes. Rather than try once more to describe what I have in mind, I think I might be more successful in making my point with an example. Since you're just about due anyway for another dissertation on me and mine, I shall create the example with a blow of my own horn. Here it is:
"It's interesting how hard it is to remember family statistics of people who don't live near you. Though you've heard it often enough, I'm sure you don't remember that Alice and I have three children: Michael, 9, Julia, 7, and Alice Rebecca, 21/2. I enclose a picture of all of us taken last summer. Michael and Julia go to the public school about four blocks from our home. It is new and modern, and the children like it and seem to be learning what they ought to know., Though ov^r' crowded, it has good teachers in the classes that concern us and is far better than one would expect from the lurid reports one hears of the quality or Virginia schools. None of our children have gone jo nursery school or kindergarten and we haven't missed them because the apartment community where we have lived for nearly ten years, tenanted largely by couples about our age, is so well blanketed with little ones of all ages that the back yard provides about all such schools could T J . 4. 102Q
"When I entered government service in 1938, I expected to be back in law practice in New York in a few months, with some interesting and valuable experience to make me shine brighter in Wall Street. But the interesting element is so ereat, and the sense of value in the job, as well as fn the experience, so seductive that I have felt little temptation to leave. My first job was with the TNEC life insurance investigation; then I went to the Tax Division of the Justice Department, and argued tax cases on appeal. "When we got into the war I went into lend-lease work. Except for my year and a half as lend-lease representative in Turkey, I have been doing legal work on lend-lease ever since, and am still doing it as part of my job as Deputy Assistant Legal Adviser for Economic Affairs in the State Department. The present job involves me in such a variety of activities of international concern, such as fisheries conventions, financial agreements, ERP offshoots, military assistance and so forth, that I cannot describe them all. It could not be more interesting, but I am sorry to say that the march of prices has just about eclipsed the sense of patriotic service derived from representing Uncle sam. I think the siren call of a couple of private clients would easily woo me to try to surpass the salary I now receive. Even a top government salary, while nice, ain't what it used to be.
"My hobbies are unchanged since college, chiefly whittling and photography, but in a scale diminished by the time required by domestic duties and interests. Exercise is scarce—a few sets of tennis when possible and all the swimming I can get, which is not much in the dry Washington area.
"I see a lot of Dartmouth men through the Washington Club lunches. At the recent dinner in Washington 9 of our class gathered around: Brandy Marsh, Joe Fanelli, Ben Burch, CharleyOdegaard, Don Mac?hail, Mike Isaacs, Bill Bristerand Whit Daniels (I was the 9th). Whit, who has a daughter 5 and a son was in town for a meeting of the American College Public Relations Association. He is assistant to the President of Cornell on Public Relations matters, and is director of the Association's district covering New York, New Jersey and Pennsylvania. He was about to conduct a panel discussion on academic freedom, a subject I hope will always be in the news as long as there is a threat to its welfare. What John Dickey said at the dinner gave me confidence that it is safe, in his hands.
"I can safely skip any further expression of my own opinions, for anyone who has followed these notes for two years is undoubtedly painfully aware of where my interests and sympathies lie."
Now notice how well George Hahn measures up to the sample. All he omits is a commentary on world affairs, and who wants a good doctor to take the time to formulate opinions on political and social subjects, anyway? Here's what George wrote:
"Frank Elliott's company (Elliot-Lewis Electric) is moving to new quarters on North 16th Street. "Bill Mackinney and family are thriving in their new home in Lima (like the bean)—they have just achieved a dachshund puppy. Bill continues with the lamp and bulb division at Westinghouse —busy despite the supposed 'recession.'
"Bob Coltman keeps busy with his banking—at home in Bucks County he has just successfully demolished the barn which adjoined his lovely stone home. He was able to accurately figure the proper stresses and strains, saw the right beams, so that the complete collapse of the barn was finally achieved with one lusty swing of a sledge hamper. Tennis is one of his best-liked sport activities.
"Our census at home remains the same. Cynthianna (oldest daughter) desired a horse for Xmas or birthday, but we were finally able to compromise on a canary. It took very diplomatic management, I assure you. At present her heart's desire is a bloodhound (we already have a Chesapeake Bay retriever), but she just won a baby chick in a radio contest, so I don't know what sort of a menagerie we will eventually develop. I nave been quite busy with teaching, clinic work and my own practice. I am secretary of the Obstetrical Society of Philadelphia (it is amazing how much work there is to being a secretary!) and gave just served as delegate (representing the Philadelphia division) at the annual meeting of the American Cancer Society. I am on the faculty of the Post-Graduate Institute of the Philadelphia County Medical Society and the Post-Graduate seminars of the State Medical Society, which involves traveling to places like Harrisburg, Lancaster and Allentown to give lectures. I was just elected an honorary member of the Jefferson Medical College Alumni Association. This Association has just completed its first Alumni Fund drive, patterned in the main after the Dartmouth Alumni Fund, and achieved a return of about $lOO,OOO with a better than 50% participation.
"Is it true that Dartmouth is to play Michigan in 1950? I have heard it rumored, since my wife is a Michigan graduate. I believe that a M-D game would indeed be the game to see."
Bill Cole, after serving at foreign service posts in Vancouver, Naples, Rome, St. Johns, Addis Ababa and Trieste, has been assigned to the Division of Foreign Service Personnel in the State Department in Washington. Before going into foreign service, he was with Furness-Withy and Cos. and a superintendent of camp projects for Civilian Conservation Corps. He married his present wife, of British origin, in Milan in September, 1947. He met her while she was serving with the British ATS.
Red Drake, who is in the paper box business with his father in Newark, New York, recently took his wife on a vacation trip of a week or so to South Carolina, leaving his son (4) and daughter (a) home for a rest (for their parents) John Clark has been appointed to the committee selecting the 1949-50 Nieman fellows at Harvard Despite a great silence from him, I have some idea of one of ChuckOwsley's activities because I just saw an airgram to the State Department, drafted by him, stating that a Swiss student preparing a doctorate's thesis has asked for information on any conventions between the U. S. and some of the "iron curtain" countries providing for indemnification for U. S. owners of nationalized property. A copy of the cable came to me because that's one of the subjects on which our office provides legal services.
A merry summer to you all.
Secretary, 3909 North 5th St., Arlington, Va.
Treasurer, 607 Front St., Hempstead, N. Y.
Class Agent, 3448 81st St., Jackson Heights, L. I., N. Y.
