1914
The Sno-birds have come and gone, and with zero temperature here in Boston on this third of March, one could well imagine that those of the class who headed south might have been smarter than the Sno-birds.
Let's quickly run over the names of those present, and leave the story of the affair to Mart Remsen, who has sent a detailed report to Jack Conners. At the last minute Jack had to give up the trip because of a CIO-called, threatened strike in the plant at Bridgeport. This was the real disappointment of the trip. Seated at the banquet at the head table were Mart and Kathleen Remsen, John and Christine Dickey, Jay and Ted Gile, Rufe andDorothy Sisson and Ducky and Marian Drake. Mingled at the other tables were Gordon andMartha Sleeper, Jim and Adele Gregg, Georgeand Margaret Wheatley, Chet and Eve Westcott, Pudge and Marion Neidlinger, Adele Ives, Warner and Kit Bentley, Francis and Margaret Neef, Pennell and Reinette Aborn,Loring and Marjorie Nichols, Dorothy Strong, Lay Little, Bill and Mrs. McCarter who wrote their appreciation of being guests of the "once well-known class of 1914," Al Dickerson, Abe and Mrs. Newmark, Bob and AnneNoble, Ernie, Louise and Barbara Kimball,Ham and Gladys Barnes, John Warren, Don and Beth Cameron, Jeanette Gill, George and Ruth Colton, Walt and Mrs. Daley, MauriceHarvey, Peg Broderick, John and MadelinePiane, Rocky and Mary Flanders, Dr. Jack and Dolly Bowler, Kitty Larmon (Cotty was ill and came only long enough to pay his respects), Charlie and Buff Batchelder, Baptiste Thibadeau and Mrs. Ross McKenney, Donald and Lillian Drake, Mr. and Mrs. Sidney C. Hayward, Stearns and Helen Morse, HerbAustin and Fred Davidson.
Guests at the father and sons' dinner on Saturday night included Gilbert Noble '52, Bruce Poller '50, David Edson '52, William Nichols '52, Donald Drake '46 and Albert Warren '52.
The following telegram received Saturday morning, speaks for itself. "To Rufe and Jack our very best, Mart and Ducky and all the rest. Famous 1914 class sets a pace no group can pass. While we grease our sunburned puss, all of you can ski and schuss. John's small Phoebe we will miss, Give the little dear a kiss. Greetings one and all we say. Wish we were there! Sig and Kay." (Phoebe, for your edification, is a long, pointed-nosed, black pig, received at Christmas time by the Pianes. She was dressed in a red ribbon, arrived by express and accompanied by a law suit for having bitten the expressman in delivery.)
From Al Overton, a long-delayed letter. "My oldest boy, Tom, is a junior at Indiana State and his brother is a freshman. They are doing real well and seem to be a lot smarter than their old man; at least I cannot detect any acceptance of or submission to my su- perior intelligence, but I do detect, now and then, a trace of respect for one of my age who can still play a game of golf now and then in the Bo's or bowl over 200 if luck is running my way." Al hopes to be in Hanover in June.
Roscoe DeWitt bemoans the fact that he cannot attend the winter meeting in Hanover, particularly in view of the fact that he would like to avoid the hot February weather. "At any rate, we are looking forward to June and hope that things work out so that we can go to the reunion. Unfortunately, the lot of a country architect is a bad one. If he has a lot of business, he has to stay at home and take care of it, and if he does not, he can't afford to go away." I know exactly what you mean, Roscoe.
The Bankers' Monthly in January, 1950 carried the following:
"Opening of a branch of the Bank of America, at Bangkok, Thailand (Siam), was announced by L. M. Giannini, President of the Bank. The new banking office is located at 1169 Chareen Krung Road, in the financial section of Thailand's capitol city. TValter K. LeCount, a veteran Far East bank official has been named manager of the branch. Until recently, he was chief of the Finance Division of the Economic and Scientific Section of the General Headquarters of the Supreme Commander of the Allied Powers in Tokio. He resigned that post to accept the Bank of America position He began his banking career with the International Bank—in Corporation of the Nat'l City Bank of New York as a foreign serv- ice trainee and later became an officer of that corporation. Later he became vice-president of the Export-Import Bank, leaving that position to assume directorship of the Siam Commercial Bank Ltd of Bangkok. He joined civilian service at- tached to the occupation forces in Tokio in 1946 after several years as Treasurer General of the Imperial Iranian Government at Teheran."
Hal Castle writes one paragraph that particularly deserves a quote.
"One thing I am sure is that if I did get there (the Sno-bird Party), I would not be interested in eating any venison brought over by Rufe Sisson. Generally I am familiar with the dates of the hunting season and if this venison was legally shot I am afraid this meat would be so old as to be tainted, unless, of course it had been properly cared for. There is one school of thought, I know, that maintains that meat should be hung for a long while until it has a gamey flavor, but I am not of this belief. If on the other hand, this venison is not as old as it should legally be, I would not want to partake of it, as I believe in strict observance of all game laws."
Hal, too, is looking forward to reunion next June. We would suggest that he try the Snobird party next year, as we have had an offer of an addition to our menu. Ross McKenney was so pleased with the whole party that he wants to furnish wild boar at the next one. Why not come and try it?
The sympathy of the class is extended to Doc Kingsford at the loss of his brother "Bush." You all remember "Bush" as Dr. Kingsford, the student medical advisor of our day. "Doc" Carleton Kingsford writes that he has been in Hanover a bit this winter previous to his brother's death and was also there at Carnival. "You'll see me in June unless sickness or death intervenes."
"To the Sno-bird party, the famous class of 1914, greetings: How I envy you fellows in Hanover with no books to bother you and your best girl. That was a dream we had when we watched the alumni come and go, wondering when we could join them. However, now it is different and I join you wishing I, too, could be with you. Fill one cup for me with something good. Ham Barnes can report on my latest snow shovelling and Jack Conners can say how thrilled I was, sending my first long-hand letter to him. This is my second, and in it I enclose best wishes for a rollicking good time. Charlie O'Connor."
Wonderful, Charlie! You don't know how thrilled the gang was to hear such good news.
String Howe is still raising goats in Sand Creek, Mich., looking forward to the Michigan game next October and says that "nothing short of a H-bomb will keep us out of Hanover in June—and that goes for Dot, too, who will take in Wellesley's seventy-fifth as a side trip. You knew, of course, that I graduated from Wellesley, too—cum louder."
Horace Borden sent a letter in February, datelined 1948 and we are now wondering whether it was written two years ago or whether Horace has not caught up yet. He is still with the Air Force and sends his best regards to all the boys, with regrets that he could not be with us last month, but owing to an impending new assignment he could not get away.
Announcement has been made by Mr. andMrs. Theodore Main of Fringewood, Wyckoff Park, Holyoke and Holderness, N. H. of the engagement of their daughter Alice Elizabeth to Pierce Hilding Beij of Holderness, son of Mr. and Mrs. Hilding Beij of Washington, D. C. The wedding will take place in April. The prospective bride studied at the Barrington School at Great Barrington, was graduated from the Walnut Hill School in Natick and attended Wellesley College. She is an alumna also of the New York School of Interior Decoration. Mr. Beij, an alumnus of George Washington University, received an M.S. degree from the University of New Hampshire last year. A former ensign in the Naval Reserve, he was with the Naval Research Laboratory in Washington for five years.
Secretary, 88 Sea Street, North Weymouth, Mass. Treasurer, 26 Garden Street, Potsdam, N. Y. Class Agent, The Stanley Works, Bridgeport 7, Conn.
