1885

The Chelsea (Mass.) Record in its issue of April 3 carried an interview with Alton E.Briggs by General Manager George C. Clarke of the Chelsea Chamber of Commerce. The date was the anniversary of Briggs' birth in Middleboro, Mass., April 3, 1864. A greater portion of his 86 years have been eventful ones from the age of 12, or even earlier, when he began his life-long experience with horses, an avocation that he followed assiduously although his real vocation has been teaching.

He came to Chelsea in 1888 as a teacher of mathematics, Latin and English, later to become head master of Chelsea high school down to the present day.

He is the last survivor of the board of control which rebuilt the city of Chelsea after the great conflagration of April 12, 1908. "His leading part as one of the three Chelsea residents appointed to the board of control has been previously recorded. The rigid building code, new streets, a fire zone, the rebuilding of schools, the city hall, fire stations, streets, pavements, other municipal structures and the solving of a multitude of other community problems were conducted without a trace of graft or political favoritism."

Following his career as a commissioner he became an executive of the Boston Fruit and Produce Exchange, the president of the National Fruit Exchange and lectured from coast to coast. He served as chairman of the library trustees and later as acting librarian from which position he retired in 1945 His crowning achievement is President of 85

The secretary and Mrs. Austin have returned from Florida and are now a: their summer home in Webster, N. H. (pos. office address Warner, N. H.) making the trip over the road for the 47 th time since their first one in 1923. Possibly the most noticeable change since that date is the vast improvement in the roads. In '23 the only stretch of paved road was the 40 miles between Baltimore and Washington; south of Washington no pavement at all: just sand and gravel; and when it rained plenty of mud. Then the time was over two weeks, now it is done in four or five days. Because of the fine roads a large majority of winter visitors to Florida make the journey by auto.

At the annual Dartmouth Alumni dinner in March the 'Bos were represented by four men, Judge J. S. Matthews '84, Henry H.Austin '85, William P. Kelly '86 and HerbertE. Gage '87. Harry M. Frost '89, who, with Mrs. Frost, is a constant attendant at Dartmouth affairs, Was unable to be present because of illness.

Our reunion goal is 100% representation.

90th BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION: Dr. Edgar B. Philbrook '86 enjoys this important occasion with his daughter, Mrs. Lorna D. Knoll, and granddaughter, Jacqueline Knoll, in Los Angeles.

Secretary and Treasurer, Warner, N. H. Class Agent, 1 Chestnut St., Potsdam, N. Y.