1937

With profound regret we open our first report of the fall with news that will sadden all members of our class that may not already have heard—namely, the death by his own hand of Latta McCray this past August. Details will appear later in the necrology section, but for the moment we wish to dwell on the thoughts that follow such an announcement. After the first shock of realization it still seems unbelievable that anyone who enjoyed people and life as completely as did Latta, who was so brimming with natural enthusiasm, whose friendships numbered legion, and whose devotion to the College and its principles was so widely recognized, could now be gone from among us. So very many of us can easily recall familiar scenes in which he appears as though they happened yesterday, whether it be on the football field, a classroom activity, or just some campus function with his Green Key hat pushed back on his head—or maybe even flashing past riding the local fire truck as a member of the volunteer fire department in Hanover.

The class has lost yet one more of its truly outstanding men and his passing will be personally felt by everyone.

In view of the above news having arrived tonight as I was about to write this column I find it most difficult to organize my thoughts and correlate the various summer news items but we might start with a note that Tom Nast is engaged to Janet Baldwin of Seattle, Wash. She graduated from a New York school where she must have found Tom, who is now listed as Sec/Treas. of the All-State Welding Alloys Co. in White Plains. Bob Cameron is also getting married to Mrs. James A. MacSporran, the widow of an Air Force Lieutenant of World War II. Best of luck to you all.

The services have again raided the class by dint of recall to active duty. Whitey Fuller went back in last spring as a Naval Commander leaving his job as Publicity Director for the Bay State Raceway, Foxboro, Mass., harness track. Carl Erdman received orders a year ago and rather suddenly to report for six weeks instruction in the USN General Line School, Monterey, Calif., thence to the Amphibious Base at Coronado and finally by Navy transport to Japan where he caught up with his ship, the USS Seminole (AKA 104) at Pusan. He finally got back to San Diego last May for two weeks leave, found time to answer one of our questionnaires and is now back aboard the Seminole. Carl wants the name of that ship to be remembered in case any class mates have the opportunity to look him up some time. Looks like anyone named Carl is getting the business; here's Carl Noyes recalled by the Navy in June but he got a break by being assigned as Inspector Instructor at the USNR Training Center at Clifton, N. J., which is 15 minutes drive from his home. Carl also mentions that Bud Reed is very much the proud poppa of a son adopted last winter.

For all you medics here's a news item in a Brockton, Mass., paper that Dr. Mike Petti recently earned the right to practise as a qualified specialist in internal medicine. Having passed all the necessary exams, he is now known as Diplomate of the American Board of Internal Medicine.

A very nice letter to hand from Thomas Ham '96, class secretary, to the effect that his son-in-law Frank Irwin has been appointed US Consul to Edinburgh, Scotland, and that he and wife Josephine sailed, complete with three kids, furniture and car in July. They expect to be there two to four years. Frank was in Intelligence work during the last war, then with the Intelligence Department of the Army, later transferring to the State Department. (Sorry, Frank, you'll find that O'Sheel completely stripped Scotland before he got transferred to London.)

We have not had any further corroboration, but we received a note kindness of the Dartmouth Club of Philadelphia, Joe Flounders, that Al Sutter was due back in the States from Korea this past summer and expected to be on duty (with luck and proper orders) at Dartmouth with the NROTC program this fall. At least we are glad to know he was headed back and away from the rough ordeals of Korea.

You know sometimes, to get personal for a minute, this job of writing a colyoom has its little problems in that we may print news twice in succession on the same subject, or that you may write in and never see anything appear. Last year we even tried using LIFO (Last-in, First-out) but found that a couple of choice stories never did get in print. Now this presentest problem has to do again with that RUGGLES. Every so often his desk and heart overflow simultaneously, say once a year, and down from the land of the Mohawk Indians comes a large and pendulous manila envelope, an official looking thing, which we gleefully find contains the necessary bulk for 12 editions of this MAG, but in later inspection contains old blotters, a 1910 fishing license, tickertape marked "Hooray for Hoover" and notes and letters from you guys that we might consider historical. Such is the case for instance with a swell letter from Jim Risk dated last January from Saigon in which he yearns for pine trees and a crisp winter wind as he sat sweltering in that country's "Cool Season" while an ambulance was in the process of delivering a crop of casualties from the latest grenade-throwing incident to the hospital across the street. Or, the letter from HamMathes last February from Florence, Italy, saying he was doing literary research on a Fulbright award there and had his whole family with him for an indefinite time,—and all the while we were sure he was working for his Ph.D. at Harvard which he received this June. (Ham's letter said it was last June.) Or, Mel Estey who moved last Xmastime to Dallas, Pa., having left the teaching profession for the retail hardware business. Or, TedRideout, who wrote his first letter since 1937 to a class representative saying he is happy with Esso in Wilmington, Del., that goodwife Stella usually fills out his questionnaires, and the only really unusual thing is that he keeps six horses on his farm upon which he invited the class to come down and have a ride. Or, Don Sieburg who last winter was still glad to be living the farm life in New London, N. H., where he now runs a TV and photography business. He had installed 60 TV sets and had just nailed down the future photographic business of Colby Junior College. His letterhead is neat with a sign hanging on a post reading "Village Studio."

So if you desire prompt service just write care of this station.

And, incidentally, Hals Bullen, that new doctor in Stamford, Conn., says he collects the wily buck in the practise of OTOLARYNGOLOGY. That reminds me, we forgot to flush out our boiler this year.

Secretary, 10 Colby Rd., Wellesley 81, Mass. Treasurer, 17 High St., Greenfield, Mass.