1923
The last week in September was the occa- sion for Twenty-Three gatherings at various points of the compass, in celebration of that day 32 years ago when we all officially hooked up with Dartmouth College—September 23, 1919. The details of three of these TWENTYTHREE NIGHT parties are supplied herewith, much as furnished us by The Boston Committee via Jim Broe, Ken Quencer, the major domo of New York City doings, and Babe Miner for the Massachusetts hinterlands. Your correspondent covered the Chicago affair and reports thereon.
Before we get into these chronicles, it may be amusing (albeit telling tales out of school, so to speak) to relate a personal experience of your correspondent back in September, 1919. The freshman class (us) was traipsing through Hoppy's office, to receive the presidential handclasp and a friendly word from that grand gentleman. It came my turn. With the warm handshake, Hoppy said, "With a year at Princeton Prep, how is it that you didn't go to Princeton?" Quick-like, I replied, "A year in that neighborhood was enough for me!" Hoppy smiled, leaned over close, and uttered a very unacademic "ATTA BOY!"
THE CHICAGO TWENTY-THREES
Sum and Bettye Sollitt invited us all to spend the afternoon aboard the Sollitt vessel Pepperpot and the evening at the Chicago Yacht Club. The cruise part of the deal was confined to the males in the afternoon and their females joined up later on at the club. After dinner, which included some ringing toasts to all and sundry—especially to our yachting host and hostess—the females persuaded their men to take THEM out on the Pepperpot, too. Maybe it was the moon. At any rate, afloat and ashore, we all had a whale of a good time. It was especially nice to have a couple of ringers, Ted and Olive Caswell, on the scene. We tried to show these visiting firemen that the prevailing view of Bostonians, of which they are a couple, that it is difficult to keep out of the way of red Indians and bufEalo out here in our town, is completely false. After several magnums of soda pop, however, Ted is reported to have spotted several sea monsters out in the lake. Besides our hosts and the Caswells, the following couples were in attendance: Butch and Dot Kimball, Dud andGinny Pope, Joe and Ida Pick, Metz andBunny Metzel, Bud and Connie Freeman, Karland Dear Williams, and Warry and MarionCook. Hip Conley and Bill Juergens and TedSwartzbaugh were on hand, without females. All these worthies despatched a communication to THE IRISHMAN, wishing him well.
THE NEW YORK TWENTY-THREES
Ken Quencer, the New York chairman (whose picture appears above), has provided this account of the celebration there:
New York's TWENTY-THREE NIGHT was September 20, at the Dartmouth Club. Those present included Nick Bernard, Lou VanOrden, John Moore, Phil Keigher, Dick Kershaw, Sol Levine, John Read, Wood Gauss,Sid Stevens, Johnny Foster, Sam White and myself. It was a small but select group and I am sorry that many more could not have turned out for the fine dinner which the Club served. After dinner a brief meeting followed, at which time plans were laid for future activities of the Class this year. It was decided to hold a cocktail party at the Club at 5:30 on October 33, with a dutch treat dinner to follow, either there or elsewhere as those present decide; also, to hold a party with the wives of all classmates invited, some time in January. Through the kindness of John Read and NickBernard most of the members present talked with the Boston group at their rendezvous, and also with Irish Flanigan in Hanover. Messages from a number of the Class who could not attend the dinner were read, as well as your message.
THE BOSTON TWENTY-THREES
A terrific crowd turned out for this affair. Out of 95 classmates in Eastern Massachusetts 50 attended and 40 wired, wrote or telephoned their regrets. Eleven of those on hand were newcomers to gatherings of this kind. This Boston gang really have a "happy ship."
The Committee has turned in to us a crisp account of the party, which we faithfully reproduce below, but not without a resounding "well done" to the gang of them, for the swell job they have done, and are doing, for our Class, and very modestly.
"The Good Old Days of Hanover were recalled at the largest and most enjoyable dinner to date, by the following 55 classmates and four guests: Yaffe, Welch, Veit, Temple, Taber,Sargent, Saltmarsh, Riley, Reed, Prouty, Norstrand, Morse, Morgan, Moore, McMillan, Mason, Martin, Malone, Leach, Knight, Jones,Hudson, Home, Hawkins, Harmon, Harding,Griffin, Giroux, Fisher, Fay, Duffy, Downey,Dodge, Curtis, Cummings, Clough, Clark,Charles, Carver, Broe, Bowker, Bixby, Billings, Behan, Bartlett, Barney, Baldwin, Bailey,Akin, Grover and Elliott from Providence, Putnam from Montpelier, Young from Amsterdam, Zone from Stamford. The guests were Cliff Bean '16, Dartmouth Alumni Council; the acting Treasurer and two members of the faculty at Phillips Andover, Larry Shields, Rocky Dake and Deke DiClemte.
"The Bradford, now owned and being run by classmate Ralph Snider, went out of its way in making this party a huge success and appears to be the potential gathering place for all Dartmouth men in the future."
From the Massachusetts hinterlands comes this report from Babe Miner re the gathering of some of the boys held in Springfield: "Five faithful and stalwart '23 men gathered together at the Longmeadow (Mass.) Country Club, September 26, to commemorate 32 years of association with Dartmouth and 1923. Assembled there were Hal McKenna, a construction engineer here in Springfield; DinPope, paper magnate; George Ferguson, master salesman of Packard automobiles; GeorgeWeston, associated with Van Norman Cos., manufacturers o£ heavy machine tools; and myself, in the practice of surgery and gynecology. The meeting was very successful. Our annual telephone call to His Honor The Mayor of Hanover at his present hideout at the Hanover Inn was consummated. We can report that The Mayor is satisfactorily convalescing from more surgery, and, as The Mayor's private physician, although a guest surgeon performed the latest cutting procedure, I can say that I believe he has seen the last of the surgeons.
"There are other men in this vicinity whom we tried to get to join us, but business and other reasons prevented.
"Henry J. Baker Jr. of Holyoke was with us for one and one-half years and then Craven told him his bridge playing had been more active than his other educational activities and suggested that he remember Dartmouth as an ex-student. He graduated from Georgetown in 1923, and is now associated with his father in the coal and oil business.
"Doug Weymouth, living in Westfield, is the New England coffee plugger for the Great A and P. He says that, grade for grade, there aren't any better coffees on the market than those he purveys.
"Paul (Willie) Dame, whose father was an alumnus of Dartmouth in 'Bos, graduated with us and is now associated with Gilbert and Barker—producers of gasoline pumps. He is single and lives with his sister in Springfield.
"Augustine J. (Gus) Ryan, living in North Amherst, is the charge d'affaires of the college bookstore at the University of Massachusetts. "Dr. Howie Brown is medical director of the Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Co., a most enviable position.
"Len Trues dell has been in this neck of the woods for a little over a year.
"We had one other good member of the Class who sent us greetings and that was Lee(Long Distance) Young, who got us on the phone. I cannot mention his name without adding a word of grateful appreciation for this humble worker in our Class who has done such a grand job these last three years on the Alumni Fund.... Here's hoping to see you again before too long. Our best to you and Bunny."
NEW YORK CHAIRMAN of Twenty-Three Night was Ken Quencer, shown with his wife Jeannette.
ACTIVE FOR '23 in the Boston area is Ivan Martin, photographed with wife Elinor.
BABE MINER '23, who reports from Springfield, shown with wife Florence, Richardson and Virginia.
Secretary, 1425 Astor St., Chicago 10, 111.
Treasurer, 5 Tyler Rd., Hanover, N. H.
