1912
It is not often that Louis Ekstrom takes histypewriter in hand, but when he does, it isan epoch that any of you might well emulate:
"You might be interested in a few notes. I believe I promised you that my California grandchild's date would get to you. Birthday date that is. In the light of succeeding developments the date seems unimportant, but June 10 it was. More interesting is the fact that it was the anniversary of Mrs. Fred O. Hurd's birthday. She is the last surviving one of my many uncles and aunts at age 85 and my mother's youngest sister. She knew and was a great admirer of your first wife. I phoned her in Waltham, Mass., the day I got the good news. Nancy's premonition that called for her mother to be present in June for the occasion was well taken for after leaving the hospital she had the misfortune to suffer a rare case of a pulled pelvic ligament necessitating a long session in bed for it to mend. Alice was out there two and a half months. I thought I'd lost her.
"In midsummer Warren Bruner visited Bethlehem in a quick trip and called the house purporting to be an envoy from Bill Butler and urging a little speed in the delivery of my Pennsylvania soils. I could get mud anywhere, but Butler wants and will get the best to be found (outside of New England). The soils are coming along. I regret not being home to greet him. Sunday, the 19th of November, Bud and Barbara Hoban passed through Bethlehem like birds in flight to southern climes. Hotel accommodations were with them in the shape of as snazzy a trailer as roams the roads. Inspection showed living conditions de luxe with gadgets galore for every good purpose and cabinets in every corner. My exclamation of surprise at the size of his closet space was met by Bud's 'closet! hell, that's the shower bath and toilet.' At this time I remembered the injunction contained in the lines of the operetta of early undergraduate days: 'In conversation be diplomatic in a diplomatic way, And the things you think of never speak of; Those are the things you must not say.' So I failed to point out that Bud's negotiating that throne was more nearly an engineering job for a good M.I.T. or Lehigh man. After a happy half hour they were on their way to Reading, Pa., Washington, D. C., and points south for the winter. An accordion went with them and by this time any Twelver can conjure up the couple soaking up sunshine or the center of a group as Bud shares his well-known musical ability.
Bud saw Jimmy Steen among other Twelvers at the Harvard game and evidently over their tea cups and a couple of hiccoughs vowed between themselves, before they became 80, to present your has-been with a plaque commemorating a jaux-pas made in the Columbia-Dartmouth game in New York early in the spring of 1911. Bud was on first with Jim catching and two were out in the ninth inning last half when a pop foul came down close to the line half-way between first and home. Either one could have caught the ball but deferred to the other. The next pitch was smacked for a single and a no-hit game was gone. I thought I was the only one who remembered that game but it never caused me to lose any sleep for I have had several scars on my escutcheon and I didn't care one whit. If the plaque came my way I would gratefully accept it despite such things being no help, at my age, convincing skeptics I was ever able to function in Ivy circles. My basic thought is the benefit it would be to both Bud and Jim to make amends for the miscue and get it off their minds so Bud can sleep nights (per Butler) and Jim keep his elbow straight. To this end I trust that between them they will not let the idea drop also."
Due entirely to my own default, I delayed giving you the announcement of the marriage of Katherine Ann, daughter of General andMrs. Connie Snow to Mr. Louis Cima, on October 28 at the Westmoreland Congregational Church, Washington, D. C., followed by a reception at Connie's home in Arlington.
From my highly appreciated Dedham, Mass., correspondent, Emma Pettingell, comes the news of the birth of Neal Allen Shifman, grandson of Otto Bresky of Chestnut Hill, Mass. and Miami Beach, Fla., on December 4, 1950.
Old reliable Dick Plumer writes:
"One of your recent notes bemoaned the fact that so many of us failed to emulate Bill Butler, with whom Mrs. Plumer and I had a most delightful visit at San Jose last summer, and send you a newsy letter once in a while. The best I can do is report that I have been in bed for about four weeks with a minor recurrence of my old distemper, which the doctor now has under control and expects to have me back in first class shape before your next issue goes to press. The only other item is that I am the author of an article entitled 'Judicial Construction of the Smith Act' which appeared in the 30 November, 1950, edition of the New Jersey Law Journal. It is very dry and has a soporific effect on a reader, so I am enclosing a copy."
Sincere appreciation is expressed to themany classmates from whom Irma and I received Christmas cards. Because of seriousfamily illness at home, we were unable to getout our usual Christmas card list.
From a polio patient that I met at Georgia Warm Springs Foundation, who is a consulting petroleum geologist of Mount Vernon, Ill., and an old friend of Hi O'Neill, comes the 'message: "I gave your best to Hi O'Neill but I will bet my bottom dollar he never wrote to you. I have a hard job to even get him to write to me. Hi was all tucked away at the Elks one day last month and tried to get down the steps; he fell and broke some bones. He is now in bed."
One of the highlights of the holidays was a visit from Pat Lovell who had come down to New York to spend Christmas with his daughter Helen and her family. Pat looks like one of the youngest members of our class, is hale and hearty and really ready to go. From him I was privileged to receive as a Christmas greeting a copy of Dartmouth in Portrait.
For the first time in the 35 years or so since I was married, we did not have Christmas at our home. However, Irma and I spent Christmas week-end with my son Paul and his family at Rochester, N. H., our two youngest boys, Tom Goetz and his bride, and Phil Urion, spending the holidays with their girls' families in the North Shore Chicago suburbs. Tom enters Columbia University in February for his Master's degree in English, and Phil will receive his Master's degree in the Medill School of Journalism at Northwestern University in June.
The week-end after Thanksgiving Connieand Katherine Snow were at the Hanover Inn.
How good a hospital administrator BillButler really is can be read between the lines in a letter that he wrote to the Treasurer of Dartmouth College congratulating him on the financial report for the 1949-50 fiscal year: "The administration of a voluntary hospital has undergone many changes during the last 20 years. The 40-hour week was the toughest hurdle, and immediately placed us in the position of having approximately 21/3 persons on the payroll for every patient in the beds. The situation was not an easy one to meet, but through capable and alert department heads and the installation of every possible labor-saving device, we have maintained our 'surplus' policy, which during the last 20 years has liquidated a substantial indebtedness and built up a reasonable building and equipment reserve."
,Changes of address: G. Norman Albree, Inventor, 7 Stratford Road, Winchester, Mass.; PaulE. Martin, Ammunition Inspector, Herlong, Calif.; Harry McCaffrey, 38-01 Queens Boulevard, Long Island City, N. Y.; G. Warren Wheeler, 602 Poinsettia Avenue, Clearwater Beach, Fla.
Secretary, 120 Broadway, New York 5, N. Y.
Treasurer, 4 Bank Building, Middleboro, Mass. Memorial Fund Chairman, Box 521, Troy, Pa.
