1926 Holds "Terrific 25th"
THE 182nd year of the College ended in a blaze of glory the weekend of June 15, 16 and 17, with the graduation of the Class of 1951 and the "Terrific Twenty-Fifth Reunion of the Class of '26"—and, as has been predicted in these columns, '10 these many months, a "terrific twenty-fifth" it was indeed. Gigantic, colossal, stupendous and memorable, not only for the Class, but for the College as well.
First of all, be it here known to those of you who were not present—we dood it! We met our 25-Year Memorial Fund goal of $126,000 and, in addition, met our Alumni Fund quota of $15,000—and presented a total of $141,000 to the College—a new high for any 25-year class and an accomplishment of which we may all well be proud.
But to go back to reunion! Although scheduled to start on Friday, June 15, reunion started actually about June 12 with the arrival of the vanguard consisting of the Blunts,Smiths, Clearys, Dickasons and the reunion chairmen, the Vennemans. The first beach head was established in Room 31 of the Hanover Inn which became headquarters for the Memorial Fund and for Carle Blunt as President of the General Alumni Association. The famous Blunt scotch collection took its fir.st beating then and there. The next day the ranks were swelled by the arrival of the Abbotts, the Jack Roberts, Dick Gunthorp, DelWorthington, the Loners, Stopfords and so on. Carle's wire recorder was busy almost constantly and each night saw an increasing number of classmates, wives and children joining up for dinner at the Inn.
Thursday, the reunion committee production line went to work packing the reunion regalia and souvenirs—caps, scarves, ash trays, matches, etc.—into bags for each family. Class headquarters was established in Woodward Hall and all last-minute arrangements completed. On Friday the dormitories—Woodward, Ripley, Smith, North, South and Middle Fayerweather and Topliff—were ready; the tent in front of headquarters dorm was stocked with beer and soft drinks; and then came the avalanche. The class began to roll in, and roll in they did, in numbers to gladden the heart of any'reunion chairman.
At 5 P.M. Friday the party started with a bang! Charlie McKenna Jr.'s dish-pan band, led by drum majorette Janet Johnston, in full regalia and twirling her baton, marched through the dormitories, routed out the mob, and the Class marched down Wheelock Street to College Hall for the first big event—a cocktail party, with coke bar for the kids. This was followed by a buffet supper for everyone in Thayer Hall, and the evening was then given over to the President's reception, the glee club concert, the alumni dance in Commons and the class movies at the tent. The wassail bowl was filled and emptied many times and the beer flowed on and on.
Saturday morning, breakfast was served a la carte in the tent. At the class meeting which followed in Dartmouth Hall, Herb Darling's treasurer's report was accepted; the reunion chairmen received a rising vote of thanks; Bob Stopford, our Memorial Fund chairman, reported that our goal was in sight, and after a few more rising votes of thanks we adjourned for our class picture at the baseball diamond. The wives and younger kids then proceeded to their luncheon party on the Inn lawn; the teen-agers group to their luncheon at the Outing Club, and the men to the Alumni luncheon and meeting at the Gym. At that meeting, Carle Blunt presided as President of the Association and Sid Hayward as Secretary. We heard speeches by Robert F. Leavens '01, David M. Leslie '51 and President John Sloan Dickey '29. The Class of 1930 Cup, awarded to the class having the greatest reunion attendance, was presented to the Class of 1926. (Our total attendance was 149 men, 115 wives, 123 children and the father of one classmate.)
Saturday afternoon some 230 of our group attended the baseball game and then, while the children had their own barbecue party under the aegis of Ross McKenney at Oak Hill, the men and wives partook of cocktails once more at College Hall. Following this party, the wives had their own dinner party at the D.O.C. while the men attended the class dinner in the Colonial Room of Thayer Hall. Carle Blunt served as toastmaster and our guests from the college were Dean Neidlinger, Al Dickerson, Charlie Widmayer, Don Cameron and Nick Sandoe Jr. The highlights of the dinner were many. Following the introduction of the guests, Bob Stopford, as Memorial Fund chairman, and Al Louer, as Class Agent, presented the $141,000 to President Dickey, who received the gift for the College. Then President-Emeritus Ernest Martin Hopkins, who had been attending his own 50-year reunion banquet, addressed our class and stated that he thought we, as a class, had vindicated his belief in the selective process. Prexy (Mr. Dartmouth to us) brought down the house. Next, we heard from the one and only and inimitable Roy Nemiah, our honorary classmate and former class adviser, who contributed of his droll humor and wit.
Next came the election of officers and the new slate, as submitted by the nominating committee of Bob Cleary, Chairman, NateParker and Carle Blunt, was elected unanimously as follows: Herbert H. Harwood—Secretary-Chairman H. Donald Norstrand—Treasurer Andrew J. O'Connor—Class Agent Carleton Blunt—Memorial Fund Chairman Donald B. Hopkins—Assistant Class Agent
Other members of the Executive Committee for the next five years are Paul Venneman,Herb Darling, Al Louer, Bob Stopford, DonChurch, Harry Fisher, Dick Gunthorp, JakeJacobus, Bob May, Tom Murdough, DickNichols, Jack Roberts and Gib Robinson.
Following the dinner, the teen-age group had their own dance at College Hall, with music by the Barbary Coast (thanks to Skip Weymouth '54) while the old folks saw a production by The Players or roamed around the tent renewing old friendships.
Sunday morning, the Rev. Richard P. (Wee)McClintock conducted an inspiring memorial service at the White Church in memory of our 34 deceased classmates. Then Sunday noon practically the entire group took out for Mt. Sunapee State Park and the big lobster and clam bake. Even rain could not dampen the spirits of the group and even though it washed the butter off the corn, everyone enjoyed the party. At the picnic, six aprons which Grace Venneman had made out of the famous 15th reunion, Perk St. Clair chintz, were auctioned off by Perk and EdSimmons and yielded a sum of $300 for the class.
Many people left for home after the picnic but the die-hards returned to Hanover where the tent still was in business. Monday many more departed but others stayed on for Hanover Holiday and these all joined for dinner on the Inn porch that evening. Monday and Tuesday afternoons saw the playing of the Jacobus Memorial (not dead) golf sweepstakes and the prizes went to Betty Smith, Jim Traquair, Skip and Ted Weymouth (Tubber's boys) and Pense Cleary. Sid andBarbara Hayward entertained at cocktails Tuesday night for the Traquairs, McConnaugheys, Merrills, Ritchie Smiths, Weymouths, Cleary s, Blunts, Drurys, McKennas,Vennemans, Yaffes and Del Worthingtonthe last die-hards—and then all had a special birthday dinner for Del at the revamped Hotel Coolidge in White River—a grand, final get-together and a fitting climax to a "terrific twenty-fifth."
A list of all those at reunion follows these, the last notes this scribe shall write, and I close with a "rising vote of thanks" to all of you who helped make the reunion, the Memorial Fund "and the Alumni Fund campaigns such a success this year—particularly Carleton Blunt, Bob Stopford and Al Louer for guiding the class to a new record gift and helping us to establish a mark toward which succeeding classes can strive.
Abbott, Charlie, Lois and Sally Bailey, Chris and Anna Baker, Royal and Stephanie Banfield, Bud and Marian Barclay, Bill Batchelder, Joe, Peggy, Ellis, Charles and Joe Jr. Bell aire, Jud Bengston, Shorty Benjamin, Phil Benton, Ward Bickford, Jack and Lydia Bishop, Charlie, Edith and Richard Bixby, Henry, Margaret, Mary and George Blair, Whit, Freda Mae and Sandra Jean Blake, Henry and Mary Blanchard, Bill Blunt, Carle and Betsy Brown, Courtney, Marjorie, Joanne, Roxanne and Warren Buck, George, Isabel, Martha and Ann Burlingame, Dick and Edna Carnell, Pren and Ruth Carr, Bob and Ruby Champion, George Clark, Russ, Dorothy and Priscilla Clear, Bob, Pense and Susan Colladay, Monty and Nina Collins, Charlie and Louisa Colt, Tom Cox, Ranny and Ruth Crosby, Cobby, Betty and Warren Darling, Herb and Bert DesMarais, Gob Dickason, King, Irene, Marie and Dick Diehl, Dutch, Del, Lydie and Nancy Dillingham, Paul, Elizabeth and Jane Dooley, Ed and Eddie Drury, Dan and Sally Eaken, Bruce, Kathryn, Bruce and Janet Edgar, Bob Elliott, Charlie Esquerre, Snipe and Kay Everett, Doug, Helen, Ted and Jean Farnum, Ed, Marjorie, Marlowe and Peter Farwell, Tom, Rena, Sally, Lee and Susan Fellingham, Warren, Dorothy, John, Warren and David Fisher, Harry, Mary, Jerry and Andy Fitts, Oz and Dot Floyd-Jones, Tom Foster, Ken and Ruth Frankenberg, Chuck, Pat, Mimi and Dick Goss, Bob, Helen, Mary and Ruth Gurney, Fred, Elinor and Anita Gunthorp, Dick Hadlock, Can, Josephine, Daniel and Harriett Hanson, Reg and Ethel Harriman, Dave and Berthe Harwood, Hub, Det and Georgia Hayward, Sid, Barbara, Nancy and Mary Ann Healy, Frank and Mae Heavenrich, John, Ada, Mary Katherine and John David Hopkins, Don and Marjorie Husband, Dick, Dorothy and Rich Hurd, Fred Ide, Paul and Francis Jacobus, Jake, Evy and Joan and Chappie Johnston, Hap, Pat, Barbara, Janet, Tricia and Bruce Jones, Chappy Jones, Malcolm and Lydia Jones, Ralph and Irva Jost, Charlie, Jess, Charles Jr. and Jean Kelley, Buck and Ruth Louer, Al and Ellen McAloney, Holt and Lillian McCarthy, Jud and Mackey McClintock, Ed, Margaret, Tom, Meredith and Michael McClintock, Mike, Inez, Claudia and Michael McClintock, Wee, Dorothy, Barbara, Dick and Sandy McConnaughey, Bob, Marianne, Bob and John McDavitt, Mac and Emily Mac Donald, Charlie, Lillian, Bob and Jack Mackay, Don McKenna, Charlie, Helen, Charles and Sharon Mandel, Dick Manser, Johnny and Elise Marsans, Tiny and Adele Marshall, Hal and Marion May, Bob and Virginia Merrill, Mai, Ann and Linda Merrill, Red and Emmy Merry, Perley, Kay, Robert and Donald Minton, Bob and Fifi Moderwell, Mod, and Ruth Morrison, Hugh and Elizabeth Murdough, Tom Newcomb, Russ, Louise, Danforth and Jonathan Newhall, Paul Nichols, Dick, Ruth, Andy and Jim Nigh, Bill, Kate, Kate and Bill Jr. Norstrand, Don and Dot Oberlander, Jim and Madeline O'Connor, Okey and Helen Orr, Stew and David Parker, Nate and Nate Jr. Patten, Bob and Clythroe Poor, Frank, Claire, David and Sally Potter, Pete Raisbeck, Ed, Olivia, Jane and Peter Rankin, Walt, Eleanor, Andrew and Marsha Redman, Herb, Frances and Dana Richter, Traug and his father Henry A. Roberts, Jack, Dot, Bev and Jonnie Robinson, Gib Robinson, Win, Alice, Virginia and Win Jr. Ryder, Mack St. Clair, Perk Salinger, Bob and Dot Sanford, Lloyd, Emily, Jane and James Schipper, Carl Shaver, Bud and Audrey Simmons, Ed, Betty, Jane, Betty, Sally and Ed. Jr. Singleton, Charlie and Jim Smith, Ritchie and Betty Smith, Skipper and Virginia Starke, George, Margaret and Ann Starrett, Charlie and Mary Steele, Ed Stopford, Bob and Ann Talbot, Les, Dot, Ann and David Taylor, Clary, Betty and Marilyn Thomas, Ralph Thompson, Tommy, Helen and Ann Tilton, Sonny, Betty, Tony and Ann Tomlinson, Tommy, Myrtle and Nancy Ann Traquair, Jim and Betty Venneman, Paul and Grace Viall, Bill, Gertrude, Carolyn and Peter Wallace, Brant and Johnny Webster, Chuck and Natalie Webster, Russ Weeks, Ken, Helen, Ken and Carolyn Weston, Steve Weymouth, Tubber, Mary, Skip, Ted and Sis Whitmore, Hank, Grace, Carolyn, Ada Jane and Elizabeth Wilcox, Art, Madeline and Bunny Willard, Bill and Florence Williams, Bleek, Marion and Buzz Williamson, Norrie and Dor Wolff, Peewee, Peggy and Susan Worthington, Del Yaffe, George and Janie
The annual informal class reunion will be held as usual this year on August 24, 25 and 26. Make your reservations now!
1926 WIVES CHAT at the Class Tent while their husbands attend the "stag" affairs.
THE "TERRIFIC 25TH" OF 1926 HAD TO MOVE TO THE BASEBALL BLEACHERS TO GET ONE AND ALL INTO THE PICTURE
RELAXATION AND CONVERSATION KEYNOTE THE 1926 COCKTAIL PARTY AT COLLEGE HALL
RETIRING CLASS SECRETARY
