"Reunions Are OK" Says 1945
A first reunion is like a first marriage—you can't know what it is like until you have tried it. Ours was a fine reunion. All of the 80 men, 50 wives, one date and two children seemed to have had a splendid time. We have tried it once and like it fine—many plans have already been made for our 10th which comes up in just four years.
We started off on Friday afternoon with a cocktail party in College Hall—lots of drinks, lots of handshakes, lots of sly glances at the huge name badges (that made it easy to walk right up and call the fellows by their first names), and—and who would underestimate this—lots of girls in their summer dresses.
Following cocktails most of us made it to the Outing Club for a buffet supper which Miss Gill had arranged in a tent on the west side of the clubhouse. A tremendous mealspaghetti, lobster salad, cold meats, pickles, beans, etc., etc. Outside it was drizzling a bit and we were glad of the tent and the chance to speculate about the President's reception. Would it be held in his garden or would the rain force it into Baker Library?
Following dinner most of us made it to Baker Library. It was not raining awfully hard but slowly building up into a storm that would allow many a hardy '45 the excuse of sleeping extra late on Saturday morn. But the Reunion Committee didn't do any sleeping (at least we never caught them at it). Head man Sam Cutler and his Knights of the Quarter-keg, Jim Broderick and Jack Gile did, as you may have guessed from the tone of this report, a superlative job.
President and Mrs. Dickey, Sid and Mrs. Hayward were the receiving line and once the greetings were over the already overstuffed reunionite found that an Arthurian feast was prepared at the west end of Baker's main hall. Cookies, cake, brownies and punch (the speculation about alcoholic content of which was cleared up when it was noticed that John Sloan Dickey Jr. and assorted faculty children were seen guzzling it down, tankard after tankard) came in handy. It had been almost 45 minutes since dinner.
Following the reception most of us were able to make it to the tent,, which was set up between Russell Sage and Butterfield Halls-103 Sage was reu»ion Hdqtrs where Sam, the aforementioned Knights or Moe Frey, a dangerous bachelor, held forth.
As an innovation this year, several classes had a keg of beer in their tents. Although the members of '45 expressed no special interest in the beverage, it was decided as a sort of proforrna function of the weekend to try having cold beer on tap. I understand that several members did try it. A piano was also in the tent for a jolly song—but the rain fixed our jolly song by soaking, ever so imperceptibly, into our little upright—however, that was attended to later, the manner of which we shall relate in the Second Folio of this opus.
The dance came next and, with a nod at the foaming keg and those few imbibers, I can say with some little confidence that some of us were able to make it to College Hall where the music of Bob Childs—and quite danceable music it was—held forth.
We found Charlie Tanzi at the tent trying to sell beer when we returned from the dance. (I understand that he sold two more bottles.) Most of us went to bed Friday night and, as we said, the patter of raindrops was heard on empty beer cans come morning. Dave Pierce had no camera that could take pictures under water and so the class picture was postponed until Sunday. By noon on Saturday, however, things moved as the rain stopped. The Alumni luncheon, held in the gym, was followed by speakers. Governor Sherman Adams was on hand and addressed the group as did President Dickey, Sid. Hayward and Bob Burroughs, vice president of the Alumni Association. While the men of '45 were eating chicken salad and listening to speeches, the ladies were taking their lunches close to the beer tent. We found them there when we returned from the meeting in the gym. On the whole, they were very presentable, although several had been too close to the beer. (Some of the ladies will say that we distort the facts —that there was no beer in the tent at that time—that the gals stayed in Russell Sage and conducted themselves like women worrying how much their baby-sitter was costing or something. Some will say that thought is far from the veritable also. We admit it. We want to be read and who wants to read that the wives of '45 had a perfectly delightful time sitting in the dorm quietly munching ham sandwiches. We distort the facts—so we distort the facts—we're large, we have contained a lot of beer.)
There were Dartmouth movies in 105 during the afternoon and some of our reunionees attended. The class banquet (wives invited) came up in the evening and we who had it are still talking about the size of the piece of roast beef that each of us had to carry, alone and unaided, from the buffet counter to his place at the table. After dinner—and few of us finished it—toastmaster George Barr introduced Nick Sandoe, of whom we may all be proud as the head of the Alumni Fund starting nextyear. Nick spoke briefly and gave an up-to-date figure on the Fund. The next speaker was Bob Allen (is the name spelled correctly?) who said almost nothing about Dartmouth movies and their future on television. Football coach John Dell Isola was the next speaker listed on the program. He was not in the hall. In fact he was then on his way from Crystal Lake where he had been spending the weekend with his family and whence he had very con siderately consented to depart for Hanover to address our group. George did a masterful job of stalling in the back court as the minutes whiled away ... quite suddenly our speaker appeared at the door ... George flipped it to him and, in his usual way, Johnny went in to score. Later he was, by acclamation, voted an honorary member of the Class of '45.
The Dartmouth Players were on tap later in the evening with something foamy called The Royal Family. We all had a hot time in Webster. But the beer was cold at the tent. And the piano was still silent—almost sulking as tinkling tones wafted on the malt-laden air from the '46 tent across the Drive. But we made the best of it—and then finally got the better of it.
After being away for so long there were many many stories to be told and so for a few hours our contribution to the evening din was intermittent laughter that would cut off quickly, as with the turn of a dial, when the next story started. This went on. Then there was singing without music and then (this being Folio II) there was music. Suddenly there were two pianos in the '45 tent. Some class, in the spirit of fellowship—or with too many spirits—had been asleep at the keyboard and some '45 huskies hastily hustled their harpsichord hence. The singing and music went on and on and on. Those weak of knee though sound of mind who went to bed were awakened at milkman hours by the men with the hill winds in their veins and a frog in their throats.
The class meeting called for 10 A.M. was of course too early, but a large group was present in 105 to hear about a constitution for the Class and to pass unanimously on a slate of officers: the officers for the Class of '45 until next reunion are:
Secretary-Chairman: Sam Cutler. Treasurer: Rod Walser. Class Agent: Don deß. Campbell.
Executive Committee: Will Hufstader, Jug Agry, Jim Broderick, Bob Allen, George Barr, Stan Newton, Tom Harkness, Bebe Miller, Bob Paulson, Bud Tyler, Don Ash, Rex Felton.
Sam Cutler, our new Secretary-Chairman, then relieved Rod Walser who had taken over in Rex Felton's absence, and we heard Rod's report as Treasurer. Gist of report: we're doing fine. Jim JJroderick made a reunion Treasurer's report. Gist of report: we did fine. Two resolutions were presented under new business.
First resolution: Resolved that the Dartmouth Class of 1945, in Hanover again for its fifth reunion, wishes to express its appreciation and respect to Sam Cutler, Reunion Chairman, and to his associates in this enterprise, particularly Jim Broderick and Jack Gile, for all they have done to make this gathering of a great class such a success, and further that the class goes on record in wholehearted support of Sam in his important post of Class Secretary-Chairman for the next four years, and extends its best wishes to him for a successful administration.
Second resolution: Resolved that the Class of 1945 of Dartmouth College, at its fifth reunion assembled, does recognize and sincerely appreciate the untiring and faithful efforts of its SecretaryChairman of the past five years, Rex Felton, and further, believes that his great contribution to the solidarity of the Class makes possible new horizons of fellowship and support of the College throughout the future, and therefore wishes to express its gratitude to Rex, and its disappointment that he was unable to join with the Class at its fifth reunion.
(Rex Felton wasn't with us because he had to keep landing lights burning for the stork. Nick Sandoe was in the control tower all weekend with wife Mary. No sign of the bird until Sunday morn. He (bird) sat up on Balch Hill for just a while and then finally glided in —Nick might tell you, if you coaxed him, that it was an 8 lb. 3 oz. boy. Haven't heard from Rex yet.)
The class meeting was adjourned about eleven, the picture shot in sunlight, and then they all scattered again.
1945'S REDUCED RANKS TURNED OUT SUNDAY FOR THE RAIN-DELAYED CLASS PHOTOGRAPH
