1927
Another month has rolled by, and it is now over six months since we were back in Hanover for our twenty-fifth, and I promised myself that in the course of the next year I would write at least one letter to every member of the Class. If confession is good for the soul, I hereby confess that I have not made good on my promise, so my soul should now be purged, and I hereby resolve to do better during 1953. If you will all make resolutions to write to me at least once during this year, with news of what you and other members of the Class are doing, I will do my best to make good on my own resolution, and our column in this MAGAZINE should be greatly improved.
Despite the block in the direct lines of communication, a certain amount of news manages to trickle through, so we aren't without a few items of interest this month.
After having served for over 25 years as Editor of the Speakeasy, Gus Cummings has finally managed to obtain relief, and this very important task has been given over to the capable hands of Les Battin. As the official news-letter of our class, the Speakeasy serves a vital role, and I am sure that you will all give Les all the cooperation that you can in order to make it outstanding among all the class news-letters. Our thanks to Gus for many years of untiring service, and our best wishes to Les in this new job.
As this is being written in the early days of January, I still don't have the final figures on our Twenty Five Year Memorial Gift, but unless Les scoops me, I will report them in the class notes next month. As you all know, Gus has worked long and hard to make this fund truly representative of the Class of 1927, and we all owe him a great debt for the outstanding job that he has done. Whatever the final figures are, they will be somewhere near one hundred thousand dollars, and anyone who is able to raise that amount of money for the College from any Class is certainly entitled to a great big Wah Hoo Wah. In addition to this, Gus has served as our Class Treasurer ever since graduation, was Class Agent for more years than anyone can remember, and is always willing to do anything that he can for the Class and the College. The unselfish service of men like this are one of the things that make Dartmouth great.
Received a very interesting and unusual Christmas card, in the form of a tabloid newspaper, from Cary Stiff. I'd suggest that any of you who didn't receive it write to Cary and ask to be put on the mailing list. Cary resides at Dogwood Farm, Ada, Mich., and operates stores featuring dry goods and clothing in Grand Rapids and Lowell. He evidently has found the ideal combination of living and work, if his paper is any indication. Gary's son David is a senior at Dartmouth, a junior Phi Beta Kappa, and in the Medical School. His daughter Winona is a freshman at the University of Michigan, and another daughter Martha is in the sixth grade in Ada.
Cam Clokey has been appointed as assistant vice president of Ohio Bell Telephone Cos., effective December 1. Cam, who lives in Shaker Heights, just outside Cleveland, which is a suburb of Toledo, was formerly directory supervisor for Ohio Bell.
From the Rochester Times-XJnion comes word that Dave Schlossman and Ralph Abrams have purchased the quality shoe manufacturing concern of E. P. Reed and Cos., of Rochester. Dave is owner of Clark's Shoe Store, and president of U-Charge-It Corporation of America.
Josh Davis, as of December 30, was elected chairman of the executive committee and director of The Banking Firm of Blair, Rollins & Cos., 44 Wall St., New York. Josh has been a partner with the New York Stock Exchange firm of Reynolds and Cos. since 1942.
On Sunday, December 7, the New YorkTimes carried a feature story on the business page, concerning the career of Joe Russakoff. Limitation on space in the MAGAZINE prevents any extended quotation from this article, but a short excerpt may prove interesting:
"Waukegan, Ill., and Skowhegan, Me., have more in common than names that rhyme. They both have produced men of considerable wit and versatility namely Jack Benny and Joseph Mendell Russakoff, respectively.
"Joe, the owner of Vanguard Advertising, a relatively small but profitable ad agency, is known throughout the business, particularly by writers on the subject, as one of its more likeable characters. He possesses none of the stuffiness exhibited by too many day-time denizens of Madison Ave. "He is equally at home on the dais at a large dinner, running the press room for a convention, playing poker in a smoke filled room, teaching college kids, or playing Verdi's La Forza delDestino on the piano.
"How and why he got that way is an interesting story. While in high school back in Skowhegan he obtained a newspaper route and occasionally distributed advertising material, house to house. He had studied the piano since he was 6 and therefore found no difficulty at the age of 14 getting such jobs as the accompanist for silent films in the local movie house and as the soloist at church and lodge meetings.
"He earned his way through Dartmouth College by 'eyeing' potatoes and correcting papers for various professors, receiving an A.B. degree when he was only 19 years old. He then entered Harvard for graduate work in economic theory. In time he received his M.A. degree."
The article goes on to tell how Joe got into the advertising business in New York, and how he rose to his present position. It tells how he has taught advertising courses at various colleges in New York City, and closes with the following:
"He estimates that about 1000 people have studied under him. Whether they have learned anything or not is a moot question, he says, but it is significant that a number of them have opened their own agencies, and are now his competitors."
Harry Benson's son Bruce won his numerals in freshman football. He is six feet tall, weighs '75, and played fullback. Another fullback on the freshman team was Lawrence Scammon Jr., son of Larry Scammon.
Word has just been received from the BillNeilsons that they lost their house and many of their possessions in the tidal wave that struck the Hawaiian Islands on November 4.
New addresses Raymond Ring, Short Falls, N. H„ Joe Russakoff, 15 East 40th St., New York, N. Y.; Harold Blanchard, 2312 Blanchard Dr., Glendale 8, Calif.; Bob Williamson, 51 Melcher St., Boston 10, Mass.
Cookie tells me that he is about to get going on his organization for this year's Alumni Fund. He's going to need a lot of help, so if he calls on you, say "yes" cheerfully. That's one way that we can all express a little of our appreciation for what Dartmouth has done for us.
WHEN MEN WERE MEN: In the good old Delta Alpha days, September 1924, freshman '2Bers line up to take what the sophomores mete out. L to r: Craw Pollock, Tavey Taylor, Bill Lary, Hank Reynolds, Jim Newton, Babe Shaw, Ed Norton, Clint Whiltemore and Byron Kelly.
Secretary, ... Pine Hill Farm, West River Rd., Perrysburg, Ohio Treasurer, Box 1927, Pittsburgh 30, Pa.
