1931
Somebody once said (and if somebody never did say it I would like the privilege of saying it right now): " 'tis better to light a single candle than to walk in darkness." Quite aside from the fact that opening with even a misquoted quotation tends to give this pillar of print an overtone of significance or even erudition, I think the foregoing excerpt from inconsequentialia expresses pretty well the way I feel at this moment about this columnar collation. When this scrivening job was first foisted on me in one of the most devious cabals recorded in alumni annals, I'll have to confess that I relished the prospect of "being in touch" with a few hundred guys, long unmet and long remembered, who proudly called themselves 'giers. I could see my secretary and me setting aside a couple of days a month to wade through stacks of mail from which to cull priceless pieces of pithy prose for these monthly memorabilia. The first few months' epistular sterility was attributed to "change of administration," or any other excuse I could generate; but it soon became clear that this was the only group of 450 men in the entire world all of whom had run out of ink simultaneously. Well after all a column is a column and some words have to appear there in order for it to be a column. So, for the December 1952 issue, I decided to toss a stink bomb into the prayer meeting just to see what would happen. It seemed to be a logical assumption that if various nefarious or fictional or irrational activities were attributed to some of you characters, you would stir off your stumps and (a) acknowledge it, (b) complain about it, (c) demand a retraction, or (d) sue. I know you'll understand my confessing to a warm feeling of accomplishment. This one couldn't miss! Now I'd get some mail. By and by it began to pour in . .. all one letter of it! For some time I've wondered who actually reads this column and now I know: my secretary (who has to), my wife (who feels she ought to), my mothor (who feels it's a maternal obligation), Charlie Widmayer (who edits this tome), Ed White, Class of '38 (because we made this one of the requirements of his marrying into the family), the printer (who has to set this stuff in type) and, bless his name, Chuck O'Neill. Admittedly, that's a pretty limited circulation but you'll have to admit it is selective. Chuck wrote "Fine December column, but two minor inaccuracies: (a) the title of the book isn't It's Not the Fog It's the Grog, but By God,At Least It Keeps The Flies Down and (b) its Billy Alton who's going to the London coronation. I'm the one who's getting crowned by Robinson when we both make the weight." Chuck's letters, written in the same vein, don't make much more sense than my column does, but at least they do help to overcome the feeling that we're all alone. Thus endeth an episode and an effort. We'll find some way yet to make this your column instead of mine.
Despite the above lament, we do have some items to pass along to you: way back on November 8, Monty Smith up and got himselt married to Aileen Vivash. Monty, we charter members of the Benevolent Brotherhood of Benedicts welcome you into the fold. Some time during the closing months of '52, the New York Times carried the glad news that Cecil & Presbrey, Inc. (one of the top-flight advertising agencies) has named Frank McCord vice-president in charge of research and merchandising.
In the like-father-like-son department, take a gander at this item out of Hanover: "Leonard J. Clark Jr. of Verona, N. J., played quarter-back on the freshman A and B squads. He submitted the winning design for the Carnival Poster Contest. At this time he appears to be the leading freshman hurdling candidate on the freshman track team as well as a capable pole vaulter." Could it be that this kind of talent is inheritable? At any rate, congratulations, Len, for the fine specimen of offspring. At a recent conclave of the Society of Plastics Industries Incorporated, one of the panel discussions involved our TomRyan, representing the J. C. Penney Company.
A very welcome note from Dave Bender confirms a news release that he has been named the first manager of the Port of Stockton's Bulk Department. The release says, "His primary duties will be to coordinate the movement of ore from mines in Nevada to the oreloading facilities." Dave's letter says,
"Last September 15, I was very lucky to get a job with the Port of Stockton, and I feel so good about it that I thought maybe you'd like to have something for your column. I struggled much too long in the printing business after the war. Now that I'm back in the shipping business, I find life much more pleasant and attractive. Haven't seen any of the classmates since our departure from the Bay area. Used to see Brant McCullough at the luncheons on each Wednesday and quite frequently would ride home on the train with Jim Lyall. During the early part of the year, we used to visit with Jim and MaryLaughton until Jim got transferred to the Navy base at San Diego. Jim Kimball came down from Sacramento about six months ago. Hadn't seen Jim since college days. Looks well and guess he's very busy with his insurance business and raising his family."
The picture of Dave indicates that although he may be in the bulk business, he hasn't acquired any of the physical bulk himself. He's still got that slim-trim carcass. ErnieMoore, who still feels that his product should be specifically named in that Alma Mater line about "... the girdled earth ..." reports that he had a nice visit with Dick Hamilton in Greenfield early in December and that EdStudwell and Joe Mullin are now in business together in Bennington, Vt., running a station and apartment house.
Another note from Ernie brings to the surface a topic which probably doesn't belong in this column of class notes but which has popped up often enough in conversations with Dartmouth alumni that I guess we'd better take a look at it. This has to do with the charges of left-wingism occasionally hurled at Dartmouth. This is a touchy subject; but maybe some of the rest of you have some thoughts that you'd like to express via this column. Recently, we've read columns by Westbrook Pegler and Bill Cunningham which brought the taint of leftism and the name of Dartmouth in all-too-close association; I've listened to many parents who questioned the advisability of sending their sons to Hanover because they understood the College was listing a little to port; and I was slightly more than shocked in an evening conversation with one of our classmates when he told me flatly that the business men "down on the street" thought that Dartmouth's academic philosophy (particularly as expressed in the Great Issues Course) was suspect. Ernie's letter said, "You are close to those who run Dartmouth. What is the pitch?" My only personal closeness to those who run Dartmouth is confined to a long-time and very warm friendship with John Dickey. I don't know the substance of the facts concerned with this question of Dartmouth's leaning to the left or to the right. I have heard the subject bruited about more often than I could count or care to remember. I happen to be very narrow-minded on the question of Americanism versus leftism ... feeling that if any mistakes are to be made, they should be made on the side of Americanism, even to the point of jingoism. On the other hand, I have found it very easy to transfer my affection and admiration for Hoppy over to John Dickey, a man of great talents and unusual administrative abilities. I feel that the College is in excellent hands while he is its President. At the same time, I recognize that the very thing which has made Dartmouth unique among liberal colleges has simultaneously provided an opportunity for the misuse of liberalism. Certain professors can get out of line; the Daily Dartmouth can vaunt its independence in strange ways; the College can make available to its students some unusual (and perhaps unpalatable) philosophies in order that Dartmouth graduates can continue to be known as "liberal students," but the essence of the matter still lies in the intention of the College. This I know: John and Chris Dickey came up the hard way. They are (if the term has not become too hackneyed) the "salt of the earth"; any institution is simply the reflection of its leader and John Dickey isn't going to lead it astray. There's a lot more that could be said on this subject, but I think it's better that we wait until some of the others of you have had a chance to express yourself. If this is an important question among the Dartmouth alumni body, let's get it out in the air where we can all take a look at it. That's all for now. See you next month.
Secretary, Lambert & Feasley, Inc. 60 E. 42nd St., New York 17, N. Y. Treasurer, 1512 Spruce St., Philadelphia 2, Pa.
