1886
Most men regard their lives as uneventful, especially after they have retired. And so it is hard to get news about them. Therefore on January 3 I was much pleased to receive a letter from Los Angeles, Calif., in the hand- writing of Dr. Edgar B. Philbrook, who at the age of 93 is the oldest man in our class, and probably one of the oldest of our alumni.
Although he has never returned to Hanover since he left at the end of freshman year, and 1 have never met him in my travels, I have a very distinct recollection of him as a pleasant, genteel, quiet man, as mature as a senior, who was well prepared for his work and was in College for a serious purpose. A year or two later he entered Boston University Medical school and, after completing his course in less than the usual time, set out for California, where he has lived ever since, except for ten years in Oregon.
But though severed by time and distance from the associations of his early life, Dr. Philbrook has never ceased to regard Dartmouth as his College. In his recent book entitled How Do Remedial Agents Cure?, in which he stresses the influence of the patient's confidence and faith in both the doctor and his remedies, he identifies himself as a member of the Class of 1886 in Dartmouth College.
He now lives with his daughter Mrs. Robert F. Knoll at 756 So. Sycamore St., Los Angeles. In his clear, firm handwriting he has just reported that, though debarred by deafness from social contacts, and by lameness from any longer engaging in his former activities fishing, studying birds and collecting shells which have been his greatest pleasures since giving up his practice, his general health is good. Only last summer he broke his hip, but has completely recovered. He writes, "A doctor friend says that I will probably live to be 100 or more, which prognosis does not give me any particular pleasure." Well, Dr. Philbrook, we wish you Happy Returns of your natal day no matter how many or how few they be.
Secretary and Treasurer 2650—2nd Ave. N. St. Petersburg, Fla.
