1935
You never know when you start out in the morning what may happen to you. For instance, I set out from our new and temporary residence in Valley Road, Hanover, the other morning with nothing more to worry about than finding $40,000 to complete our campaign to put artificial ice in the Davis Rink. It was a beautiful March day, a little snow to cover the debris left by the March thaws, bright blue sky, cheerful students hailing each other on campus, Baker's tower brick red and white against the sky - a very happy day. In the midst of this idyllic situation however there came a wire from Bankart: pressure of business can't do column - ask Colton. So —here we go!
It seems highly appropriate, since this is the first time in seven years that anyone else has had a crack at this column, to say some things about Reg, who consistently refuses to talk about himself or his work as an averrising executive. We had to threaten all sorts of things to get him to admit publicly to being a VP and in case you think that's all gravy train, just listen to this note he sent along with a few bits to help with the column: "Reason for my inability is the Procter and Gamble budget season. We present our formal budget recommendations Friday. Meanwhile, in the past three weeks I have worked practically every night and all day weekends. Babs has had me home for dinner twice in three weeks. The one night I had set aside to write the column I walked in the door, she took one look at me and ordered me to bed." All work and no play makes ulcers, Reg!
In spite of such problems Reg has done an extraordinary job as secretary these last seven years —good notes, effective leadership in class affairs, not to mention an unknown amount of hospitality to all manner of visiting firemen who drop in to see him in New York.
The irony of this present situation is that I had lunch with Reg and Mac McCarty at Toots Shor's a couple of weeks ago and Mac and I tried to give Reg news. He took notes and I didn't - and he hasn't sent me the notes. However, Mac was concerned with the problems of getting a couple of his blimps out of whatever kind of mothballs they put blimps in, and was reporting on '35ers he had seen. On a recent trip to Long Island he had called on Bill Mathers, now a distinguished barrister. He had also seen Fitz Donnell who had been in New York looking for new products to merchandise out in Hawaii. Fitz has left the radio business, in case that hasn't been reported already. Bob Sellmer was another on Mac's list, having put in an appearance briefly while on his way from Washington to an unknown destination in Europe unknown to Mac, that is.
That exhausts the '35 portion of our luncheon conversation 'so I'll come back to Hanover for a moment and see what can be gleaned here. During the past month or so we have had two classmates at the Inn. BillFeingold and his family went to Stowe for some skiing over Washington's Birthday, found no good snow and came to Hanover, only to find it raining here. Our other guest was Sel Hannah, a man who knows all about what to do with snow and skis. What Sel was doing in town I don't know, but I learn from reliable sources that Sel's oldest daughter has learned a trick or two from her father and is beginning to win ski meets. Rand and Phoebe Stowell spent a weekend with Sel at his place in Franconia not so long ago.
Among local residents and regular visitors it can be reported that Nick Jacobson is working hard in Baker every day, presumably writing a play. Fay Reed is in town frequently on business of one sort or another for Kimball Union Academy where he is highly regarded as a teacher. Walt Pruden was in Hanover not long ago on one of his regular calls selling Oxford Press publications to members of the faculty.
Ibba Hagerman was in Mary Hitchcock Hospital briefly last week and as a consequence Don made several trips from Plymouth, where he is doing an excellent job as headmaster of Holderness School. Bill Clark brought a group of Exeter boys to Hanover for a few hours a while back and while they were doing whatever they came to do Bill came into my office and we had a good time reviewing some of his problems as a football coach.
Dick Miller, one of White River's more imaginative merchants, has been stirring up something of a furor with a plan for a big shopping center at the intersection of Route 5 and the road to Woodstock and Rutland. Jim Huntley will be in the local limelight next week when he leads the singing at the annual Community Dinner. Jim is constantly in demand to work with groups of singers and to play for church groups around this area.
Bob Hage is settling down to the night and day grind that is involved each year in picking a new freshman class. In addition, Bob is responsible this year for the awards of financial aid. Incidentally, who will be the first member of the class to send a son to Dartmouth? It's about due to happen which may be a sobering thought to some of you.
Don Cameron is likewise sweating it out these days since this is the time when all the recruiters come looking for good men from the senior class. Don is at it from early morning until late at night, and in case you can get some vicarious pride out of another's achievement, at least two experts in the recruiting business tell me that Don does the best job of handling this type of work of any man they have seen in the country and they get around.
Line and Tahoe Washburn have just moved back to Hanover with their three children and expect to stay for a time. Line's mother died quite suddenly a few weeks ago leaving him with many estate problems to be settled.
It seems in order to say a word of praise about Frank Corlett's first edition of the TearBag, which, you will have noticed, has a bright new format. Frank managed that on his own, the Fund Office having no facilities for such innovations in printing. Frank has a tough job ahead of him, and it would help if you would drop him a little news and don't forget Uncle Reg either. Just share the wealth. Likewise, a plug is in order for Ed Offutt, who will really be working hard for the next three months trying to get all of us to do what we ought to do in support of Dartmouth and the honor of 1935.
The clipping services supply a few more gems that will interest you. For instance,
although Tom Wilson isn't getting as many headlines as his Secretary of Defense father, he has had a few in connection with his promotion to the position of general manufacturing manager of GMC truck and coach division.
Another man in the truck business is BillMorgan who just opened a Hartford, Conn., branch of the White Truck agency he has had in Springfield for several years.
Back to the clippings Harry Ackerman had his picture in the public prints recently standing behind Lucille Ball and Desi Arnez and their $8,000,000 TV contract which Harry apparently arranged.
Bob Naramore wrote Reg that he had spent a weekend in Hanover recently (traveling incognito apparently) and also sent a clipping which reported the remarks of one Howard A. Kaiser, director of sales, hosiery division, Burlington Mills. There was a very handsome likeness too. Howie had a lot of optimistic things to say about hosiery sales in 1953, and if he's right you're going to pay for a lot of nylons for your wives this year.
Another report, sent in by Dick Montgomerybears the tidings that Ted Harbaugh, manager of merchandising for Libby Glass Division of Owens-Illinois has been appointed manager of super market sales, a newly established post.
Strangely enough there are still more items to report, but there are rules about the length of these columns, and besides it might be nice to leave Reg a few things to get him off to a flying start next month.
Secretary, Compton Advertising, Inc. 630 Fifth Ave., New York 20, N. Y.
Class Agent, 4515 Roxbury Dr., Bethesda 14, Md.
