1924
By the time this copy reaches you the 1953 Alumni Fund campaign will be smack, dab at the half-way mark and we will be in a better position to know just where we're going. Trends will have developed, and the handwriting on the wall will be somewhat less obscure. At this moment the message is strictly in invisible ink. Even at this point, however, there are some straws in the wind, and, in a moment of prophetic optimism, we are willing to predict that this year 1924 will rise to the occasion and do its stuff in a thoroughly creditable manner. This is the year!
What causes this burst of optimism? Several things. Our pre-campaign contributions are double those of last year. Of the first 13 contributions, two came in from "new" contributors (i.e. men who did not give last year). Of the remaining 11, four contributions were substantially increased, while the rest held the line at their already generous figure. These are all favourable indications pointing to a successful campaign. More important, however, is the enthusiasm of the largest Fund Committee wTe've ever had, and the thorough, painstaking work of Harr Ranney in organizing this year's drive. We're off to a great start. The finish is in your hands.
This year we have again been assigned the second largest quota of any class, second only to our friends in 1923. Our quota is a tidy little $19,860. That is quite a wad of dough, whether measured in terms of yen, rubles or Truman dollars! This figure is not fantasy. It is a realistic measure of what our Class can and must do, if Dartmouth is to maintain her proud place among the leading independent liberal arts colleges. It is a challenging figure, but one well within our reach if we seriously strive for its attainment. You can do your part by doing three things: 1. GIVE! Participation is still an important factor, and your gift, even a buck is important. This cannot be overemphasized. 2. GIVE GENEROUSLY! This year let's forget the 5 and 10 stuff wherever possible, and measure our gift in terms of 1953 values. Based on our scoring base of 422 men, we need an average gift of $47 if the goal is to be reached. If every living soul contributed we would still need $35 per man. Does this give you a clue? 3. GIVE PROMPTLY! Perhaps the greatest thing you can do to help our hard working Fund Committee is to get your gift in early. We are now at the half-way mark. If you'll get your gift in before the end of this month, it will enable our committee to focus their full attention on the delinquents and thus assure a recordsmashing result. Let's act on these three precepts. Give promptly, give as generously as possible, but above all GIVE.
Not long ago we received a most welcome letter from Vincent D. Rogers, Principal of Brewster Academy, in Wolfeboro, N. H. Vincent has been the guiding spirit of this fine old school for many years, and is presently up to his ears in problems surrounding the construction of a new quarter million dollar gymnasium and auditorium which will add greatly to the facilities of the Academy. Those are pleasant problems, though, and would be welcomed by any headmaster anywhere. Rather like one of us worrying about what we would do if we had a million bucks!
Vincent's oldest son Richard, who attended Dartmouth for one year back in 1942, picked up his education after serving in the Navy, at the Boston Conservatory. While at Dartmouth he took an active interest in the Dartmouth Players, and has been six .seasons with the Weston Flayers at the summer theatre in Weston, Vt. Dick is living in Boston and works at the Massachusetts General Hospital. Vincent's oldest daughter Davena graduated from Brewster last June, and is in training at the Massachusetts Memorial Hospital. The other children, Vincent Jr. and Dianne, are both students at Brewster. Young Vincent is a senior, plays football and basketball, while Dianne is just .starting her academic work in the freshman class. Good luck to them all.
Bill McNiff surprised us the other day with a St. Patrick's Day card that was as Irish as McNamara's Band. Better than the card, however, was the message it contained. Bill was modestly quiet about his own activities, but he did report that his daughter {Catherine had graduated from Miami University (of Ohio, that is) last June and, "much to the amazement of those who know her old man, she was chosen a member of Phi Beta Kappa." His son Paul, a mere stripling of six foot two, is attending Mount Hermon and seems destined for a career in forestry. Bill has lost none of his old blarney, and apparently everything is serene at the McNilf homestead at 404 East Church Street, Oxford, O.
We are indebted to one of our New England correspondents for information on Paul Kane. Paul has been a member of the Connecticut State Industrial Development Commission for the past eight years, during which time he has been responsible, in large part, for attracting industry to that state. Anyone interested in relocating a manufacturing plant should get in touch with Paul at 61 Humphrey Street, Hartford, Conn., and get the full story on what the Nutmeg State has to offer.
In the March issue of this illustrious publication, Bill Buettner received an accolade byway of mention in the Wah-Hoo-Wah column as being the recipient of a citation from Purdue University. This citation was awarded in recognition of Bill's "distinguished achievements in raising to a professional level the ethical and technical standards of the pest control industry." This citation is a very distinct honor, for only four others have been granted by the University since its establishment in 1869. Bill was the first president of the National Pest Control Association, and at the present time is serving as Executive Secretary of that organization. Our congratulations, Bill, on this significant honor which you so richly deserve.
Odds and Ends from Here and There: Frank Harrington was recently elected a director of the Guaranty Bank & Trust Company of Worcester, thus adding one more responsibility to his already imposing list. Our scouts tell us that several '24 sons are in the athletic news in Hanover. Dick Karslake '56 was Captain of the Little Green Swimming Team this past winter, while Sandy Learnard, Bill White and A1 Van Huyck are on the varsity lacrosse squad. Sandy, a senior, is playing a strong game at the important midfield spot on Tommy Dent's machine.
That about does it for the moment. Don't forget to send off that fat check to Hanover for the Alumni Fund. There is no time like the present. See you later.
SPRING GET-TOGETHER: Members of the Class of '24 who attended the Fathers-Sons dinner in March were (I to r): Coach Tuss McLaughry, speaker of the evening, Jim White, Doc Christophe, Doug Craig, Pete Wheatley, Spud Spaulding, Putty Blodgett, Chinee Allen, Sumner Robinson, Dick Morin, Phil Van Huyck, Gordie Bridge.
Secretary, 328 Orchard PL, Ridgewood, N. J. Class Agent, Cherry Lane, R.F.D. 1, Morristown, N. J.
