1929

Last month the Washington Post's "On the Town" column reported another tribute paid to that famous Napoleon's Restaurant owned by Panos George in recognition of the distinction of being selected for radio station WRC's Honor Role program "a salute reserved for outstanding Washington businesses in their respective fields. Waxing to the lyrical point, the station pointed out that Napoleon delicacies have been accorded a heart-warming eclat by the cognoscenti of Continental cuisine. Concerning the history of Napoleon's, listeners were reminded that the founder Napoleon Van Mears, known to thousands as 'Nappy' was a flamboyant bon vivant who often appeared with top hat to lead the house in a rousing rendition of 'Alouette'! We can think of no better tradition that present owner Panos George could carry on. Being a Dartmouth graduate, he couldn't help but be successful at the fraternity-type songs...."

Proctor Martin writes:

"Not too much change in this writer's present position am Senior Master, Organist and Choirmaster, Head of Latin Dept. and Typing, besides being Tennis Coach and Field Representative (De Veaux School, Niagara Falls, N. Y.) sounds very imposing but this is not written to give that impression beyond the fact that I do keep busy on school affairs most of the time. Have time for a church position downtown where I am organist at the First Unitarian some ten years, I guess. Am a director of the local chapter of the American Guild of Organists and past dean. Am a member of the Church Music Commission of the Episcopal Church of this area, having been appointed by Bishop Scaife some three years ago. Won the Vermont State closed-doubles tennis tourney this past summer which was a highlight in this writer's limited tournament experience. The Montpelier singles and doubles have been 'down our alley' for some years with the help of two different partners.

"This past summer, we opened Lotus Lake Camp at Williamstown, Vt. take both boys and girls, ages 11-15, with a beautiful natural setting and accommodations at both ends of the lake some 325 acres of land and only 100 yds. from the main road from Montreal to Boston. Cabins for the girls tents for the boys. We are also running a day-camp, running the children (8-12) from Barre and back at 5. It went over big last year and may some day become my main occupation at present it utilizes my experience in a very interesting way during the summer and helps supplement the income of a meagre-paying profession. My wife has a fine junior choir in one of the churches and gives a class in music appreciation besides helping me with the camp. Our two daughters are 14 and 10 coming along finely in all departments. In the summer, I get a chance to see Bill Wheaton, my roomate —we squaredance quite a bit and have at least one weekend together. He is now a salesman for the MartinHill Corp. of Barre, having northern Vermont as his territory. I play tennis with Ted Wolf '30 regularly and badminton in the winter —we literally trim 'hell' out of each other."

Ed McGibbon just recently announced the formation of the law firm of Williston, McGibbon, Stastny & Borman with offices at 134 South Lasalle Street, Chicago.

John S. Kelley has been transferred to a new post, Compania Bananera de Costa Rica, Port Limon, Costa Rica, having formerly been with the Chiriqui Land Company in Panama. Both companies are subsidiaries of the United Fruit Company.

Dr. John Cornehlsen Jr. is a member of the National Vocational Guidance Association and the American College Personnel Association, which together are sponsoring their annual convention March 29 through April a at the Conrad Hilton Hotel in Chicago, where he will discuss the implication of his work for student personnel work. "Cornblossom" is director of the Joint Panel on Training and Training Devices for the Research and Development Board in Washington.

Talbot Babcock has been elected vice president of the Bankers Trust Co. in Scarsdale, N. Y. He is a director and a former president of the Greenacres Association, a member of the admissions committee of the Town Club, and is serving as a member of the county government committee.

Mr. and Mrs. Bronson H. Purday of Santa Monica, Calif., celebrated their 16th wedding anniversary at the Flamingo Hotel, Las Vegas, Nev., visiting such points of interest as the Hoover Dam and Lake Mead. The Purdys have three boys, 3, 7 and 10 years of age. "Bud" is Western Manager for American Pencil Company.

Fred Martin writes: "While living in New Jersey during the war, I ran into a few classmates, also in Cleveland later, but Evansville, Ind., is far from being a Dartmouth town. Do you know of any Dartmouth men here? I have had a pretty sad winter as my wife Mardie passed away in early December. Our only child, April Elizabeth, was seven years old February 22 and I am thankful to have her to keep me occupied and interested. With the help of a housekeeper I am keeping her with me and we are getting along fine. As you probably know, I am Vice President and General Manager of Diamond Supply Co., Inc., which is a mining and industrial supply house. We are owned by Ayrshire Collieries Corp., who operate seven large strip mines in this area. Since moving to Evansville in 1949 I have been trying to acclimate myself to the summers and thought I was doing pretty well until last year. We are somewhat off of the beaten path, but the Ohio Valley is becoming very active industrially and we are experiencing quite a growth."

Phil May: "At the moment I am a slave to shrubbery. Has anyone a few extra euonymuses to trade for some of last year's squash seeds? I have a new and pretty Cape Cod in this country suburb of Hartford and the landscape is sparse even when including a wife and two boys. Am still with the Aetna Insurance Group, Marine Underwriting Division in Hartford (Asst. Secty.). In town I occasionally see Jim Latham of the Travelers Insurance Group; Wally Willard who has his own accounting firm and plays around with yachts in his spare time; Mai Mather of Allen Manufacturing; and AlKotchen, lawyer. The Gene Davises dropped around a few months ago a lot of you old crocks should be going blind by now and you had better see Gene while you are able! Lyt Johnston tells me that Professor R. Winthrop Austin has acres of blueberry bog at his summer establishment somewhere and classmates and their families are welcome to free berrying. Dick Danforth is a lumber merchant in Springfield, Mass., and at the drop of a hat will supply given quantity of green and warped lumber."

Brad Ladd: "Mine has not been an exciting life quite the contrary. I started out after leaving Hanover to learn the florist trade in New Hampton, Mass., with another Dartmouth man, Mr. Butler '10. After a brief stay there of a few months learning the business, I returned to New Hampshire and built my own plant for the culture of roses, wholly on a wholesale scale. Then came the crash and the lean years of the early 30's roses along with all other flowers were a luxury to most people. The results were disastrous to both my new venture and to me. For the next few months I drifted drifted down South where I spent the next year or so with the family, recovering from the bruises just received from the cruel world of business.

"Next in line was a 'life-line' thrown by a new Democratic Administration and I grabbed it took a position as Educational Advisor in a New Hampshire C.C.C. Camp. This job, of course, didn't last too long but it did serve to get me back in touch with education and here I've been ever since. I had the Headmastership of a small country high school, after leaving the government job, and from it went to Peekskill Military Academy where I remained as Math, Chemistry and Biology instructor for seven years.

"All this brings me up to my latest venture and returned once again to New Hampshire. In 1948, I started a small school here in Pembroke, N. H. I had a piece of family property, a large, typical New England farm, left me and have renovated that so that I have rather a nice 'set-up' for 15 boys and a staff of 7. We are rather unique, in that all of our instruction is individual. We have no class-room work as such. This is the reason for the comparatively large staff. The greater part of our student body is boarding, so between the running of the academic and that of the administrative, I don't have too much time to myself. However, I do enjoy the work and am convinced both of the need of this type of school and in fact that it is 'the work for me.' "

A front-page item in the Elizabeth (N. J.) World-Telegram and Sun a little while ago recorded a dramatic obstacle in the activities of Walt Hetfield: "Judge Stuck in Lift Stuck in a jammed elevator between the second and third floors of the Union County courthouse, Judge Walter L. Hetfield was forced to crawl out an emergency exit in the elevator roof with several other passengers."

Ray Hedger not only runs good Class dinners but he reports them equally well: "On Monday, March 16, we held the first '29 Dinner in New York since Larry Lougee took off for Alaska. Maybe the boys wanted to forget their income tax returns, or maybe it was the long wait since the last dinner; at any rate, over 30 showed up in response to the cards that Paul Jameson and yours truly sent out. Ed Walsh acted as toastmaster, and we can only say that Ed and his jokes improve with the years. We had promised 'no speeches,' but Ed allowed reports (limited to one minute) from Jack Gunther on the 25-Year Fund, Jack Blair on the Class Newsletter, and Bob Ramage on the Yearbook for the 25th Reunion.

"Carl Spaeth surprised us by blowing in from the West Coast and drinking dinner with us. His employer, the Ford Foundation, is moving from Palo Alto to New York, and Carl fears he will have to move with them. Shep Stone, who also works for the Ford Foundation, showed up for the first time this party had seen him since graduation. Others there were Dick Robin and Lyt Johnston, who hope to repeat this spring the '29 shindig they held last year at Dick's home in Jersey. Ed Nickerson modestly wore his new mantle as President of the First National Bank of Jersey City, and Herb Ball was just as modest about his recent title of Secretary for Johns-Manville. Harry Enders refused to take an official part, even though he is Club President, saving himself for the toastmaster job at the Class Agents Dinner a week later.

"Bud Foulks made his first public appearance since terminating his command performance with Uncle Sam's Air Force. Bankers Tal Bab cock, FrankMiddleton and Jim Loveland were there, and so were Telephone men Al Fisher and Dolson Smith. Skater Johnny Quebman came all the way down from Massachusetts, Gil Griffin and Bob Sparks from Connecticut, and Jack Hubbard and JimHodge from around the corner. Ken Macnair and Tuck Small represented Rockville Center, Long Island. Jerry Updike has put back all the weight he lost while a guest of the Japanese at the Santo Tomas Prison Camp in the Philippines during the War. Jerry Swope looks as though he could still run the 440 in fifty seconds, and Ed Pettingill looks like he couldn't.

"We tried to scare up a quartet at the end of the evening, but had to settle for a trio. RussGoudey played for Paul Jameson, Frank Williams and Phil Mayher (Phil, by the way, is as handsome as ever). The boys were just a little bit rusty, but by that time of the evening nobody cared. In order to give the next dinner a more official status, the gang named Paul Jameson, Phil Mayher and yours truly a committee to handle a stag and a mixed dinner next year. We are hoping that the New York gang will turn out then."

Thanks to a devoted wife's natural-born pride in her beloved, we have the following good news about the "old man" is reported in the Fairmont, W. Va., press: "Robert J. Helmick of Helmick Foundry and Machine Company yesterday was elected chairman of a committee appointed to draft plans for a new community organization for the development of Fairmont at a meeting at which a lengthy discussion on the various steps to be undertaken was held." Bob has been with the Helmick Company since 1931 and is Assistant General Manager.

Secretary, 75 Federal St., Boston 10, Mass. Class Agent, 10 Cranston Rd., Winchester, Mass.