1923
A year from now we gather in Hanover for our Thirty-First Reunion. We mention this now, a year ahead of time, so you and your family will be reminded that it's not too early to start making plans: budgetary plans, plans to get the Boss to let you go, plans to team up with friends in the neighborhood for the occasion, plans for golf dates, for gab-fests with Hanover cronies, for explorations of the Hanover countryside, and so on. In 1948 there were almost 500 of the clan on deck; maybe we can do as well in 1954. A Reunion Committee, its members as yet unnamed, will shortly take over the job of organizing the event. In due course you'll be hearing from them.
Temporarily abandoning the subject of our Thirty-First, and coming back to current situations, we have quite a number of squibs for you in this issue about classmates and their goings-on.
The Sumner Sollitts and the Butch Kimballs spent most of April cruising the waters around and about the Virgin Islands in a hired vessel of some kind, and they were quite ecstatic about their experiences upon their return to Chicago in a slightly parboiled state.
George Mason not long ago was elected a corporator of the Worcester County Institution for Savings, Worcester, Mass. George graduated from Harvard Law in 1926, was a law instructor at Northeastern University for 12 years, and is now partner in the law firm of Vaughn, Esty, Crotty and Mason. His community activities include the Boys' Club, YMCA council, director of CEA, trustee of Temple Emmanuel.
A correspondent was good enough to pass along to us an article in Life Association News, April 1953, titled: "Accident and Health Insurance ... MARKET UNLIMITED!" by our Willard Cousins. Accompanying a photo which shows what a good looking fellow he is, is a short biography of the author which says that Bill went to work for Aetna Life in 1925. First in underwriting, then the agency
department, he was a general agent in Springfield, Mass., 1930-32, and since then he has been located in the home office. In 1950 he was named field supervisor, and as of now he supervises the production of accident and health insurance for the company.
Your correspondent was most unhappy to hear, as we know you will be, that Susan Neidlinger McLane, the second daughter of Pudge and Marion to suffer substantial damage to her anatomy as a result of the perils of competitive skiing, broke both legs on a slope at Mad River, Vt., earlier this year. Her twin sister Sally broke her back in Switzerland last year, after she had taken part in the Olympic championships. These girls appear to thrive on fractures of one kind or another. Sally proceeded to get well and to win the women's open downhill and combined championship at Aspen last winter!
Lyndon Pratt, with a B.S. from Dartmouth and an M.A. from Columbia, has been executive secretary of the Connecticut Education Association since 1942. Pratt has included both high school and college teaching in his career. A newspaper article describing his platform manner says: "His clarity of presentation, coupled with persuasive speaking ability, has made him a popular speaker wherever he has appeared."
The Metzels had a good time earlier this year playing host to Perry Weston, the good looking youngster who carries on the tradition established by papa George Weston back in our day and does a fine job as second tenor in the current Glee Club. When this outfit arrived in Chicago we drew a number out of a hat, so to speak, came up with Perry as house guest, and were very pleased with our luck. I£ he comes by this way again, and we hope he does, we'll be glad to see him. And maybe get him another date.
One of the '23 educators is back in the news. Tom Norton, who is dean of the City College School of Business and Civic Administration, has been elected vice president of the American Association of Business Schools.
When last we heard, Whit Norris was teaching and living at 1888 Ontario Place, Washington, D. C. We don't know his current assignment, but previous stints have been served as headmaster of the Ashburnham School for Boys, head of the French Department at Shady Hill in Massachusetts, and assistant headmaster of The Casady School of Oklahoma City. Whit's wife was Caroline Gallagher of Needham, Mass., a Vassar graduate. There are three Norris boys, one girl.
Our scouts report that Bill Parkes still lives in Kalamazoo, Mich., and works for St. Regis Sales Corp. (who sell pulp, paper and paper products) as he has for 15 years, both in Chicago and Kalamazoo. There are three offspring in the Parkes menage, two of whom have presented Bill and Polly with a grandson and a granddaughter. Bill was only with us one year at Dartmouth, but he likes to keep track of Dartmouth and '23 affairs, remembers his Hanover experiences with pleasure, and wishes his home town was closer to congregations of the Class.
Russ Perley is an M.D. at Laconia, N. H., and replies to the query, "What do you do?" with "Surgery, obstetrics, house calls, office hours." He was married in 1935 to Melba Stewart, a graduate of University of Pitt, and their union has been blessed with three sons, now 13, 15 and 16. Russ finds it hard to get away from work long enough to take in any '23 functions of one kind or another, but he is emphatically sure that being a Dartmouth man has been a source of great satisfaction. At Dartmouth, Russ roomed with BrooksPalmer for four years.
After short connections with the coal and the telephone businesses, Frank O'Gara tied in with R. H. Macy in 1924 and for many years now has been with their Atlanta, Ga., affiliate, Davison-Paxon Cos. The O'Garas have a couple of kids with French names, to wit. Patsy, 21, and Kevin, 23. We wish Frank didn't live so far away from most of us; he's a swell guy.
Bill Sawyer, of Shaker Heights, O., continues tinues as credit manager of Thompson Products, Cleveland, auto and aircraft parts manufacturers. Bill and Marian have a son and a daughter.
George Scammon is a lawyer who lives and practices in Exeter, N. H. We seem to recall that he was married while still in College, and was successful in keeping this situation very secret, an accomplishment the importance of which can be more readily appreciated when it is recalled that Craven Laycock frowned on undergraduate marriages and was supported in this view by the regulations of the day. How those regulations have changed! Unless recent developments have changed the picture, Ted Shapleigh lives in Hamden, Conn., and owns and operates a retail establishment at 980 Chapel St., New Haven. Ted and Marjorie have a brace of daughters, Eunice and Deborah.
Bob Siemon has been with J. J. Newberry Co., chain variety stores, for 24 years. He has been manager, superintendent, and is now buyer, located in the company's main office at 245-5th Ave., NYC. He married Becky Campbell in 1933.
Sid Stevens buys and sells bulk chemicals, is a bachelor, lives at Hotel Delmonico, NYC. After a year with our class in Hanover, Sid went to Harvard, but he suggests we don't hold that against him. A hobbyist, specializing in photographic research.
Another photographic hobbyist, OwenSmith has been in the insurance business since he graduated from Harvard Business School in 1925, and is now. an insurance broker in Portland, Me. He was married in 1932 to Helen Probyn, and there are two Smith daughters, both of them in the neighborhood of 20 years old.
We have come by a listing of '23 men in education which is fairly complete, we think, and reproduce it herewith although we regret that it does not include the rather large number of men who labor in high schools and prep schools. The ten college teachers are: Hal Baker, professor of Marketing, John Carroll University; Howie Bartlett, chairman of the English Dept., M.I.T.; Randolph Downes, professor of History, University of Toledo; Wendell Freeman, professor of Dermatology, Howard Medical School; Art Gordon, associate professor of Latin, University of California; Chuck Mareen, associate professor of Sociology, Rutgers; Ralph Noble, president, Vermont Junior College; Tom Norton, dean of the School of Business, City College of N. Y.; Al Pianca, professor of Italian, Dartmouth; Warren Tryon, professor of History, Boston University.
It is with sorrow that I must report to the Class the passing of Eddie Lynch, April 13, of a heart attack. Several years ago it was my great pleasure to spend a day with Eddie and his good wife Susie and their grand kids. He was full of pep, and had spent the previous weekend fishing at the cabin in the woods he loved so well. It is hard to realize that he is gone. In a later issue we hope to have his picture and details of his life story.
This is our last chance to say a word about the Alumni Fund campaign which closes shortly. To the men in the Class who have not made their contributions, this is the shortie we have to offer: if you want to give, and feel you can't afford anything "substantial," LeeYoung will be tickled with one dollar; if you want to give and have simply forgotten to get it done, Lee wants you to do it TODAY!
ON HOLIDAY: Ruth and Dick Wood '22 enjoy a trip to Hanover, where Dick has a rest away from the National Archives in Washington, D. C.
Secretary, 1425 Astor St., Chicago 10, Ill.
Class Agent, 29 E. Main St., Amsterdam, N. Y.
