1929
One year from this reading we that is you and I and the fellows you want to sit and talk with on the bright green Hanover grass will be getting back to Hanover and the Twenty- Fifth. And one year from the time this is be- ing written (May 5) you will be reading the Class of 1929's 25th Anniversary Book. Both of these major projects are well underway: The reunion under the direction of Maestro Richard Francis Barrett and the Class Book under Editor Bob Ramage and his Class Book Committee. By now you have received directly from the secretary an announcement o£ the Class Book; and if you have not already, you will soon receive from Editor Ramage instruc- tions and forms for the furnishing of the necessarv information for the preparation and publication of this volume. Right now is none too soon for your prompt and full response and return of the information which your Class Book editor seeks. This is a major un- dertaking which involves a lot of doing both on your part and that of Bob and his com- mittee. As for the Reunion, well just four years ago that event was a corker, but after next June, in retrospect, it will appear to have been but a preliminary to the 25th. This time we hope to double the attendance what with practically the entire town of Hanover at our disposal because this time we are one of the few select grand old classes honored by reuning at Commencement time. But even this dignity will not deprive us of a Reunion costume which will, in keeping with our tra- dition, feature fireman red!
A letter just in from Walter Kong from Santa Barbara, Calif.:
"For years I have been hoping to run into some '29ers out here so that I could write you about them and, except for Bill Keyes, I was never able to meet a single one. But the other evening, April 28 to be exact, I encountered a horde of them at the Roosevelt Hotel in Hollywood. The occasion was a dinner meeting of the Southern California Alumni Association of Dartmouth in honor of President John Dickey. In addition, it was to pay tribute to Leon Rothschild '24 who was retiring as secretary of the Association after serving in that capacity for 25 years and to whose tireless efforts the present strength of the Association is attrib- uted. Because John came 3000 miles to speak that evening, all the '29ers, as well as other alumni, who could make it came to greet him. The turnout was one of the largest in the history of the Associa- tion. The '29ers who came were Bill Keyes, A 1 Floyd, Steve Balkam, Jack Allen, Joe Ruff, Bud Purdy, Ed Abbott, Manfrid Lundgren, and per- haps one or two others who may have slipped my mind for the moment. It was, in a small scale, the 25th reunion in advance.
"Steve Balkam pulled us together to a table di- rectly in front of the speaker's table just to let the others know that we are John's classmates. All the fellows looked good, in spite of slightly shiny pates and protruding stomachs which are generally as- sociated with wealth and, indeed, they appeared prosperous and are. Bill Keyes is bulging with dough in the investment business; Al Floyd is manufacturing batteries to keep the cars of the nation rolling; Jack Allen makes building mate- rials so that people could have fine houses; JoeRufj creates attractive lamps so that homes would be cheerful and beautiful; Bud Purdy represents the American Pencil Company in 11 western states and indirectly helps maintain the high standard of literacy in these areas; and Ed Abbott, bless him, is with the FBI and vigilantly guards the security of the nation and sees to it that no blankety-blank subversive is going to undermine our beloved country.
"John arrived at the meeting fresh and strong. The long trip and strenuous speaking schedule made no dent in his vitality. He spoke with wit and force and the speech was unanimously regarded as a splendid one. He gave us some insight into his job as president of Dartmouth; he pointed out the important relation of the American college and uni- versity to national security and freedom and U. S. world leadership. It was all very revealing and thought-provoking. After his talk, John was given a long standing ovation and every alumnus went away convinced that Dartmouth has a great presi- dent in him."
Nick (President Kingsbury S. Nickerson of The First National Bank of Jersey City, N. J.):
"As to my family, I might start with the observa- tion that it is a constant source of amazement to me that they have grown up so fast. With a son, William H., age 20, in the sophomore class at Dartmouth, and a daughter Marjorie, 17 years old, a Junior in Kent Place School in Summit, I begin to realize in more ways than one, that the year 1929 is long past. My bride is the only member of the family who gives me the illusions of youth. How she does it, I don't know, but she seems to grow younger, more charming and energetic with each year that passes. We live in Summit, N. J., at 101 Kent Place Blvd., and would be delighted to hear from any classmates passing through the area.
"Since graduation in 1929, I have been con- stantly in banking, with the exception of three and a half years out for service in the Air Force. I started with the Chemical Bank & Trust Company and continued there until April 1946, when I moved to the Pittsfield National Bank in Pittsfield, Mass. After three very happy years there, where I had an opportunity to see such 'big green' worthies as Rex Fall, Harry Johnson, Judge Hanlon and Jack Collins, I had an opportunity to return to the Metropolitan area with The First National Bank of Jersey City, where as you know I am now located. The First National Bank of Jersey City is a revered old institution located across the Hudson River from Wall Street, but only about five or ten min- utes away in point of time. Holding one of the earliest National Bank charters and having been one of the select few in its area not required to bulwark its capital structure with RFC preferred stock in the thirties, the bank has something of a reputation in this vicinity. Its dividend paying record, dating back to 1865, has continued without interruption and does not blemish this reputation.
"As to classmates, I see far too few of them. However, in the past several months, I have picked up the trail of several classmates. The other evening I had news of Ed Dean, who I understand is do- ing a splendid job with his paper company in Pots- dam, N. Y. Ed, I learned, had had a very rough siege with trichinosis a few years back, but my latest information is that his golf, business and general health are all moving along at par levels. Arthur Patrick O'Brien stopped in to see me yes- terday. Pat tells me that he forsook bachelorhood right after the war, is happily married, living in Scarsdale and has FIVE children. He did not tell me so while we were visiting together but on ex- amining his card after his departure, I noticed that he is a member of the Top Club Council of the New York Life Insurance Cos. Arthur Clow, who is living in Short Hills, N. J., came over for dinner with us a month or so ago. Art is Ass't. Treasurer of "Western Electric Cos., makes his headquarters in Kearny, N. J., and aside from being a few pounds heavier than he was at Hanover, appears pretty much unchanged.
"I see Dick Hunke once in a great while. He is associated with the Federal Reserve Bank in New York. His very attractive wife has been active in numerous Jersey City civic and charitable activi- ties. A short time ago, I had a note from JohnLowell (Ginter) Pratt and I have faithfully prom- ised myself that I am going to get in touch with him for luncheon some day soon. Ginter continues active in the publishing business and I hope to be more current on his activities later. Jack Gunther. although he won't tell you so himself, is rapidly forging to the top of the ladder in Air Reduction. Meeting his sister the other night for the first time since Tack and I ran the Glee Club Concert in Montclair,( in 1927 or '2B, brought very vividly to mind the impression I had at the time, that if his handling of that affair were any criterion, he was bound to be immensely successful in business life. Trixie' (Mrs. Fred Lewellyn), nee Gunther, told me very spiritedly that Jack had apparently learned to control expenses at a very early age as he whittled her compensation on the Montclair un- dertaking dowrt to a pittance in spite of the fact she did most of the work. The Class Dinner at the Dartmouth Club in New York held a month or so ago was surprisingly well attended, with something over 30 or 40 members present. The enthusiasm for the gathering was indicated by a unanimous vote to repeat it at least at semi-annual intervals."
Howie Nichols:
"There are four of us—Margaret, my wife, Joel, age 16 and a student at Governor Dummer Acad- emy, and Geoffrey, age 11, man about home as well as groom and stable boy. We live in West Newbury, Mass., where we recently built a new home and endured all the tribulation and travail involved in such a deed. Here we have nine acres of land overlooking a broad expanse of the Merri- mack River Valley where there is a unique combi- nation of seclusion and immediate accessibility to the main highway and the center of the village. There is fine riding country all about us, and last fall having begun to revive from house building, we built a stable, thus consummating a life-long ambition. At the moment, we have two horses and are seeking a third one.
My practice is confined t@ the specialty of Urology. At the present time I am President of the Staff of the Haverhill Municipal Hospital and Chief of the Urological Service. X am also consult- ant in Urology to the Amesbury (Mass.) Hospital. Have just finished reading the current issue of ■Twenty-Nine Up and as a result find myself wish- ing I were practicing in Seattle so that I could have ne of the big boats that Jim Hods on (bless him) accuses the Seattle Doc's of owning."
■ *■— Bob Tunnell left Montgomery Ward in ,<uq to become the proprietor of his own store -n Corry, Pa., where he is now well rooted with his three kids and a collie dog, having already served his stint as President of Ro- tary and the Chamber of Commerce.
Chick Shea, Sales Manager of Milton Brad- ley Cos. since 1947- has been named to a newly created Vice Presidency.
Jim Fassett is Director of Serious Music of CBS in which capacity he narrates stories and conducts interviews at intermission on the New York Philharmonic-Symphony program.
Bob Monahan has an article in a recent is- sue of the American Forests entitled A Woodsman in Washington," about Sherman Adams, a one-time boss, now assistant to President Eisenhower.
Herb Bissell has been elected a Director o£ the Minneapolis Chamber of Commerce.
Tom Capalbo has been appointed attorney and legal adviser to the Stonington Savings and Loan Association. Tom lives in Westerly, R. 1., and is aimember of the Rhode Island, Connecticut and' Federal bars, and is an As- sistant United States Attorney.
Ollie Holmes' attractive daughter Nancy was recently pictured in the Boston papers with her proud father beaming close by as she boarded a plane as "Miss New England Avia- tion," for a visit to Washington.
Bob Austin has just recently been appointed Professor of Business Administration in the Harvard Graduate School of Business Admin- istration, where he has served on the faculty since 1951 teaching a course in the legal as- pects of business,and in business responsibili- ties. Formerly, Bob was vice president, secre- tary and general counsel of Penick & For Ltd In addition to his teaching activities, he is chairman of the Executive Committee of a group of commonly-owned companies con- stituting the Crossett Industries, one of the larger forest product companies in the coun- try: Crossett Lumber Cos., Chemical Cos., Tim- ber & Development Cos., Public Utilities, Bank of Crossett and Fordyce Lumber Cos.
Secretary, 75 Federal St., Boston 10, Mass.
Class Agent, 10 Cranston Rd., Winchester, Mass.
