1953

Greetings to "you-all" from the deep South! Hope that everyone had a very enjoyable summer and topped it off with fitting Labor Day Weekend festivities. Since leaving Hanover in June, we have been undergoing a little service schooling here in very hot Athens, Ga., along with Ensigns Jim Courtney, Johnny Rogers, and Dave Katz (the lone Newport man in our Dartmouth contingent). Present schedule calls for us to spend what we bachelors hope will be three pleasant months (what with the Univ. of Ga. co-eds - located about one mile away) before vacating Athens in December. No, thus far we really can't complain about military life.

Between graduation from Tuck School and registration here, Ens. Courtney saw fit to splice his first knot as a "ni-vee" officer with Debbie Priest of Denver and the Univ. of Colo, in a well-attended wedding ceremony at St. Denis Church in Hanover; '53s present were too numerous to mention individually, . . . about one fourth of Tuck School. This leaves only Johnny Rogers and yours truly in the bachelors ranks down here.

As expected activity in cupid's corner was strong since we last went to press and so without further delay let us turn our attention to the . . .

Hitching Post

In perhaps the biggest wedding of the summer, Dick Lombard took Jani Kettering, sister of Chuck '53, as his bride on June 26 in Grace Episcopal Church, Hinsdale, Ill. Classmates Bob Henderson, Gene Gabianelli, Karl Zimmerman, Johnny Clayton '51, and Doug Fransden '51 were among the ushers, and from reports really "had themselves a ball" at the round of parties given for the bride and groom. Since returning from their Bermuda honeymoon, Dick and Jani have been living in Boston - on Beacon Hill no less, while Dick holds down a job with the First National Bank of Boston.

The 26th also was chosen by Baltimoreans Bill McCarthy and Bev Davis for their big day. Among those '53s checking into Baltimore for the ceremony were Tom Bloomer,2nd Lt. Charlie Jacob USMC, Bob Callender (entered Newport OCS in August), Jim West (working for his dad since his graduation from Tuck School in June), Frank Casalvieri and Pvt. Phil Fast, now stationed in N. Y. The newly-weds will make Boston their home while Bill attends 2nd-yr. law classes at Harvard. Bev just graduated from Northwestern U. in June.

And on that same day in June, Gib Warren promised to watch over another '54 Northwestern grad, Toni Swinney, "in sickness and in health, for better or worse" in their home town of Glencoe, Ill. Gib graduated from the Univ. of Wisconsin in June, but their stay at the Hanover Inn in early July on their honeymoon seems to indicate he still has a soft spot in his heart for Hanover where he first courted Toni.

But now let us turn back the calendar to catch some weddings we missed last June. On April 17th in Albany, N. Y., Lillian May Fleshman became Mrs. James Zeisel while Mitch Strickler and Jim Branch '52, best man and usher respectively, gave their approval. Jim is presently serving in the Army. Two weeks later in Concord, N. H., Jim Latchis and Marina Filides exchanged vows in a beautiful Greek Orthodox service. Since graduating from Dartmouth, Jim has been studying at Cornell Hotel School. Marina, a Colby Jr. grad, adds one more to the already impressive statistic of Colby alumnae who have roped in a '53 bread-winner.

May 6th saw Tom Hess and Frances Cohen become Mr. and Mrs. Hess in the City of Brotherly Love. Serving in the Army Medical Corps, Tom's orders to overseas duty in early June forced Frances to cancel previous July wedding plans and to forsake her position in the Queen's Court at Hood College for its annual "May Day Pageant in order to become Mrs. Hess. You really must have done a good selling job, Tom! And that same week saw two other '53 nuptials. First was that of Ens.Ted Merritt USN, and Paula DeWit, a Mt. Holyoke alumna, in Valhalla, N. Y. The Merritts' new home is Norfolk, Va., where Ted is stationed. Then there was the wedding of Chuck Luker to Elsa Ann Morgan of Montclair, N. J., and Wellesley College. Ens. DonBigham USN stood by as Chuck's right-hand man while Johnny Corcoran and Stan Westberg helped directing traffic. Chuck is a member of that very hush-hush CIC organization and so his address is simply given as "somewhere in the Far East."

And our last two wedding items concern two very close friends, residents of Worcester, Mass., who went through Worcester Academy and then Dartmouth together and now chose their wedding dates but weeks apart. This time, Chet Caswell took the lead by saying "I do" to Sylvia Jean Vasselin of Worcester and Skidmore College '53 on May 23. Keeping it in the family Chet had two other Worcester residents and Worcester Academy grads, Ens. HapPresson and Jim Penny as best man and usher respectively. For the past year Chet has been attending classes at the New England Institute, Boston. And four weeks later Chet stood by as usher, lending his moral support to 2nd Lt. Dave Ljungberg USMC as Dave slipped the ring on Nancy Phelps Plumley, of — you guessed it - Worcester. Fortunately Nancy originally hails from Florida and attended the Univ. of Florida, so the Worcester clique has been partially shattered. Rex Shirrner and Jim Penny helped Chet in the ushering chores.

As regards those members of our class who have taken that first big step and who are nowwading in mighty deep water . . . GeorgeHaigh, whose engagement to Joan DuBois of Toledo, O., and Smith College '53 was announced in late May, is presently serving time in the "good ole Army," since having had his studies at Georgetown interrupted. Another Army man, Todd Griffith became engaged to Marilyn Lowe of Springfield, Ill., in early June, following his graduation from the U. of Illinois. Marilyn also is a '54 grad of Illinois. Griff is now stationed at Camp Gordon.

Back in May, Bill Crotty's wooing of Alice Louise Blomquist (Tom's sister) of Minneapolis and Mt. Holyoke '55 finally paid off. Could Tom have put in a good word for his fraternity brother? We gather that Bill will return to Ann Arbor this fall for his 2nd-yr. law studies, while Alice will complete her senior year at Holyoke.

Another Colby Jr. girl, Yvonne Kuehndorf of Scarsdale, N. Y., made public her engagement to Denny Speidel of Tuck-Thayer lame on June 8. Yvonne is working for the French Lace Importers, N. Y., and Denny (who has taken a job with Westinghouse) tells me that if she saves enough money they will become husband and wife this fall. And one of Colby Jr.'s arch rivals, Green Mt. Jr. College, finds one of its alumna, Elizabeth Hersey, of Needham, Mass., has successfully cast a spell over an Indian. Her engagement to Chuck Olin was announced July 1, ending a five-year courtship. Chuck is now in his and year at U. of Buffalo School of Medicine, following his graduation from Rochester U. in 1953.

A few days later on July 4 Ens. Dick Morse USN, one of Chuck's closest friends at Dartmouth, followed Chuck's lead and took the first big step with Claire Wien of Atlanta, Ga. Claire is conveniently located at Wellesley College, but a few miles from Dick's home in Brookline, Mass. That same day Sally Perkins of New Haven and Marty DeGennaro announced their engagement at a quiet party. Marty is now associated with the firm Laird Bissell and Meeds of New Haven, and we gather has recovered completely from his bad fall earlier this year.

Lastly, two June betrothals we accidentally overlooked: Miss Lydia Sweeney of New Bedford, Mass., and the U. of Vt. to JohnnyDodge, - still another member of the large Ft. Dix clan. They hope to go through the name-changing ceremony this fall . . . and finally Miss Connie Wurtele of Wayzata, Minn., to Bill Chaffee. We understand Chaf has returned for 2nd-yr. classes at Harvard School of Design, where he did so very well last year: however now he's faced with an added problem, . . . how to fill in the gap in his travel routine caused by Connie's graduation from Smith this past June.

News in Brief

Lest we completely overlook the activities of our bachelors . . . Bill Borman spent the" summer managing the Ravine Lodge assisted by Chad Day. How we envy them enjoying that cool N.E. climate and those fresh, cold mountain streams Johnny. Mitchell scored his second hole-in-one (this time on the "lucky" 13th hole) at his home course in late July. Can any one of our would-be Ben Hogans top that record? Mitch has little time for such sport now, as he is swamped with studies (and hurricane waters) at the Newport OCS. He's not alone, however, as Dick Hall, Bob Malin, Fred Whittemore, Ronnie Lazar, Johnny Taylor, Harlan Fair, John Kennedy, Tom Croft (all '54 Tuck or Thayer grads) and Bob Callender were among those who entered Newport with Mitch in August. HowieKoonce having successfully completed U.S.N. Pre-Flight School at Great Lakes is now undergoing flight training at Pensacola, Fla. . . . and Ens. Burt Melcher USN is really getting a lucky break out of CEC School and being assigned to an excellent billet in London.

I'm afraid that's all the news for this issue. Have you been to any Big Green football game this fall? Have you seen any other '53s? How about letting us hear from more of you? It will make my work easier and the column more enjoyable. Thanks.

AWARDED HIS WINGS: 1st Lt. Arthur H.Morse '52 is shown with his wife, the formerDiane Morrell, during presentation ceremonies in Pensacola, Fla.

Secretary, Co. T, Navy Supply Corps School, Athens, Ga.

Treasurer, 305 17th St., Wilmette, Ill.