1929

FOURTH ANNUAL FATHER-SON ISSUE

This year there are 36 sons of the Class of 1929 in College, five more than last year, eleven more than two years ago and sixteen more than when we started this series back in 1951. Now we have thirteen seniors, eight juniors, six sophomores and nine freshmen who have this to say for themselves, their fathers and their Class of 1957:

John Clements965 Spruce St.Winnetka, Ill.David Clements306 So. Fayerweather

Son: "Four years ago I read a letter in the '29 notes, which had been written by Bob Clements, my older brother. He's a senior now, and I suppose it is my turn as the 'Pea Green Freshman' to write the letter. I'm David Clements, the third member of my family to attend Dartmouth in the last 25 years. It all started with my father, who is now working in the Chicago office of the Marsh & McLennan Insurance Co. My brother Bob was next. He is a Government major, destined to graduate in June. I'm third, and being the youngest son, last for a while. I've been at Dartmouth for one semester only, but I have already caught some of that Dartmouth spirit I've heard so much about. Getting started at the Big Green was easier for me than most freshmen, because Bob had the necessary desk, lamp, and mattress waiting for me, and was always nearby himself to help me solve the numerous problems of a freshman. Joining the Outing Club and the freshman swimming team gave me sufficient chance to meet and make friends with a great many of my classmates. Building a victrolacabinet in the Dartmouth Workshop, studying, ex- ploring the campus, and taking the inevitable trip to Colby Junior College, have all contrived to make my short stay at Dartmouth an enjoyable and worthwhile one. I like the school so well, in fact, that I plan to spend an extra year here at Tuck. ... As far as family news goes, the big coming event seems to be June in Hanover. Dad is going to tear Mother away from her interior decorating long enough to spend a few weeks here at Dartmouth in order to watch Bob graduate. The whole family will stay on for the reunion, and then split UP again, with Bob coming under the employment of Uncle Sam, Mom and Dad retiring to their castle in Winnetka, Ill., and yours truly embarking on a Navcal cruise, the first working part of my NROTC scholarship. With one boy just starting, one graduating, and the other coming back for his reunion, June looks like the month-of-the-year.The whole family will be here for reunion, and we hope to see all the families of the Class of 1929 then, when the conversation can be a little less one-sided."

Father: "Your letter to David seeking informa- tion for the next Father-Son issue of the ALUMNI MAGAZINE asks for some information about his old man so I suppose what you want from me is mostly information about David. .. . While I always considered David earmarked for Dartmouth from the day of his birth, he did give us a few uneasy moments a couple of years ago when, after he had visited every college campus in the Ivy League, I asked him where he'd like to go to col- lege and he replied, "Stanford." Even as late as last summer, he almost succumbed to the blandishments of some fast-talking Princetonians. Ultimately, wisdom triumphed however, and, apparently, he is now as happy and well adjusted to the Hanover scene as anyone could possibly hope. This is a little surprising, too, in one whose instincts misht almost be described as polygamous. . . . David's activities and interests at Hanover cover quite a variety of subjects, so much so that we are awaiting with something more than idle curiosity to see the first semester's_ grades. The U.S. Navy claims a good deal of his time and attention and this seems en- tirely proper inasmuch as they contribute quite handsomely toward his keep. At the same time, we're a little sorry that his summer cruises will keep him away from home so much."

George A. Hume Jr.Iron Works PikeLexington, Ky.Richard W. Hume112 Streeter

Son: "I'm sorry that this letter is so late in coming to you, but I have been laid up in Dick's House for awhile, besides studying for exams, and time has not been too plentiful. Usually, when I'm not studying, I spend quite a bit of my free time working for the Dartmouth Players. I have never before been _ interested in stage work, but I have found that it is quite a lot of fun. I enjoy both working in the shop on the building crew and acting as some sort of a stage manager. I'm also very much interested in music, especially opera, which I was brought up on, and I have a fairly sizable collection of records. Surprisingly enough, though I live on a horse farm, I have not become an avid horseback rider. This is partly due to the fact that thoroughbreds are too valuable, besides being highstrung, to be ridden by just anyone. Living on a farm has been very nice though, and it is, I think, one of the best ways to be brought up. I have lived there since I was eight, when my family moved down from Muskegon, Mich., to Lexington, Ky. I can't say anything unpleasant about Dartmouth except that I don't like so much snow (I am not a skier), but aside from that, I think it is a very nice place, where it is possible to get a lot of enjoyment, as well as a good education."

Donald F. Jeffery22 Hall Ave.Nashua, N.H.Robert F. Jeffery109 Massachusetts

Son: "My name is Bob Jeffery. The middle name is the same as the old man's and although he

probably likes it, I don't, so I shan't mention it. I've been up here at Dartmouth for three or four months now, and I can really say that I like the place. I suppose it will take me several years to really appreciate the fact that it is so darn isolated, but everyone keeps telling me that it is a wonderful thing to be so far out in the woods, so I'll just wait along until this great fact grips me better. ... I'm six feet, two inches tall, weigh 165 pounds, have black hair, and so on. So far my activities in college have limited themselves to a bit of D.O.C. activities and my first love in the field of sports, skiing. I was out for the freshman squad before Christmas but because of this last Christmas vacation spent in bed with pneumonia, I'm no longer out for much of anything. "When I get back to school, I think I will try out for fresh- man tennis. Dad always wanted me to go to Dartmouth. When he sees the bank statement every three months, I sometimes think he's not so happy about the whole thing. All in all, I have nothing to complain about.... I have a younger brother who some day will be coming up to Dartmouth. He's a wise young kid and his marks aren't too hot, but some day before I get out of Dartmouth I would like to see him up here. I'm studying to be a doctor. I would like to even go into the field of brain surgery someday. I know it's a long, tough grind but I think it will be well worth it in the end. As far as I am concerned, I've picked a great college and I am a very lucky young man in having a father who thinks enough of me to send me into a school like Dartmouth."

Father: "For the past seven months pressure has been brought to bear on me in ever increasing tempo to: write an anonymous questionnaire (easy); have my picture taken (not bad when you get at it); write a biographical sketch (such a touchy subject that it took six months and two and one-half weeks); and now a letter in two weeks' time. Since a prolonged siege of sickness when he was six years old, Bob has wanted to be a doctor. And he applied for entrance to Dart- mouth with no urging on my part. His interests are hunting and fishing and skiing. The first two he might have inherited from his grandfather. Not his father, for sure. As for skiing, twenty years ago I might have tried the same hill as he, but since my ski boots wore out they never were replaced. We have enjoyed golf together and one-day ski trips, usually to Sunapee, where he and his friends skied and I sat in the car and read. . . . Summers he was away at camp until he outgrew the camp age. For the last two summers he has worked; one summer in a factory and last summer for a contractor. Mayhap in another fifteen years he will be supporting the old man. In concluding I'll tell about this happening, which may prove to any other naive guys like myself that changes have taken - in Hanover. The Tuesday night before Thanksgiving Bob phoned us and asked if we would drive to Hanover and bring him back on Wednesday. I told him to take the special train home. He asked what special train. I told him to read the Dartmouth and he would see it advertised. Anyway, he hitch-hiked home on Wednesday and advised me that special trains were long gone as a means of transportation home."

B. Lytton Johnston209 West Glen Ave.Ridgewood, N.J.George W. Johnston303 So. Fayerweather

Son: "I was born almost nineteen years ago in Brooklyn. However, it wasn't long afterwards when we packed up and headed across the river to Jersey, so that Ridgewood is about the only place I remember. I spent my years getting ready for Dartmouth in the Ridgewood public schools. Now I guess all those years weren't in vain because here I am in the Dartmouth Class of 1957. I guess my interests run along the lines of any average freshman. I always enjoy a pick-up game of basketball or baseball, and I even played some soccer this past fall at school. Then of course there are the women, who can be very time consuming. Now then, the things I do are another story. I am especially conscious of this now after having just completed my first-semester exams. Those books seem to come first My favorite pastimes are traveling and living outdoors. I have managed to work this into my summer program for the past few years. I was a camper, and later a counselor at a camp in Vermont for several years. Last year was the best summer I had. I was very fortunate to be able to spend it in Europe. It took some tall talking to convince Dad it was a good idea, though. Well, it is needless to say that I'm glad to be at Dartmouth and it is something I've been looking forward to for a long time. I had heard 'a little' about the school' from Dad at one time or another through the course of my life up to now, as you can imagine. It won't be long before I will have seen my first Winter Carnival, the preparations for which have been going on all around us for a couple of weeks. The old man seems to think that we've gotten soft at school. One thing he keeps bringing up is that when he was at school they used to have classes right through Carnival. He will never admit to how many of those classes he attended, however, so I'm inclined to believe that he is trying to impress me, or something. Thank you for the invitation to the 25th reunion of the Class of '29. I'm sure you'll all have a grand time."

Father: "It's quite an event when the oldest leaves for college. First it impresses you that you're definitely not getting any younger and you move into that new life cycle when the family starts to shrink instead, of grow.... We, naturally, think he's a pretty good boy and hope he does honor to Dartmouth."

Charles W. King2844 Blackhawk RoadWilmette, Ill.Charles W. 'King Jr.420 Topliff

Son: "As long as I can remember my nickname has been Snitzy. It's not that I'm not proud of being Charles King Jr., because I am, but the habits of' my friends were too great for me to overcome, so the name has stuck. I was born in Evanston, April 18, 1935, where I lived until I was three years old at which time I moved to Wilmette, where I've lived ever since. From a,very early age my liking for things mechanical and electrical started. They tell me I used to take all the door knobs off, finally mounting one of my own on a wooden board. Also at this early age I invested my talents in the designing of a new vacuum cleaner With the end of Dad's electric razor and an old broom handle I quickly managed to run our cleaning woman out of business.... My first really worthwhile and lasting interest began with electric trains. Every year for ten years, additions and improvements were made, and many evenings and weekends during that period my dad patiently worked along with me. Mother complained that she was a "train widow." This interest led to electric welding, and the rebuilding of an old 1930 De Soto Sedan which we named 'Zebra Fenders . She d been kind of a tradition at New Trier High School, having been handed down from one friend to another. It seemed as though, for two years, we were always working on her. We mended the thin dented fenders, tried to fix the leaky roof and lastly sanded and painted her red with yellow body stripes and black and white striped fenders (thus, the name, Zebra Fenders). Two long-to-be-remembered summers, 1950 and 1951, were spent at Camp Owakonze, 120 miles north of the Canadian border. We took pack trips with canoes of ten to fourteen days' duration, traveling 200 miles. I came back with new experiences, a skunk skin, a Royal Dalton mug, and the camp award for best senior camper. Why, has always remained a mystery to me. I guess my jungle-gym set from early childhood, plus liking Joe Giallombardo, the gymnastics coach at N.T.H.S., influenced my entering that activity in my sophomore year. During my senior year as captain, our team won the State of Illinois championship, my winning four places and the A.A.U. parallel-bar championship. I'm hoping my gymnastics may help me in skiing. Now that snow has fallen in Hanover I am really enjoying the thrill of that sport.... It seems all my life I've heard 'Dartmouth' from my Dad. Starting with pennants in my room, ALUMNI MAGAZINES, and visiting college friends. Now that I am here all I can say is: 'I see why'. After this relatively short time of Dartmouth life I understand why Dad and his college friends never ceased telling about it."

Father: "Having a son at Dartmouth makes one appreciate that time has passed far faster than one cares to realize. As I look back to the year 1935, when Charles Jr. arrived in this world, it seemed then that the year 1954 was a long way off. Time went slowly before he learned to walk and talk and to pass that first threshold of life of entering school. But it gathered momentum from then on and for a while it was measured in annual enlargements to the electric train set, passing grades in scouting, and the purchasing of athletic equipment, each price being more advanced than the previous one. High school came and if it was possible the fun accelerated. We put up a shooting gallery in the basement, but had to give that up after a short time for fear of driving his Mother to distraction. The fun of watching football games in which he participated and then that fateful afternoon he was carried off the field with a broken leg. I've had a lot of enjoyment doing what we call 'growing up with him' and then that day he received his acceptance notice from Dartmouth.... He did not know whether my enthusiasm was the result of memories or if Dartmouth was really the grand place I had described to him. Now I am sure he knows that everything I told him about Dartmouth was true, for all you have to do is to catch his enthusiasm in the letters he writes us."

Wesley A. Nord12 E. Terrace Ave.Lakewood, N.Y.Randell K. Nord406 Gile

Son: "I have seen your Father-Son issues in the past and wondered at the time if I would ever be writing a letter for one. Even though I am in the midst of exams, writing this letter does not bother me too much, since it makes a fine excuse to stop studying for a while. I must admit that my decision to come to Dartmouth was my own and not my father's, although I know he was hoping for it all along. I am sure that he must have breathed a sigh of relief when he found out that I had been accepted and had decided to come here. It must be fairly obvious to anyone who has graduated from Dartmouth that I am glad I decided to go to Dartmouth and would rather be here than at any other college I can think of. It is rather soon to predict the future of my class, but I hope that we can measure up to the Class of '29 and perhaps one day produce a Dartmouth president, as they have."

Father: "Your Father-Son issues during the past several years have been very interesting to me and I am glad to see them continued - even though it means that I must now grind out my contribution. All things considered I should not complain, since I am proud to be one of the '29 fathers represented in '57, and unlike the sons do not have to find time during exams to compose such a letter... When Randy was considering colleges, I made it clear to him that he had complete freedom of choice, and I am sure that he felt that to be the case. His decision to enter Dartmouth was, therefore, doubly gratifying, since it meant that we had one more thing in common, and I could feel properly impressed with his good judgment. It seems only fair to let him tell his own story, but I will add that it is obvious to us that he is very happy at Dartmouth, and convinced that it is the college for him As for myself, lam still engaged in furniture manufacturing, as I have been ever since 1929. This, plus such other civic activities as the Chamber of Commerce and the local public library, keep my time well occupied My contacts with '29 have been very limited, and the only classmates that I see with any regularity are Roll Reading and George Scott. If possible, I hope to do something about that next June, when I understand there is to be quite a gathering at Hanover."

Josiah W. Pritchard328 N. Front St.Philipsburg, Pa.David F. Pritchard420 Topliff

Son: "I certainly appreciate the privilege of having the opportunity of writing this letter for the fourth annual Father-Son issue. To begin with I am eighteen years old, which I believe is the average freshman age. I was born and have lived my entire life in Philipsburg. Pa., with my father, mother and two brothers - John and Joe. The latter is a member of the class of '54, and the former is my twin. My father gave me the grand opportunity of attending a fine prep school, Mercersburg Academy. My interests there were mainly in dramatics and publications. After graduating with honors, I came to Dartmouth. It seemed that all my life, I had heard what a wonderful place Dartmouth is. At first it seemed hard to believe so much could be true of any one school, but now that my first semester is over, I know that everything I heard was true. I already have quite a few memorable experiences. Dartmouth is not the only characteristics my father and I have in common, for besides sharing similar interests, we attended the same preparatory school. Dad and I have done many things together. Outstanding among them are deep sea fishing together in Delaware, trips to New York City, and rides in his airplane. Dad's hobbies are playing golf and listening to music, the latter being one that is not enjoyed by the rest of the family, since the listening level he enjoys drives us all out of the house. I am planning on seeing Dad on the Father-Son weekend, but right now I'm looking forward to my first Winter Carnival."

Father: "David, like his father and older brother Joe, who is now a Dartmouth senior, prepared for college at the Mercersburg Academy. He was the first of the Pritchard clan to be graduated cum laude, and due to his high academic standing was chosen to be one of the Commencement day speakers. He was a member of the school newspaper board and the yearbook. He was also interested in dramatics, serving as costume keeper and maker of off-stage noises. Although he tries to keep it a secret, he 'has a twin brother John, who is freshman at Penn State. They were born on July 1, 1935, and although I'm not sure, I think that they might be the first set of twins to be born to a member of the class. However, before asking Cavanaugh to move over a little bit, it will be necessary for me to check with the keeper of the vital statistics for the Class of 1929. David hopes to enter Thayer School - I'm not sure if this is due to his love of engineering or just a desire to spend an extra year at Hanover, for he has had Dartmouth in his blood for a long time."

Edward L. Sp etna gel Jr.14 Withington RoadScarsdale, N.Y.Edward L. Spetnagel III104 Topliff

Son: "Just in case you haven't heard, this is one rough assignment, since it isn't easy to write about yourself. However, I understand that some of my other classmates are in the same spot — so here goes. First, here are some vital statistics. I'm five feet, ten inches, with blond hair and blue eyes, and I top the scales somewhere around 170 pounds. In this department, I'm quite different from the Spetnagel you knew in '29. I guess he might be considered as reasonably well preserved, but his forehead is creeping up and a few gray hairs are noticeable to the casual observer. I was born September 18, 1935, in Toledo, Ohio, and at a tender age, I was registered at Dartmouth. Even at that early stage of the game, Dartmouth was not entirely unfamiliar to me, as Dad had already begun his subtle (?) sales campaign. Hanover became more familiar from year to year, because the Spetnagel family never passed up an opportunity to take in the homecoming game, if at all possible. It was during these visits that I really became sold on Dartmouth - I think that I got almost as much kick out of the pep-rallies and bonfires as I did from the games themselves. Before going to Dartmouth, I attended Edgemont School in Scarsdale and the Choate School in Wallingford, Conn. At both schools, my principal extra-curricular activity was sports, particularly football, basketball, and baseball. It didn't take long to get into the swing of things this fall and after only a few hours I found myself busy getting settled in 104 Topliff, and trying all the while to avoid the call of Hey, Frosh!'.... As for my activities so far,, they have been pretty much limited to the pursuit of knowledge - which in my case has been very elusive. I'm afraid that not much of my father's wisdom has rubbed off on me! Unfortunately, I haven't had much free time to play the piano, which is one of my favorite hobbies. I did manage to go out for cross-country this fall, and was lucky enough to make the team.

Father: "I was afraid you would catch up with me sooner or later, and now I realize that it is my turn to pay off for having enjoyed so much your previous Father-Son issues. It is a small price to pay for that wonderful experience of having a son at Dartmouth. As I write this, Jane and I are expecting Ted to blow in any minute from the North Country for a short visit between exams and Carnival. I rather suspect he is down to check on the family financial status and perhaps to make final plans with his Carnival date. Incidentally, speaking of exams, if he doesn't come up with a 4-point average, I'm sure it will be solely because he took too much time out in composing his literary masterpiece to you. Since you didn't outline what was expected of the 'old man,' I will have to play by ear. First, I think it only proper to mention that Ted has a very attractive mother (Jane Spencer - Mt. Holyoke 1929, a Findlay, Ohio, girl) who was acquired in 1933, and two strenuous brothers; Jan, born in Toledo, Ohio, in 1940 and Ricky, born in White Plains, N.Y., in 1947. Ted's father, who expends considerable effort trying to keep up with the rest of the family, without, I confess, complete success, is happily and busily occupied businesswise as comptroller of Standard Brands Inc., New York City, where I have been located since 1945. For ten years prior to that, I was with Electric Auto-Lite Company in Toledo, Ohio, and before that with Bankers Trust Company, New York City.... This is already far too long and I haven't yet said how terrific it is to be living 'the good old days' all over again - only this time I expect to do a much better job because I am placing my bets on a far better man than his dad. I'm looking forward now to being at Hanover on Fathers Day, at the end of this month, and of course, Jane, Ted and I will be 'rarin to go' at the 25th Reunion. Hope to see a lot of '29ers at that time."

SONS OF '29: The photographer was able to corral five of the nine freshman sons of 29 fathers, whose letters accompany the Class Notes this month. L to r: George Johnston, Charles King Jr., Dave Clements, Dave Pritchard and Randy Nord.

Secretary, 75 Federal St., Boston 10, Mass.

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