1921
After a month of suitcase living it is reassuring to return to New England where it really gets cold in the winter and where one can find Bill Perry tending to his two jobs of running the Cambridge Paper Box Co. and the 1921 Alumni Fund of 1954. You should realize that after winning the Green Derby of Group III for six years in a row, our Class is now in that big-league Group II, presently dominated by 1914 and 1915. The latter class won its seventh consecutive Derby in '53 and is out to win its eighth this year. Both of these older and therefore more decrepit classes beat us on combined rating last year with scores of 242 and 248 versus our 236. To win in '54 we must not only get our usual 100% participation but must increase our amounts per man. Bill asks us each to adopt this moto: I will give more in '54.
Last year 27% of our Class gave an average of $200 each or $14,523, while the other 73% contributed $4,112, an average of about $21 apiece. The generous minority, who have given so greatly of both time and money to Dartmouth and thus to the cause of the private liberal arts college, are doing even more this year but they are asking the rest of us to join them in mature and serious recognition of the College's need to meet mounting costs and to provide adequate scholarship funds for worthy boys who need them. We have a great college and a grand class. Let's each do our full share to keep them both out in front.
Meanwhile Prexy John Sullivan again gets his picture in the Manchester Union Leader as speaker at a joint meeting of the Manchester Historic Association and the Old Residents' Association with the Sons of the American Revolution well represented. The life and accomplishments of General John Stark was the subject.
The Dartmouth Club of N. Y. News also prints: "When he is not captaining the squash team (successor to Ort Hicks), playing on the bridge team or worrying about the tax problems of Western Electric, Abe Weld puts in a strenuous time as desk sergeant of the Jackson Heights precinct, auxiliary police, in the Civilian Defense set-up." Abe has given up throwing his weight around.
El Harper, another peripatetic '21er, writes:
"Have been in Europe most of the time for the past two years as consultant to the Assistant Secretary of Defense, and have missed out on a lot of things. Have declined further travel in that direction and hope to be around somewhat.
"On day of get-together in Hanover last rail our fourth daughter was getting married, so obviously she thought I should be there. Have son Tom in sophomore class and son John in freshman class now, so the old man has got his work cut out for him as a lot of youse guys already know.
"Am living on Cape Cod when I am home but am presently doing a lot of traveling, catching up on loose ends that sure seemed to get well disjointed while I was in Europe and otherwise traveling these last two years. See you soon, I hope.
Bob Wilson admits he has been wandering around the world too much and promises to alight soon. Walt and Mary Lundegren on the other hand are experiencing the opposite situation, natural but not too welcome, of living in a quiet home all by themselves for the first time in thirty years, since their youngest daughter, Judy, is a freshman at Jackson College. Walt has one of those difficult credit manager jobs at the home office of the Liberty Mutual Insurance Co., Boston.
Jack Sercombe is well underway in his new job as Clerk of the Supreme Court of Oregon. He is living at his new home, 280 Alice Ave., Salem, Ore., where he wants his mail sent. The family will join him after school closes in June. Meanwhile he commutes to Portland weekends.
Phil Noyes, still teaching at Fairhaven, (Mass.) High School, is happy to have SevSeverance and his family nearby. Otherwise he and Florence would get lonely, for their four children are all away from home.
Dave Plume is still peddling plastics as sales manager for that division of Rohm and Hass Co. He lives in Summit, N. J., but commutes twice a year to California to check up on his three grandchildren.
An appeal for helpl Lewis P. McKay, a '21 man, is lost! His last known address was 545 Marble St., Joliet, 111. All efforts to locate him for the last four years have failed. If anyone knows where he is now, please drop a card to your secretary.
Fortunately Janice, younger daughter of Harry and Helen Chamberlaine, inherited her dad's good looks as disclosed by her bridal portrait, recently appearing in the New YorkHerald Tribune and kindly contributed by Dick Pearson '20. Her wedding to Scott Pierce of Rye, N. Y., on February 27, took place at the Rye Presbyterian Church. She is a Mount Holyoke '53 graduate. Mr. Pierce attended Taft School, Yale University and graduated from Miami University, Oxford, Ohio, where he was a Beta Theta Pi. He is now with Phelps Fenn & Co., N. Y.
Now for an account of your secretary's travels during February. Furb and MaryHaight are the key to 1921 in the Los Angeles area. In shorts and T-shirts, gardening on a sunny Sunday afternoon in the backyard of their lovely, comfortable home with its guest house and swimming pool, they looked the picture of health. Except for Furb's monthly trip to San Francisco, usually with Mary, they lead a fairly quiet life. En route to his home Furb pointed out the houses of movie stars, many of whom he knew personally while acting as air raid warden in Brentwood during the last war. On their living-room wall hangs a large framed Dartmouth Seal in color - gold, white and light green on a dark green background - all done in needlepoint by Furb on a bet with a friend. He promised to bring it to our 35th Reunion and may donate it to the College as the first seal done in colors. He thinks Dewey Gruenhagen and Carl Hammond have both moved away from L. A. Had no luck finding the other six classmates there.
Bill McAdams works for North American Aviation Co. He and Dorothy live in an artistic colony at Manhattan Beach, near Palos Verdes, where Dot makes wire mobiles and models in clay in a roof-top studio. They lost their only son, a fine-looking chap, in World War II, but have his widow and their grandchild nearby in Glendale. Just missed Bill by ten minutes on a surprise visit. Fine view of the Pacific from their home. In Tucson on February 5 the Rev. George Ferguson appeared, suave, healthy, and in complete command of a large, active Episcopal church on the north edge of town. After seventeen years' work he has an enthusiastic group, including 700 children in the Sunday School and a rapidly growing branch church on the west side. St. Philip's-in-the-Hills is also an architectural gem in the Mexican or Spanish style of which the feature is a plate-glass window over the altar, giving a clear view of the mountains. Many tourists visit it daily. It is especially photogenic in its desert setting, as Red Kerlin, Tom Staley, Ralph Ruder and Don Sawyer will attest.
Mick Shoup seemed to have half the population of Colorado Springs on hand to meet the plane, until it came out that a new airport building was being dedicated. Later he and Dorothy had a few people, about 120, in for cocktails and buffet supper at their twenty-room shack near the Broadmoor Hotel. As president of Holly Sugar Corp. he has the executives of that company come there annually for a pep talk. His souvenir room includes a certificate that he has flown over one million miles on regular air lines. Besides sugar beets, Mick is active in gold, uranium, the local First National Bank and the Denver, Rio Grande R. R. Maybe he gets his energy from his dad, a former governor of Colorado. Ralph Ruder, in contrast, seems calm, cool and collected, although he is also a bank director and runs the Hayden Mining Co. Rudy shows practically no effects from the passing years. He spends part of each year in his old home town of Hamilton, Ohio, where he has other financial interests and responsibilities. One can hardly blame either Mick or Rudy for preferring to live and work in such scenic surroundings.
Bob McConaughy Jr. does other things than run the R Lazy S Ranch at Jackson Hole, Wyoming. He and his son, Bob III '50, both following in the footsteps of Bob Sr. in the real estate business, took your secretary to lunch on February 10 at the Alto Club in Salt Lake City. Bob Jr. handles the real estate end of Hogle Investment Co., a firm well known thereabouts. His daughter Geraldine is married and living within easy visiting distance. If you got an idea from those pictures of Bob at his ranch that he is an old man, forget it. He looks no older than the rest of us and has more spryness than some. He provided a warm welcome to his beautiful city.
Fred Hale is the only 1921 man in San Jose, Calif., and his job as chief assistant to the local internal revenue agent makes him suspicious of sentimental slobs who call him up and claim they were college classmates, especially when he only attended Dartmouth two years and reads neither the Smoker nor this MAGAZINE. (Hurd please note.) He did admit having a wife and three children, one of whom is married and another is taking graduate work at Stanford.
Upon arrival in the Clift Hotel lobby, San Francisco, Jim Wicker, Connie Keyes and JackGarfein gave the official greeting. Guy Wallick joined us a few moments later. The photo herewith shows the group sampling that wonderful California orange juice which is served on all occasions. After a short bull session we adjourned to Skipper Kent's for a Polynesian meal, ordered by Guy, who alone knew what we were eating. A beverage called a headhunter served in a coconut shell seemed to help the situation. Thereafter the three suburbanites got the early train but Connie insisted upon showing the visiting fireman certain choice spots in his town, one of which necessitated a first ride on a cable car. Over an early breakfast the unanimous opinion was reached that San Francisco provides more and better places to spend money and have fun than any other city within our experience. Connie's a skilful guide, too.
Our next chapter will set forth the arguments in favor of having our 35th Reunion at Waikiki.
SECRETARIAL JAUNT: Reg Miner, '21 Class Secretary, met many a classmate on his trip West in February An informal '21 reunion took place in the Clift Hotel, San Francisco where his arrival was toasted in California's best orange juice. L to r: Jim Wicker, Reg Miner, Guy Wallick, Jack Garfe.n, Connie Keyes.
Secretary,21 Chestnut St., Wellesley Hills 82, Mass.
Class Agent, 196 Broadway, Cambridge 39, Mass.
