1954
"Leaving for Georgia tomorrow as a member of Uncle Sam's finest fighting team."
Ah, Youth. The above words were penned with a zest almost suggesting naivete. BobPallatroni boldly scrawled the expression on the back of a Christmas card before leaving for Air Force duties in December.
A good number of the group is off and running this month. Uncle Sam is a scoopin' 'em up like a steam shovel in a jellybean factory. Bob Sokolski and George Nimitz, we understand, have forded the Pacific and are now with the Army Ordnance Corps in the Far East. And with the same outfit, but on the other side, is Harold Harris amid the frauleins in Germany.
Fort Dix has become a titanic vortex. Among those sucked down that great New Jersey drain were Tony Kossove, who was spied in the physical training course there last November and attending clerk-typist school in December, Johnny Parker, Perry Weston and Lon Chaikin. The Dix boys are taking a "compulsory extracurricula" called a "character guidance program." Um! Huh! That's what it says.
If you want to see someone who is really "tanked-up," you'd ought to see Mike Spicer. He's at Fort Knox in the Armored Corps. Mike, thar's gold in them thar hills. Marine and Louie Bill Petty is another tankman. Bill and wife Carrie lasted until just before Christmas at Quantico. However, Bill's orders came in and he's elsewhere now. And for those of you who inhabited Wigwam Circle last year it may interest you to know, so Bill relates anyway, that that stolid and hallowed women's organization - the West Wigwam Bridge-Flick-and-Gossip Society —did not perish on that fateful twelfth of June 1954. That know-all, see-all, and reveal-all sisterhood, that great promoter and protector of the women's proverbial prerogative, lives on on the tongues of its members.
We hear that Pvt. Al Sullivan was situated at Camp Chaffee, Ark., for awhile this fall. Some guys pull deals. Bob Vorsanger carefully eased into a nice soft clerk-typist's job with the Army in New York City. Understand that Bob s most trying daily chore is commuting from Englewood on a five-day, forty-hour basis. Man, them's bankers' hours.
Al Tirrell, Pvt. U.S.A., was admitted to the Army's Babel - the service's language school —at the Presidio of Monterey, Calif. Believe the Sat. Eve Post or Colliers gave the school a write-up a few months back. Al plans to study Mandarin Chinese language and culture. A while back Al also was saying, "Nix to Dix." Private "E-2" Mead Metcalf rounds up the Corps of Khakies. Mead was at Camp Chaffee this fall and is back again till the end of this month pursuing his new line, clerk-typist. Based on past performance, Mead should have a bit of a facility with the keys. His parting comment: "This damned army."
Speaking of keys and the keyboards, we hear via the vine that Skip Weymouth and brother Ted '56 were featured in a music mag article a few months ago (I believe it was Downbeat).
A real "rocketeer" is Dick Miller at the antiaircraft and guided missiles artillery school at Fort Bliss, Texas. Dick's course runs some 36 weeks. Lt. Bob Berry's in the Army at Fort Benning, and Bob Boyd is making a fourmonth trek through the boondarks at Marine OCS in beloved Quantico, Va. Also in the Marine infantry are Walt Clarkson, Mike Biggs and Johnny Schreiber. The last three received their travelling papers a month ago, so Lord knows where they are now.
From Corry Field, Fla., comes word that George Hitchcock has started his pre-flight training after completing the course of instructions at Pensacola. Leon Poitras recently ran off his first solo at the same field in a Navy SNJ trainer. "Booge" Tayntor is, perhaps, our first "wing-winner." Rear Adm. C. D. Glover fastened the wings on him a few months ago at Corpus Christi, Texas. Booge will continue his flying at Miami, NAS. Tim Sullivan is at Boiling AFB in Washington, D. C.
We got quite a boot out of some of those personal data sheets that have been filtering back. Sinny Hitchings, now radio officer aboard the USS Monrovia, answered the question, "What happened to you ... last year that you haven't reported" with a succinct, "A lot." Gad, lad, we wants elaboration.
There's always a flock of "nivee" boys down in Norfolk. Thus far we've stumbled upon Al Bialoski, who's really got a cool deal aboard the USS Everglades (better known as "Building 24" for all the steaming it has done). However, Al's gonna take 'er to Europe this month, so beware. Also have seen Ken Patterson, John Pope (USS Sperry) and Vic Mahler. Vic paces the quarterdeck of the USS Ingraham. Frank Carey's aboard the USS Coneauh when he's not at the Norfolk "O Club." Word was passed that Barry Levin is back from Europe with the USS Des Moines, while Ed Winnich received orders to abandon the decommissioned Gilbert Islands.
Brother, if you think you are cold, give a shiver for Jack Tuck. Jack is serving his nautical term on the USS Staten Island, an icebreaker, which pushes its prow among the seals. This summer Jack was sailing the sea in the waters around Northern Greenland. Must be nice duty this time of year. Brrr!
"Now going through a hectic training program several hard correspondence courses though I'm still enjoying myself."
Don Wheatley took time off from canvassing Canada, trying to unload stocks for the Dominion Securities Corp., to pen these impressions. From his peregrinations Don forwards a few random observations and revelations. He says,
'I find Toronto a very dry town as a first impression. All the liquor and gaiety is stowed away in people's homes, but they share it generously. Last summer . . . went hunting up the Amazon Jungle. Had a wonderful time and hunting days were very successful. I tried to buy myself a nice young Indian maid to do my house chores in Canada, but was unsuccessful in this task." Well! Nothing ventured, nothing gained.
Among those not drawing unemployment compensation are Ernie Dahl, hauling down a salary from W. T. Grant Co. in Stamford, Conn., and Bob Bean, who is assistant boyswear buyer for Mercantile Stores Co. in N.Y.C. Jim Love has a cool job in refrigeration sales for the Williams Industries, Inc. in Stow, Ohio. On the General Electric lab account payroll in Pittsfield, Mass., is Dave Lyon.
There are a few more permanent Valentines to report this month. Lt. George Kingsley succumbed to Virginia Stevenson, a senior at Smith, from Sarasota, Fla. Their engagement was announced in November. Also giving thanks over Thanksgiving was Ed Quinn, who took the first step with Suzanne Robb of Manchester, Conn. Ed is at Thayer this year, but heads to Aberdeen with the Army after graduation. Suzanne is a Conn. College product. Susan Ellen Logan was betrothed to DickWright this past December. Susan is a senior at Mt. Holyoke, which, incidentally, is her home town. Dick is studying at the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs at Princeton.
In the "really gone" brigade is Chuck Dickerson, who married Marcia Rice of Green Mt. and Lexington, Mass., on December 4. The Dickersons had their reception at the celebrated Wayside Inn and plan to set up shop in Pittsburgh. Believe that Chuck is attending Rochester Med School. 2nd Lt. Mike Korjeff knotted nuptial ties with Ann Rayner on December 27 in Newton, Mass. Anne hails from Skidmore. Betty Ann Feldman and SheldonWoolf sealed their bonds in Providence, R. I., on November 21. Betty Ann's a senior at Wheaton. And way back on August 27 Maryclaire Craggs roped Charlie Salzenstein, in Peoria, Ill. Jim Wygant was seatin' the customers. Both Charlie, who is an air controlman in the Navy at Atlantic City, and Maryclaire were graduates of Bradley.
By the way, it is at just about this time that '54 starts to hunt for its "Class Boy." An old tradition maintains that the first male child born to a member of the Class married after graduation should be designated the "Class Boy." And customarily the Class presents the child with appropriate gift or memento recognizing his official status (I don't know what he can pawn from us, as yet). But please submit the names and birth date of your male heir along with the date that you took the halter at the altar, and the "Class Boy" will be selected just as soon as the entries are in. Remember though, Papa and Mombo must have been married after graduation.
In the few remaining inches we'll try to scan those educational horizons. Bill Gardner,Ward Gypson and Mike Morrissey are at the Flower Med School in N.Y.C. Jerry Barton is at the Bellevue Med School in N.Y.C. RonGold and Dan Weidenthal are at Western Reserve University in Cleveland. Ron is grinding on the Law, and Dan is cutting capers with cadavers. If you should see Dick Raphael hobbling about the Hanover Plain on crutches, it's not due to skiing. Dick was hit by a car, on Tuck Drive, I believe, and broke his leg.
On the sport scene, the Tuck U Terrors trounced the Med School boys by virtue of a Mort Galper to Clark Murphy pass.
Also looks as though the Green will turn out a fine quintet this winter. Hope some of you got up to see them clear the courts at U. of Conn, where they won the mythical New England championships.
The committee in charge of the memorial for Milt Kramer is making real progress. Some of the suggestions thus far discussed have been excellent. We'll try to keep you up on this as best we can. I believe a letter is heading your way, so be on the lookout.
Hope many of you were house-hopping at Carnival. See yo'all next month.
AVIATION CADETS George Hitchcock '54 (I) and William Ober '54 have graduated from theU. S. Naval Pre-Flight School at Pensacola and are assigned to the Corry Field U. S. NavalAuxiliary Air Station at Great Lakes for primary flight training.
AVIATION CADETS George Hitchcock '54 (J) and William Ober '54 have graduated from theU. S. Naval Pre-Flight School at Pensacola and are assigned to the Corry Field U. S. NavalAuxiliary Air Station at Great Lakes for primary flight training.
Secretary, USS Basilone (DDE-824) c/o Fleet P. 0., New York, N. y
Treasurer, 126 Wigwam Circle, Hanover, N. H.
