1937

Something always seems to upset my best plans for getting class notes written and in on time. A trip to Houston and then out to Los Angeles nearly drew us a blank for this issue but Bob and Meg Aylward's annual newsletter arrived as I was leaving, so was brought along. By now they must have that third child - how about letting us know what it is, Bob? Apparently they are happily located in an apartment overlooking part of the city of Hong Kong and the harbor, with Bob assigned to the political section of the consulate. They write:

"Easily the most memorable incident of the summer was the shooting down of the Cathay Pacific passenger plane by Chinese Communist fighters off Hainan Island. Bob reached Kowloon Hospital within a half-hour after the survivors were brought in from the U.S. Air Force amphibian which had rescued them after their five and one-half hours in the water and the rubber dinghy. He practically lived at the hospital the next two days, and tor the next few weeks their welfare and interests occupied most of his time. The entire city was shocked and wanted to help. At one point Bob had a list or at least a dozen families who wanted to look out for little Valerie Parish while her mother was still in the hospital, and masses of flowers came to the hospital and to the two big memorial services, many from complete strangers. The November Reader sDigest carried Peter Thacher's factual account of the crash but it didn't accurately reflect the courage and sheer guts of this fine young American who with the captain of the plane kept the survivors going until they were picked up. Nor can words describe the unbelievable courage of Mrs. Parish, who was facing a future without husband, 4-year-old son and 2-year-old son - all this added to the loss of her first daughter in 1947 from smallpox in Shanghai. One cannot have known Peter Thacher and Frances Parish in this time of crisis and come away without increased faith in the human race.

While in Los Angeles I stayed with somefriends who lived only a block or two fromKim and Elise Hall so we were able to gettogether for cocktails and visit for an hour orso. Kim is in the solid rocket section workingon design of rocket propellants at the CaltechJet Propulsion Lab in Pasadena. They havethree young children, a girl, 4, boy, 2½, andbaby girl, 6 months, so have their hands full.

Talked with Bob Cone on the phone and found his 16-year-old daughter was going to Stanford next year. He also has an 11-year-old girl. They all seem to be enjoying Southern California and have apparently left Hartford, Conn., for keeps. They live in San Marino, only a block or two from John Merrill and Ed Skowrup.

Caught Brad Petersen at his office and found he also standardizes on daughters - three of them - the youngest being three months. Brad reported that he and Mary had been down to Mazatlan, Mexico, on a fishing vacation but hadn't had the same luck that Frank and Catherine Danzig had earlier, catching a mess of marlin sailfish and tarpon. The Danzigs have two daughters. Eric Rafter has been seen at occasional Dartmouth functions. I could get no details beyond the fact that the Rafters had arranged a cruise out to Catalina Island but became fog-bound shortly after leaving, so the trip was a disappointment. Wish I could have had time to phone some of the others as there appears to be some eighteen or twenty '37s in and about Los Angeles.

Word has just come to us that George Elmore passed on after a very short illness. Our deepest sympathy goes to his family.

Secretary, 100 Park Ave., New York 17, N. Y.

Treasurer, 17 High Street, Greenfield, Mass.