Thayer School
Last month Thayer School lost one of its most distinguished and beloved alumni in the death of Luther Stephen Oakes 'oo. It is difficult to highlight the career of a man for whom outstanding accomplishments and contributions were commonplace, day-to-day living. Neither Dartmouth nor the Thayer School has had a more deeply loyal alumnus, nor one who constantly performed more services for the benefit and betterment of his alma mater. His record of attendance at Dartmouth get-togethers in his home city of Minneapolis and at class reunions and College commencements was outstanding. Known as "Luther" to young and old alike, his presence always added a note of sincerity, good spirit and "Tightness" to these occasions. Always keenly interested in the welfare of the Thayer School, he performed a most significant and meaningful service for the school as a member of the Board of Overseers for many years prior to his death. For 34 years, as president and later chairman of the board of Winston Brothers Company, one of the leading construction firms in the country, he brought honor and respect both to his own firm and to the entire construction industry. He was a recipient of the Moles Award, the highest award of the construction industry, in recognition of his eminence in the profession. But all of this was incidental to the quality of the man who enriched the lives and characters of every person who was blessed by knowing him.'The deepest sympathy of all Thayer School alumni go to his wife Anne, son Tom, and daughter Betty.
An important prospect for the Thayer School was announced recently by the College in a news release that negotiations are in progress leading toward the establishment in Hanover of a major laboratory facility combining the activities of SIPRE and ACFEL. These two organizations, the Snow, Ice and Permafrost Research Establishment, and the Arctic Construction and Frost Effects Laboratory, both civilian units under the Corps of Engineers, comprise the top research activity in the western world concerned with this new field of scientific and engineering knowledge. Its location in Hanover would bring to this community as permanent residents a considerable number of distinguished engineer and scientist researchers.
Russ Stearns '38, who, on leave of absence this year, is a member of the SIPRE research staff in Wilmette, visited Hanover briefly the first of March on his return to Wilmette from a field trip to Goose Bay and Greenland. His experience with SIPRE this year has given him an opportunity to direct and engage in high-level research work in a field of principal interest to him. He will spend the summer in Greenland on a SIPRE field trip, returning to Thayer School in the fall.
Russ reports having visited with SumnerSollitt CE'49 and Park Stickney '09 at the winter alumni meeting in Chicago. Mr. Stickney has retired from an active career in the construction industry and Sumner is an engineer in his father's firm, Sumner S. Sollitt, contracting engineer, in Chicago.
Another Thayer School alumnus interested in ice is Bruce Espy '41 of the Espy Ice Company of Denver. The Denver Post of January 24 contained a feature article on this company's fifth annual ice harvest at Rollinsville, Colo. In this day of artificial refrigeration, it is interesting to find that the Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad will use 9,200 tons of natural ice provided by the Espy Ice Company from a lake nine thousand feet high in the Rocky Mountains. The ice is stored in the railroad company's ice house and used in its refrigerator cars.
Dr. and Mrs. John M. Tavares of Somerville, Mass., have announced the engagement of their daughter, Joanna, to Carl Long, instructor in civil engineering at the Thayer School. Carl and Miss Tavares plan a July wedding and we are looking forward to adding Mrs. Long to the Thayer School family.
John Murray ME'49 has been appointed to a new position with Chrysler Division in which he will work with the chief engineer in connection with product planning. The purpose of this new function is to make a logical and planned approach to the development of future models.
John Fondahl CE'48 has left Winston Brothers Company to accept an appointment as Assistant Professor of Civil Engineering at Stanford University.
Thayer School alumni who missed the description and picture of Jim Martin's ('26) big lift-slab job which appeared by scoop of fellow-reporter Herb Talbot in his 1925 news column in the February issue will be interested in referring to it. Two other Thayer alumni, Bob Ley '34 and Bob Egelhoff '39, are actively engaged in developing this interesting method of reinforced concrete building construction.
A letter from Jack Bowe '42 announces that he has recently established the John D. Bowe Construction Company in Bernardsville, N. J. His firm offers general contracting services in the industrial and commercial line. Jack has been Project Engineer for the firm of Bowe, Albertson and Associates where he recently completed a five million dollar water filtration plant for the city of Trenton.
MISS MARGARET D. PIERCE, a member of the Tuck School secretarial staff for the past26 years, retired on February 28. Dean Upgren is shown presenting roses from the faculty.
