1924
Hanover spring is having its usual troubles with a lingering winter. One day it's been balmy and wonderful; the next, snow is in the air and the temperature around 30°. Palm Sunday was cold, with snow falling all afternoon and evening — gently, pretty on the trees, but not springlike. The students, March 26, had snow in which to drive home, and the Administration had the correlated anxieties. Today as I write (April 9) they are picking up the duckboards on campus, but the temperature is only 32° at mid-morning.
During the recess, the annua) alumni meetings were hosts to faculty and administration speakers. On April 5, Prof. John Adams (History) and I invaded Springfield, Mass., for a very good meeting at the Longmeadow Country Club. Before the meeting, I brought the greetings of the College and of the local alumni to Dartmouth's oldest living alumnus, Franklin Newell '84. For one who graduated seventy years ago, this retired lawyer is doing very well: alert, interested in the College. At the meeting, I saw Win Sturtevant and JimFalcon of 1924. Next night, at Marblehead, Mass., the North Shore club had a capacity attendance of 180 for a very lively meeting. In both cases, wives were also present and our talks were of the Hanover Holiday pattern. These seem very well received, especially when the meetings include husbands and wives.
On my return, to welcome my daughter and grandson and son-in-law for an Easter visit, I found a postcard from Randy Childs '21 telling of a bad skiing accident to Ken Davis. He broke a leg and severed important arteries. This was about March 20 (full details are lacking as I write); as of two weeks later, it had not been necessary to amputate the leg. Now's the time to send Ken a bit of cheer with letters and cards. He's in the Rutland, Vt., Hospital.
Butts Lamson, having survived the ordeal of tax-report preparation, turns from writing his who-done-what to the lurid history and fiction of another Bulletin. He'd like your help with some news items. He attended the local Alumni Fund dinner and "really enjoyed it." For myself, the opening gun in this campaign came from Earl Daum, out in Melbourne, Australia, with General Motors-Holdens. His check came with a letter dated March 15. Good man, Fat Daum. He's managing director down under, as he has been elsewhere. He has really been around: In 1930 he was in Alexandria, Egypt; in 1934, sales manager for GM in Greece, Turkey, etc. In 1938, it was South Africa; then a tour in Sweden, I think, although the record book doesn't include that. In 1945, his address was Bombay, India. He has been with G.M. since 1927, in the Export Company.
It should not be part of this column's function to invade the area of Alumni Fund promotion. The early birds respond without invitation, and as regularly as the return of the sparrows to Capistrano, bless them. Just one more reminder that the sooner your check comes in, the less is lost in reminders and the freer your mind to concentrate on other matters with this expression of noblesse oblige a matter of record.
The complete file of The Dartmouth for our four years in College is being bound and will be made available to Butts Lamson for his use with the Bulletin. There are many items you'd like to have recalled, tied up with pleasant memories of thirty years and more ago. StanCurtis rates and has the sincere thanks of the Class for this gift; and Stan Lonsdale rates an assist for storing the treasure and finally getting it here, along with Stan for the 1924 Father-Son weekend party. Spud Spaulding's conscience hurt him after that get-together, having invited ye scribe to join him in a drink and then forgetting all about it, and so he wrote a nice newsy letter. This is to report that I'll gladly take the same treatment from anyone; news is scarcer than drinks, by a comfortable margin. His advertising-business letterhead offers the Worcester area all it could possibly ask: "Anything. Anytime, Anywhere." I have no data on how well he does in the hits-runs-errors columns, but he does fine as a newshawk. One of these days I hope to have a good story on the National Pest Control Association, organized, directed, and promoted by our Bill Buettner as an important part of our handling of natural resources against the attacks of pests. Bill's son, Bill R. '49, has followed his dad as head of the company, and is about to be married.
Dave Perry's son Dave is in training with the Naval Air Force at Pensacola, Fla. This is a '24 son I enjoyed having in one of my classes. (No comparisons with many other sons of 1924 intended.)
Another 1924 success story, like that of Bill Buettner's in its national importance, is that of Ned Mansure. Most of us know he is the administrator of the General Services Administration program in Washington. He had expected to make our 30th reunion last June, but he was busy with Congress batting 1.000 - he got every piece of legislation passed that his group had sponsored or supported. As one example, Lease-Purchase is a plan which enables the Government to buy or build buildings on time over 10-25 years without having to go to Congress for the money - just as you and I would do to build our own homes. His outfit is the world's biggest landlord, operating over 5,500 buildings throughout the country. We'll try to tell you more of this story, perhaps in the Bulletin. Now it's past time to go to press.
Secretary,2 Brewster Rd., Hanover, N. H.
Class Agent. Cherry Lane, R.F.D. 1, Morristown, N. J.
