1937
The other day we walked into an office for the purpose of selling some WOOL (a synthetic product manufactured under a secret process by sheep) and there was a sign pending from the wall which read — "Before You Louse Things Up, THINK."
The only bearing this has upon the local situation is that your guest editor has been thinking over what could he say already to make up an interesting column.... Not too long ago we had access to unlimited quantities of material, but this effort is practically cold turkey.
As you probably recall, Carl has stolen all the Mason-Neilan Regulator Co. funds and absconded to Europe, and there is living in all the luxury of a Scelba, or a Bao Die, or even a Mendes-France and supposedly has left all his headaches behind. Upon his return he'll be confronted with one, however, - THIS.
As of March 1 a new law firm has been created in Brattleboro, Vt., under the name of Fitts & Olson. We know nothing of Mr. Fitts, but his partner is Paul Olson, erstwhile classmate and member in good standing. Paul graduated from Yale Law School in 1940, practiced in N. Y., did a stitch in the Navy, thence to Vermont in 1948, and now this, for which our heartiest congratulations.
Also Shel Wagner, looking a bit shiny on top, merits a write-up, picture and all, in the Pleasantville (N. Y.) Register, to the effect that he is a candidate for reelection as trustee of the town of Hastings.
Biggest surprise emanates from Putnam, Conn., where the local paper captions the headline, SMITH MOVES TO HANOVER. In our day it used to be the other way round, but this younger generation just will not be denied. We eagerly delved further in this luscious article to see what action Spud Bray might be planning, or to see if maybe it was just another publicity stunt fostered by the Great Issues course - and, after all, peaceful co-education CAN function. But 10, it's neither and no. It's really that one Jud Smith, long of the Putnam Woolen Co., has moved to Hanover as executive director of the Hitchcock Clinic, assumed duties, there as of April 15. Lucky guy. Before you know it, he'll have his name on a brass plate on the back of one of those rockin' chairs on the Inn porch, just like old Dan Richardson.
We took a trip this past week, ended up around lunch time in Milford, N. H., so dropped in on Bill Rotch. Picked up a bit of news in that Bill and Patty have just added Number five, named John McClane Rotch. Further that the Hart Beardsleys have just added Number four and first boy. Further that Bob and Meg Aylward, now in Hong Kong, have likewise produced a new Helvetian, but due to this scribe's dilapidated memory and lost notes can't recall what it was. Incidentally, leave us breathe a word of caution to future visitors to Milford. When Bill says let's go to lunch, go, but if you want to grab the check you gotta be subtle - he's faster than Davy Crockett. And not only that but politically you're licked, too, since everybody, including the waitresses, knows him and won't accept money from strangers.
Hal Evans is back in Boston, having sold out his business in Los Angeles and is now living in Wellesley with his new wife Gail, also from the West Coast. He's involved in a new venture here called Silver Skillet which is some kind of a food-merchandising proposition handling canned meats and soups. He is also attempting to sign on again with Commander MacMillan for another trip this summer to the North as first mate, having made several trips with him before the war. We see that the two of them registered for a weekend at the Inn, and also that Albie Chester followed them in three days later.
It seems that an outside plug is in order for Roily Bialla for the way he has taken over the thankless job of Class Agent, also for RogAllen, who has loaned a fresh and novel format to the Mint Bag, and for Carl Gram, who has faithfully produced under a hectic business schedule. This Alumni Fund drive stuff takes a lot of time and when you figure the amount of money they collect every year you can see that an awful lot of alumni take it very seriously and really strain to make their gift a realistic one. Roily has organized a topnotch group of assistant agents as his technicians and set off the BOMB and is now waiting for the fall-out (that's us). Getting money and getting news to keep a news column alive are both pretty tough assignments. It's only human nature to figure that the things we do and the things that happen to us are personal and probably of little interest to anyone else, but statistics show that the reason for the high national rating of this MAGAZINE and the reason for its main interest to Dartmouth alumni is centered in this class notes section. It's unique in its completeness, with all classes represented, and yet is manned by non-professionals, who take it upon themselves to produce interesting copy. Without your contribution in both these departments, both institutions would become second-rate, which we don't believe any of us would like to see occur.
By now there are only three weeks left on the Fund, and again statistics have shown that the majority of gifts sail in during the final week or two. That will probably never change. The only thing wrong is some guys slide past the deadline with all the best of intentions, then remember when it's too late, and therefore fail to contribute at all. Right, Roily? Right, Al? Right, Bib!
OK, you may fire when you're ready, Gridley, as long as it's prior to June 30.
Secretary, 100 Park Ave., New York 17, N. Y.
Class Agent, 120 Broadway, New York 5, N. Y.
