1932

We are indebted to Scott Olin, Secretary o£ 1950, for sending along an article from The New Yorker on Dick Manville. We quote - "We ourself had scarcely caught our breath after inspecting the Bronx Zoo's tuatara ... when we turned around to inspect its new Curator of Mammals, Dr. Richard H. Manville. A brown-eyed man of forty-five with a snub nose and a merry twinkle, he was born in Tuxedo but for many years lived in so many other parts of the country that it is difficult to pinpoint his habitat. His father was an accountant, but for the son, reared in the wilds of Orange County, it's been animals, animals all the way - a triumph of environment over heredity. 'I was fascinated by insects, snakes and so forth as a child,' he told us. 'At Dartmouth I majored in the Outing Club for four years, studying the fauna of New Hampshire and was graduated in 1932. I took a Master's degree at Berkeley in California, worked as a guide in Yosemite Park and then - this was during the depression - clerked in a bank in Tuxedo. A rattlesnake was what weaned me away from a business career. My sister called my attention to the reptile, which was near our house, and I put it in a backyard collection of animals that I had assembled. Upon hearing that the Trailside Museum at Bear Mountain needed a rattlesnake, I gave it to them. I found out also that the director needed an assistant and I took the job. This was 1936. The next three summers I spent in Maine, as a ranger-naturalist in Acadia National Park, on Mount Desert Island, showing people around and studying species of local mammals.' Manville studied a bunch of moles, shrews, bats, weasels, otters, skunks and other small mammals, wrote notes on them for the Journal of Mammalogy, and, presently, abandoning finance forever, began to study for a Doctor of Philosophy degree at the University of Michigan. Between 1938 and 1942, to make money and get material for a thesis, he undertook a general wildlife survey for the Huron Mountain Club, a 15,000-acre tract in Northern Michigan set aside as a fishing retreat. 'I was in the field for 15 months,' he said. 'Then I got married, got drafted, served in the Medical Administrative Corps of the Army in the European Theatre, went back to my thesis and, in 1947, took my degree.' Eight years of teaching Zoology at Michigan State followed, punctuated by summers as guide in Virginia's Shenandoah National Park and the Glacier National Park in Montana. Then last Fall came the call to the Bronx. 'I am still kind of feeling my way here. Our mammals are popping all the time. The Bengal tigers had four cubs last year; most of the deer present us with young; our dingoes - Australian wild dogs - recently had a litter of nine; some antelopes bred last month!' "

So there is a complete story on Dick. Thought I would give it the full treatment as many of you don't get to see The New Yorker.

Dick Olmsted, formerly Business Manager for Plant and Operations in Hanover, now assumes the title of Business Manager of the College with responsibility for plant operations, new construction and management of all College business operations, such as housing, feeding and similar activities. Reporting to Dick will be the heads of the departments of Buildings and Grounds, Housing, Heating Plant, Dining Association and Purchasing. Sounds terrific, Dick! Congratulations and the best of luck in this big job!

Floyd Leonardson has been elected assistant secretary of the Security Insurance Co. of New Haven, Conn., and will continue in his present position as manager of the claim department. Floyd began his insurance career as a staff adjuster for "the Liberty Mutual and had been promoted to branch claim manager when he left Liberty Mutual in 1946. He served in a similar capacity with Hartford Accident & Indemnity Co., before joining Security Insurance Co. in 1948.

Steve Harwood is connected with the Montreal Locomotive Works in Montreal. He reports that he attended the Intercollegiate Rowing Assn. Regatta at Syracuse to see his son Fred row on the Cornell freshman crew against the Dartmouth freshman crew and Bunny Rich's son, Tim.

Chuck Owsley is at home at 27 Warner Road, Hubbard, Ohio, and will be on a tour of duty in Washington shortly. Chuck is Chief of the Political Affairs Section of the U.S. Mission to Berlin and has figured in several news items covered by this column.

Announcement has been made by the Equitable Life Assurance Society that Howdy Pierpont has been elected second vice-president in the Group Department and will be stationed in New York City. Howdy started with the Equitable as a clerk in the cashier's department in Cincinnati immediately following his graduation in 1932. After a series of promotions, he became divisional group manager, first in Boston, then in Chicago. In 1951, he assumed the post of manager of the Central Department, later changed to the North Central Department, and served in that capacity until his recent promotion. Congratulations are in order and we, in the New York area, are looking forward to seeing Howdy much more frequently.

So much for this month. By the time you read it, it will be the middle of November with another football season almost completed. Start thinking again about your contribution to the 1932 Memorial Fund and plan to attend the BIG 25th next June!

Secretary, 27 Hamilton Dr., N. North Caldwell, N. J.

144 Brixton Rd., Garden City, N. Y. Treasurer,