1937

When you read these lines, I trust that we shall all have had some foretaste of spring. All of us, that is, who inhabit these northerly climes and who, by early February, have been driven to a low spiritual point by winter. For most, Florida, Hawaii and like pleasure havens are a mirage and an idle hope. We must content ourselves meanwhile with new seed catalogues and other reminders of balmier days ahead. So, here's to spring!

I trust, too, that when you read this, things will be brighter for Rog Barney whom I reported last month to be a polio victim at Mary Hitchcock. I wrote Rog's wife and he himself replied. He was much touched by the fact that we were thinking of him. He is making progress slowly but constantly and hopes to be home by Easter. He sounds quite cheerful, enough so to tell us that the bells of Baker are still ringing and, "to make me feel at home again, have recently been missing on one note!" Lots of good wishes to Rog for a successful recovery.

I was gratified to have a letter from AlMartin who is president of the King Fifth Wheel Co. of Philadelphia (rings for industry). Probably few of you will recall a lonely coterie that gathered in the spring at the south end of the football field to practice the hammer throw; usually it consisted of Al, BillCole and me. Spectators shunned us and wisely so, since we could be erratic, although we never quite hit the little gray house lying off course to our south. Al has been in Ambler, Pa., since 1946, though he was set back on his heels a bit with a recall for Korean service: "Taught me to stay out of the Reserves, anyhow." Al's new plant in Wilkes-Barre is pro- ducing rings for jet aircraft. He says the aircraft people are as spec, and paper happy as the Army - "the paper carries more weight than the steel." But all is well otherwise, and that is about all any of us can wish for, reet?

SEC General Counsel

Bill Timbers '37 resigned as General Counsel of the SEC on January 30 to resume private law practice in New York with the firm of Skadden, Arps, Slate and Timbers.

Bill had served since 1953 and was not only the first General Counsel of the SEC appointed under the Eisenhower administration but also the first Republican General Counsel ever to serve the Commission.

He was the Commission's chief spokesman before the Federal courts and argued four SEC cases before the Supreme Court. He also directed a vigorous program of enforcement of the Federal securities laws.

Bill appeared before numerous Congressional Committees, including the Kefauver Committee which investigated the SEC's role in the now famous Dixon-Yates power contract.

For sheer publicity, as well as its importance as a legal landmark, Bill's role in the contempt of court decision, In re Timbers, probably is best remembered. In this case, the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals unanimously upheld Timbers' refusal to divulge confidential files of an executive agency.

Bill received his law degree from Yale. He, his wife Charlotte and four children live in Darien, Conn. We welcome him back to New York, and the New Haven R.R. gratefully regains a commuter.

Bibs Bankart dropped me a very welcome letter. He apologized for having little news from the Boston quarter and promptly gave me oodles, which is why Bibs is a good reporter. To wit: Bibs runs into John Handrahan quite often, lastly at a Boston Alumni executive board meeting on which they both serve. He reports that John is very happy about his recent marriage which we reported, quite a relief to again make a home for his five children. John has been active in establishing a new Dartmouth Club of the South Shore.

Monk Amon has moved to more commodious quarters in Reading and is now a senior partner in Hale and Dorr, Boston attorneys.

Bibs says Fred and Rachel Laughton invited Kay and him to a party at their Natick home, but a sheet of ice ruled out driving. Fred is still engineering and was last seen on a job for Northeastern.

Jim Luttrell and Bibs used to meet on the train until Jim moved to his new home last year. Jim is still accounting for N. E. Tel and Tel. Bob Hall also a commuter. I gather this is on McGinnis' Boston and Maine?

I understand Hal Evans is now back in Boston with Silver Skillet - catering equipment and the provender to go therewith.

Dayt Morgan and wife Alice attended a meet in a; of the Charles River Club last fall (Bibs was retiring as president); Hal Putnam, the principal speaker and very good, I am told. I gather from the clips which I see thai Hal actually is in considerable demand as a speaker because of his political activities. Al and Sherry Bryant were also at the meeting but Bibs' retirement left him unfree for comparing class notes with Al.

As for Bibs himself, he is still in the wool business — as a broker for his own account. This is no small feat since the wool business was severely depressed last year, one of the dark spots in an otherwise very bright economy. Things have since picked up, but Bibs ultimate plans with respect to his business activity are still somewhat unsettled. I'm sure that things will work out happiest and we're delighted with all the news from Boston.

Walt Johnson sent me a brief but very spritely note. While the news from Chicago was not lengthy. I found Walter's three items of considerable interest and importance:

(1) "I taught at fair Harvard last summer in the summer session as a visiting professor of history (it was too hot to acquire any culture). (2) I have been reappointed chairman of the Department of History at the University of Chicago for another three-year term. (3) I was married in October to Bette Gifford Wallace, Wellesley '44. We honeymooned at Runaway Bay, Jamaica.

There is a real economy of words in items 2 and 3 considering that they embrace a man's life work and his formation of a household. I shall take up Walt's kind invitation to call when I'm in Chicago. In the meantime, our best wishes to a very lucky girl.

Gus Farwell was a big plus this month with a letter containing several informative items. "Not much from Connecticut," he says, "although saw Ike Collins at a cocktail party but since we live in the same town, that is not surprising." However, Gus did have a happy encounter in January on an airplane headed for Atlanta. One of those businesses that concluded with: "Did you go to Dartmouth?" Yes.

"Is your name Ripsom?" Yes. Net result: Ripsom and Farwell had a pleasant chat all the way to Atlanta. Rip, I gather, is sales manager for American Homes (your pre-packaged home is delivered to the lot of your choice by trailer). But Rip and family live in an old, old house out on Long Island, where he is quite an amateur gardener (like me).

Gus also had a note from Lt. Col. Bill Bell. The Bell family moved from Frankfurt to Heidelberg on July 1. In October he and Peachy went to Greece and Turkey for a couple of weeks. Then in November the whole family went to Italy for two weeks. And back to Germany for Christmas! Says Bill, "We had a ball."

I had had more than an inkling that DaveCamerer had something to tell about his doings and called him. Sure enough, Dave is taking a Sabbatical to write a novel with a World War II background. He will be at home for some months, disciplining himself to the task of a daily writing stint scheduled from 7:30 A.M. to 1 P.M. And out of it we sincerely hope that Dave can achieve a first-rate job. The successful effort with the late Grantland Rice will have been mainly responsible for making it possible. Dave also tells me his Golf with theMasters, published last June, is up to about 13,000. Ben Hogan, I hear, has slapped a suit on the publishers for the usual business about: That's my stuff.

From a source I can't reveal (he's really indentured to our very competent Mint Bag editor, Rog Allen), I learned that Chuck Bassett (a law partner in Hancock, Dorr, Ryan and Shove of Syracuse) was in town (New York, that is) in January attending a meeting of the N.Y. State Bar Association. Chuck, I understand, doesn't get to see too many of our class up around Syracuse. And from my same source, news that Bill Greenwood has been made an associate insurance supervisor for Provident Mutual in Philadelphia. Bill saw Bud Knorr and his wife Betty at the annual Philadelphia Alumni dinner. Bud, I learn, is now on the staff of the Lankenau Hospital.

In the realm of things that have come across my desk (figuratively, since I really do my work on the dining-room table), I have some marginalia from various sources. Our congratulations to Charlie Pingree who was named a vice president of the Old Colony Trust of Boston. Bob Aylward and family have reasonable hopes of getting home leave by next summer. Probbly not going back to Hong Kong. Where next is unknown, but after fourteen years of knocking about the Far East any air will be a change. Dr. Corb Moister has written (for HitchcockHighlights) a succinct piece on the Hungarian partridge and its introduction to Prince Edward Island. Les Bratton and Stan Berenson and his family were Hanover Inn guests around the first of the year. (This isn't exactly Time magazine for late closing schedule, is it?)

Carl Ray was named a vice president of the Office Equipment Manufacturers Institute (this is a trade association; he's still paid by Underwood). Jake Newton, advanced to supervisor of management programs by Crompton and Knowles Loom Works. Been with them since

As a final item, Class Agent Rowley Bialla and I wished to correct an omission from the list of contributors to the Alumni Fund as published in December. Through a bookkeeping oversight, the name of our late fellow classmate, Gordon Bennett, did not appear. Dr. Hamlin Bennett, his father, has faithfully maintained Gordon's continuity of contribution, for which, it goes without saying, we and the College are most grateful.

Secretary, 869 Hardscrabble Rd., Chappaqua, N.Y.

Treasurer, 17 High Street, Greenfield, Mass.

Memorial Fund Chairman,