1917
Of our winter vacationers, Gil and MarieSwett were the first to report on their trip to Florida where they enjoyed a bit less than three weeks at Siesta Key, Sarasota. The highlight of their stay was an unexpected and fine visit with Carl Sweet who drove something like 200 miles from Fort Lauderdale to Sarasota, returning home the same day. It was only the second time since undergraduate days that these two had seen one another. And speaking of Gil, he has been installed as President of the West Essex, N. J., Board of Realtors for 1956.
The next to be heard from was HowardStockwell who wrote in part as follows:
"Greetings from glorious sunny Florida. Having a really wonderful winter, swimming in the ocean, playing shuffle-board at the Country Club and also dining and dancing there frequently. Both feeling just fine. Bob and Nita Scott stopped overnight here on their way to Fort Lauderdale. Just finished having breakfast together at our Villa."
Not long after hearing from Howard, alongcame a good letter from Bob Scott with a FortLauderdale address. Here is what Bob had tosay:
"We had a pleasant, leisurely trip South. Nita got stopped in Delaware by a State cop for doing 55. He claimed that she was doing a speedy 62 on his radar, but I have since proved that her 55 was correct and that his radar lied through its teeth.
"We stopped in at Ormond Beach for the night, getting an apartment right beside the Stockwells. Had a grand evening talking over old times and enjoying their television. Dorothy was very kind, inviting us for a lovely breakfast. When our car failed to start the next morning, I fear they thought they had acquired a pair of permanent boarders.
"Have been playing some golf here "with Bill Pugh '25 as our guest at our new club. When he brought me home this afternoon, I stepped into our apartment to find a party going full blast with Lenand Sally Shea as guests. They had to return to Miami unfortunately but it was a very pleasant and unexpected hour. Len, the lucky dog, does all this in the guise of company business, 'opening new stores,' etc. If I were in that kind of business I don't believe I would retire.
"Drove by Elliott Mudgett's house at Delray Beach this week but no one was at home. Am looking forward to settling the momentous question raised by our tie golf game last winter.
"Oh my gosh - I knew I was getting off too easy in forwarding '17 news. I came into the locker room after a golf game last week and ran into Walt Sisson who is staying at Lake Worth with Ruth and young Pete. I'm hoping that Anita and I can see them before they head back to the wilds of northern New York. Walt, by the way, looks in fine health although he says he is not quite up to standard yet."
Now we jump from Florida to the West Coast and a letter from Bart Shackford from which the following is taken:
"The nature of my work is such that it requires being available most of the time; in fact, except for an occasional weekend and a short period of terminal leave from the Navy after World War II, my last vacation was in 1924. As a result, I have not seen or been in touch with classmates since coming to California late in 1925, and all I know about them is what appears in the ALUMNI MAGAZINE. As for your underlined 'news about yourself': it's a dull subject. The work could be of interest only to another pathologist; and extra-curricular activities are the usual ones of a doting grandfather who has to work at it to keep from boring everyone with the achievements of his granddaughter. She is getting to the place where she can fly our Bonanza airplane quite smoothly, which is pretty good for a little girl of 7!"
In a recent letter to Bill Eaton, HankBomgardner reported that he is on the mend following his heart attack last August but is taking it easy with no golf as yet. Hank left the first week in March via Matson Line freighter for an indefinite stay in Hawaii and from there he may go on to the Orient.
The Navy Department recently announced that Walt Walters had been named Rear Admiral in the U.S. Naval Reserve. Organizer of one of two Navy reserve specialist units at the Mayo Clinic, Walt was promoted to the rank of Commander in 1939 and to Captain in 1942. In World War II he was Chief of Surgery and Executive Officer at the U.S. Naval Hospital in Corona, Calif., Surgical Consultant to the Third Fleet in the South Pacific, and Chief of Surgery at the U.S. Naval Hospital at Philadelphia.
Pete Olds reports that five 1917 stalwarts attended the Boston Alumni Association dinner on February 8, sharing a table with, as Pete says, the renowned Class of 1916. Those '17ers in attendance were, besides Pete, GuyRichardson, Tommy Thompson, Bunny Holden and Larry Nourse. It is hoped that next year double the number will show up for this most interesting get-together. Meeting with the old gang does something for one!
Writing to Vic Smith, Don Litchard says that one reason little news is received from him is that he moves in quite a narrow groove, better known as a rut. However, Don got out of the rut with a trip to Spain, which was fun and a change. Don told Vic that if he was talking to any classmates planning a trip abroad to tell them by all means to include Espagne. He says it has something that lingers under one's skin and gives one a wonderful let-down. The Spanish people, according to Don, are proud, dignified and independent,. and not grabbing for the dollar the way they do in Italy and France (particularly). And one can live quite inexpensively in the best hotels.
Sumner Emerson, who has been serving as general chairman of New York's United Hospital Fund's current fund raising campaign, has been elected to the Fund's Board of Directors. In 1954 Sumner served as chairman of the Business and Professional Committee.
Vic and Irene Smith are looking forward to the return from Germany of their daughter Virginia, her husband Bob and their two boys. Bob has completed his tour of duty in Germany and this summer will be at Fort Benning, Ga. As Vic says, he and Irene are "tickled silly" that they are going to be in the eastern part of the United States.
And now a word on an important subject. You have read of the magnificent grant made by the Ford Foundation to Dartmouth - $2,079,500, including a basic grant and an extra "accomplishment grant," which was made on the basis of a comparison of expenditures for average faculty salaries in 1954-55 as compared with the end of the war. In short, the extra grant was based on Dartmouth's performance and this performance was in large part made possible by the tremendous growth in the Alumni Fund during the same period. This all emphasizes the importance of a successful Alumni Fund campaign, so whatever your means, give along with thousands of others and give to the limit of your ability. You will never regret so doing.
Secretary, 9 Park Terrace, Upper Montclair, N. J.
Class Agent, 6 Wyeth Rd., Hanover, N. H.
