1923
Report of 1913 Mid-Winter Family Reunion:
The seventeen classmates, twelve wives, thirteen sons, four daughters or daughters-in-law, eight guests of classmates, and two guests of the Class came away from this party with one thought in mind; namely, that Jim Broe,Art and Edith Little are excellent planners and organizers. There were two official parties; namely, the cocktail party late Friday afternoon at the Ski Hut and the dinner at the Hovey Grill.
Dean and Mrs. Joseph L. McDonald were cruests of the Class. Dean Joe was the after-dinner speaker and did an excellent job. That man Irish made an extemporaneous speech and never was in finer fettle.
Saturday we devoted to athletics, with a very exciting track meet with Harvard which Dartmouth lost by a third of a point, and a never-to-be-forgotten basketball game with Holy Cross. Dartmouth rose to great heights in this game and not only beat a team which went into the contest rated as the tenth best team in the country, but started that night a winning streak of nine Ivy games which elevated the Big Green from a lowly fourth place to the first championship of the Ivy Basketball League since 1946.
Bull sessions in various rooms in the wing of the Inn set aside for 1923 lasted in some cases till five o'clock Saturday and Sunday mornings. The consensus of opinion of those attending this reunion was that this weekend early in February is an excellent break in the long winter for those unable to make the longer trek to Florida. We hope we have established the reputation of this weekend, which, over a period of years, Colin Stewart, BillGates, Ivan Martin, Fred Martin, Chet Bixby, and now Jim Broe, Art and Edith Little have done so much to enhance; and that this has become a 1923 tradition that will continue on for years after the last son of 1923 has graduated, until we can have a party for grandsons of 1923. Classmates and wives attending were Ted and Marge Shapleigh, Johnny Allen, Fred and Madeline Clark, Sherm and Bert Clough, Charlie and Ida Durkin, Irish Flanigan, Jim Broe, Johnny Foster, Haub and Joan Haubrich, Sam and Miriam Home, Chet and Barbara Bixby, Art and Edith Little, Ed and Madelyn Lyle, Babe and Florence Miner, Joe Pollard, John and Caye Read, and Colin and Ellie Stewart.
The roster of sons and daughters or daughters-in-law includes the following: Donald W. Clark '51, Steven B. Little '55, Henry W. Holt '56, Benjamin C. Bixby '57, Galen W. Clough '57, Herbert L. Young '57, John C. Durkin '58, John M. Foster '58, Philip C. Weinseimer III '58, Preston R. Allen '59, John S. Perley '59, Frederick M. Putnam '59, Elizabeth Johnson, Bradford '56, and daughter of Fred Clark, Pearl Clark, wife of Donald and daughter-in-law of Fred, Janet Stewart, Hanover Grade School and age 9, Lois McGean (Mrs. Michael), Henry and Margaret Bixby, Dartmouth and U. of Minnesota '26 respectively, George Bixby '57 and fiancee Margot Painter, Smith 57> Thomas Schwarz '57, roommate of Ben Bixby and Shirley Collins (Tom's fiancee) Wheelock '57 made up the guests at the banquet.
It was regretted that Arthur L. Quirk '59, our !923 Class Scholarship son, was in Providence that Friday night where he was being honored at a dinner as the 1955 Rhode Island schoolboy athlete of the year by the Greater Providence Sportswriters. Incidentally, Arthur, who is the son of Rhode Island faculty member Dr. Arthur L. Quirk, and lives at 204 Lord Hall, had a rank of 3.8 in his mid-years.
This is an excellent opportunity for your secretary to get you up to date on news of Fred Clark's family. Son Donald '51, Dartmouth Medical '52, Harvard Medical '53, has three daughters, Holly, Leslie, and Linda and resides in Wilder, Vt. Son Jim '54 is learning the retail business with Woodward and Lothrop in Washington; daughter Betsy was pinned by my son Ben at Bradford's recent winter dance weekend.
The atmosphere over the weekend fairly dripped with poetry. Here are two notable contributions well worth publishing in any collection of contemporary verse: From Florence Miner:
Competition is a healthy thing I cannot tell a lie. And so I promised Bixby To make an earnest try.
So here's my little ditty It may not make Skiddoo It's short and to the point With just a line or two.
While Sam was writing verses I was prodded constantly Until I finally realized, Alas, a poem from me!
Reunion was a great success Though members we were few. We hope next year to see the rest And this of course means you.
Sain Hornei
Thirty years in between And we're back again on the Dartmouth green. There's Broe and Clark and Harriet, too, To name a few of the reuning crew.
At the Inn we met on Friday night And sped to the Hut in the fading light To touch the cup that always might — But never did — make anyone tight.
Then we dined with the naked squaws, Filled our tummies and worked our jaws, Listened while Bix and Dean Joe spoke, Even the Irishman chirped a note.
Far into the night with guffaws and bawls We disturbed the peace of the sacred halls, While Foster was searching the whole damn place Looking for J. Allen's familiar face.
To Harvard track on Saturday morn, ('Cidentally — where this poem was born) To Campion's sale, where I was shorn, And the Holy Cross game later on.
A gay affair for those that came, Another year you must do the' same!
In response to a request of the secretary to turn up some hot off-the-griddle information on Hal McKenna, about whom little has been printed in this MAGAZINE, Babe Miner reports as follows:
"Hal received his engineering degree from Thayer in 1924. Spent three years with Turner Construction Company, twelve years with McClintock and Craig, architects of Springfield, and since 1936 has been construction engineer for T. A. Pearson Associates Inc., contractors and builders of West Springfield. Hal married Beatrice Rivard on June 21, 1935; his hobby is hard work."
Along with the above information comes a timely plug for George and Jo Weston's recently opened "Town Shop." Members of the Class and their wives take note! Here is the place to buy men's wear such as shirts, ties, etc., women's wear such as cashmere sweaters, and blouses, etc. The store is well located on Longmeadow Street, which is Route 5.
Up-to-the-minute roster of our sons and daughters of 1923 attending Middlebury College: Gail Knight, daughter of Stuie; Verne Gray, son of Carl; "Jake" Hopkins, son of Dr.Eddie; Hull Maynard, son of Hull; Rick Miner, son of Babe.
It is interesting that all four joined the same fraternity and they are all much better than average skiers. It is reported that Carl Gray takes no back seat as far as skiing is concerned. His weekends at the Middlebury Snow Bowl, at Stowe, or at Aspen, Colo., start Thursdays and end on Tuesday or Wednesday.
We are indebted to Harry Johnson, secretary of the Class of 1904 for the following information on Sammy Sammis. It seems Sammy has been chairman for eight years of the Pittsfield, Mass., Board of Assessors and now is breaking away from this largely political job to set up a private real estate and appraisal business. Thus we add one more to the long list of 1923 men who have entered public life and who have learned the hard way the sacrifice a man makes when he is connected with City Hall.
Sammy has taken several professional courses in property appraisal, and only last year completed a course given by the Harvard College of Business Administration. Previously, he took courses in real estate appraisal at University of Tennessee, Knoxville. Before becoming an assessor in 1948, he was associated with the real estate departments of several banks. Under his administration in the assessor's office, the city underwent a complete professional reappraisal by the Clemenshaw Company of Cleveland.
Word has just come in that Charlie Zimmermann was principal speaker at the 1956 session of the Philadelphia Association of Life Underwriters held February 9 at the BellevueStratford Hotel.
In a letter to our very efficient treasurer, Pete Jones, Bud Fisher writes that he would like the Class to know his present address, which is the Nassau Club, Princeton, N. J. Those who may take in next fall's Dartmouth-Princeton game, take note.
It is becoming increasingly popular for 1923 men to send their pictures in to the secretary. Quite a rogues' gallery is being accumulated. The latest additions are Len Marshall and Aub Miller.
Since June 1923, the secretaries of our class have always been able to count on periodical letters from Go Bliss. The latest arrived last fall and we hereby quote extracts:
"Please excuse my delay in answering your good letter of August 29. I've been very busy having taken on Volusia and Orange Counties for Schaefer beer and also Southern Brewing's Silver Bar Ale and Beer for our regular territory. You may well wonder why a retired bloke goes and gets himself active again, but it was a matter of trying to have something for my son to go into when he comes out of the Air Force, and he seems to like the beer business - I don't!
"I never have Dartmouth news down in these swamps as I never see Dartmouth men. It's pretty much all University of Florida hereabouts. My boy graduated from there. The main reason for writing is to urge you to stay with us a spell when you come to Florida. We are on Route 1 on the East Coast half way between Jax and Miami. If we don't have beds when you come you can live on our boat if you want to. She sleeps six and is reasonably comfortable. We've taken some long trips this summer; Sea Island, Ft. Myers and the whole St. Johns two weeks at a crack and how we love it. The Inland Waterway flows right by our home so we are very boat minded."
The picture accompanying these columns, taken the weekend of the Harvard-Dartmouth game, shows Babe Miner (at the wheel) and group of friends in Babe's Rolls-Royce. The Rolls is a job Babe has been fixing up for some time, vintage about 1920 (?). The Coonskin coat on owner was obtained from warehouse for storage charges of about $19.75 a short time back.
Charles H. Jones was elected a Trustee for a nine-year term at Bradford Junior College on March 6. The Secretary was able to get this good news in the Class Notes just under the deadline.
Complete with venerable Rolls Royce and coonskin coat, Babe Miner '23 (at wheel) is surrounded by classmates in Hanover for the Harvard-Dartmouth game. Betty Sollitt (1) standsbeside Bruce Hall, Babe's guest, in car, with (l to r): Bunny Metzel, Sum Sollitt, Eddie Fureyand wife Marion, and Alice and Irish Flanigan.
Secretary, 170 Washington St., Haverhill, Mass.
Class Agent, 79 Spring Glen Terrace, Hamden, Conn.
