1954
Fifty-four suffered a serious loss on March 19 when Nat Hopkins passed away at his home in Upper Montclair, N.J. Nat had been a victim of a neuromuscular ailment sine he was 5 years old.
A Sigma Nu and a philosophy major in Hanover, Nat served later as vice president of his Dad's advertising company - D.B. Hopkins, Inc. - in New York.
To all who knew Nat he was more than a friend; he was an inspiration. George O'Connor, who was one of Nat's closest personal friends, expressed Nat's passing in these words: "Our class has lost one of its finest members.... He was one of those rare individuals who had the ability to make those around him forget that he was handicapped. ... He would never tolerate sympathy but asked only to be accepted as he was. To those in the class who failed to come to know Nat, I extend my regrets to them, for they missed a rare and wonderful experience."
Our urgent plea for news from the tribe brought a pleasing number of replies, not all of which were cheerful. "I was quite amused to read the paragraph which related my exploits." (This is Dave Dame writing.) "You apparently used my name with someone else's story ... no harm done, although my wife was a bit perplexed to read that I was engaged to some Smith College lovely." He writes this from a hospital. However, Dave, it turns out, is an instructor in the Medical Corps of the 39th Infantry Regiment in Germany. Dave saw Grif Roberts and Norm Bander at Fort Sam Houston last year and ran into MikeKorjeff in Germany. At the time of writing Mr. and Mrs. Dame were expecting another addition, their second, to the family.
Bob Bean related his submission to the khaki tide also. Bob was caught in the military vortex last June and after a stint at Fort Dix he went to Fort Holabird, Md., and, thence, to Fort McPherson, Ga. Now comfortably established with wife at 3995 Wascanna Road, Hapeville, Ga., Bob offers an "improved Northern version of Southern hospitality" to all who check in at that address.
Bob writes that Curt McKee '50, who graduated with us, is married and teaching school in Hanover, that Kehn Schramm, at the University of Vermont Medical School, is "engrossed in practicing prescribing for pathological predicaments of patients, often precipitating paroxysms of pandamonium in producing a panacea." (I have an inkling the Doctor uses this to test the stages of inebriety.) Kehn is planning to work for a Poundridge, N. Y., medical group this summer.
An Army man heading back to the books is Lt. John Freund, Ordnance Supply Officer for Western New York State. Now stationed at Fort Niagara, John plans to maneuver back to Hanover and Amos Tuck this fall.
Lt. Dick Page, the wag, with a bit of bold buffoonery, dropped us a note written on the back of a copy of his Army discharge orders. Dick will work with the Brunalli Construction Company of Southington, Conn., this summer before his fall debut at Columbia Law. He hopes to see Dick Grassey at Quantico - Dick just received his promotion to first lieutenant - and Ev Rattray in New York. Ev, a Navy Lt.(jg) is expected back after a triumphant tour of the Far East.
From the Pacific Ens. Clif Hayes, aboard the Coast Guard Cutter Basswood, writes of a rendezvous with Mike Biggs and Art Keleher in Honolulu. Clif graduated from Officers Candidate School in New London last March.
We ran a little long last month so they cut out the paragraph telling that Perry Davis, still hawking his wares in New York City, wound up fourth high in sales in his Life Insurance agency last year. Perry also said that Tim Wagner was loose somewhere in Texas. That gives him plenty of leeway.
N.Y.U. Medical student at Bellevue Medical Center, Jack Blum, recent recipient of a grant to work on renal physiology this summer at the Mount Desert Island Biological Labora- tory in Maine, reported in with news of SamTrock's engagement in February to Ronnie Sobil of Finch College and the Bronx. Sam is also in his second year at Bellevue. Fiftyfours with Jack on hand to celebrate the betrothal were Stan Rosenberg, now at Columbia University College of Medicine, DickSteinberg, "out of Tuck and safe at last in Macy's basement," Bob and Robin Silverberg and Bill Cohn.
This group along with another N.Y.U. Med man, Jerry Barton, forced their way into the Dartmouth-West Virginia game at Madison Square Garden where they saw Mike Morrissey and Bill Gardner, Flower Medical School students, slipping into someone's unoccupied reserved seats.
With tongue-in-cheek smiles John Heyn,Ky Lewis and Ray Johnson bowed in solemn reverence as Dana Lowe and Destroyer Division 142 headed for the Mediterranean early this month. John, Ky and Ray make preparations to depart from present duty in June while Dana has a few years to go.
Ky plans to get through the summer "somehow" and then start this fall in Michigan Law School. Ky also sighted Lt. (jg) Dick Armstrong as he emerged from Naval Justice School in Newport and angled toward San Diego to locate his ship.
Dune Roberts and Ray Freud have "effectively dodged the draft," says Ky. Dune is with the Hanover Bank in New York and Ray is toiling for ALCOA. In the Midwest at the University of Indiana Business School is DeanBerry.
From the bilges of the USS Princeton comes the cry of Marine Lt. Howie Aaronson, who gleefully winds up his tour of duty in the Far East with expectations of returning to the "land of the big P.X." this month. Has this boy ever been indoctrinated! Howie and JohnSchreiber are poker pals in an Okinawa B.O.Q. Howie plans to go on to Pensacola for flight training.
Jon Moore (Harvard Littauer School), JohnGillespie (Frankfurt, Germany), and PeteRoos (Plymouth, Mass.) were all poking around our duck-board-littered campus in March.
British Televiewers watching a BBC National Educational Television program discussing American scholars abroad listened to Bob Collins, one of the U.S. representatives interviewed. Bob is a Marshall Plan Scholar at Oxford.
We heard that after Bob Daly and DonBartnicki received their jet pilot silver wings at Williams AFB, Ariz., last month the Air Force closed the training school, thus concluding fourteen consecutive years of pilot training at Williams. Fortunately, and we checked on this, Don and Bob had nothing to do with Williams' training folding. The press release said the closing ceremony "was attended by nearly 100 military and civilian dignitaries."
In February Don Swanson flew away from Webb AFB with his jetster's wings. Swans is off for duty in Denver.
Jim (B.) Fisher, who joined arms with Uncle Sam in October, graduated from Armored Replacement Training Clerical School at Fort Knox, Ky., after taking basic at Fort Leonard Wood, Mo., and 2/Lt. Bruce Haertl graduated from an Army Information and Education course at Fort Slocum, N.Y. Bruce, in khaki since January 1955, is regularly stationed at Sampson AFB, N.Y.
Another January 1955 entry, Endel Raidmets, received his 2/Lt.'s commission after graduating from the Army Artillery and Guided Missile School at Fort Sill, Okla. Endel took his basic at Camp Chaffee, Ark.
Off to join the British-American-Karakoram Expedition in Karachi last month was PeteRobinson. The expedition will consist of two Scotsmen, one Englishman, four Americans and a Pakistani. A Fulbright Scholar at the University of Otago in New Zealand, Pete is in quest of a Master's in Geology.
Before we close shop this month, we call your attention to our change of address. Your scribe is another one of those June escapers. In line with address changes, if you move your residence be sure to inform the Alumni Office.
A quick correction...for our literary critics let's DeFarge that LaFarge we gave you last month. And while we are on France, is there anyone for a tour of the Continent this summer?
Remember, it is our turn to pitch in for the annual Alumni Fund drive. Let's push a little harder this year to see if we can't bring Fifty-four and the College OVER THE TOP IN '56.
2nd Lt. Edward S. Moore '54 received hissilver wings as an Air Force jet pilot recentlyat Laredo Air Force Base, Texas, followingfourteen months of intensive pilot training.
Secretary, 56 Ring St., Putnam, Conn.
Class Agent, 226 Brookley Ct., Loring Air Force Base Limestone, Maine
