1910
It is now between Christmas and New Year's, as this Tenner Chapter is being put together for the February MAGAZINE. The pleasing experience of receiving greeting cards from a great host of Tenners has extended over a long period beginning well before Christmas, and still they come. It sure is a grand and glorious feeling, to have these evidences of Tenner family spirit. Since so many of the greetings are sent to Gladys and me, our team says, "Thank you, sincerely.
With the card from Van Van Zant, were a couple of newspaper clippings from the Sports Pages of a Denver paper. They were devoted to stories about Dartmouth s Football Coach, Bob Blackman. One emphasized his sense of humor as shown in his telling how injuries jinxed the squad this season. We quote: "Monte Pascoe (formerly of East Denver High School) our all-Ivy League left end, was hurt early in the season" said Blackman. "Then our second and third left ends were hurt. We moved over our number two right end and he got a concussion. Then we took a boy who has been coming out regularly for two years but hadn't played much. We told him he'd start in the Yale game — so he got hurt in practice and never did get in." The combination of a Coach who was a success at Denver University, and a number of boys in College from the neighborhood, keeps the subject of Dartmouth football a live topic in the Mile High City. Your scribe was quite surprised when on a trip to Wyoming early in November, he found the Dartmouth-Columbia score listed at the top of the front page of the Rocky Mountain News. When he left Chicago the papers carried only the halftime score. There was no way of learning the final score until next morning. When he reached Cheyenne he was able to get the Denver paper. There were only about ten games included in this front-page collection. Ours was the only Ivy League game and only one of three Eastern college scores. Now I can understand Denver's interest which takes this form and it surely will not keep more Colorado boys from becoming Dartmouth men. However, Dartmouth doesn't seem so far away from Denver as it did fifty years ago when Ralph Van Zant, Fred Brooks, Les McKay and the late Henry Narrison, undertook the long jaunt across country to the little New England town of Hanover.
"Just get a president like Bert Kent" is the heading for one paragraph in Bill Cunningham's Boston Herald story about "People Who Care, Revive Holyoke." Bill was guest speaker at the annual dinner of the Holyoke Chamber of Commerce and he was so impressed by what he saw and heard on that occasion, that he commented on the experience, for the benefit of his "column" readers. It appears that that most active of active retired Tenners, Bert Kent, in his one year as head of the Chamber, had a lot of progress to report and he is to continue in the presidency through 1957. Bert's organization has been so completely vitalized that among chambers in this group of 50,000 to 60,000 population, Holyoke has come up from last place in the ranking to be a contender for first place. The number of member-firms jumped from 153 to 509 and the budget from $10,000 to $50,000. Bert has made a record to be proud of. He has energy, enthusiasm and the will-to-do. A Wah Hoo Wah for our Bert. He honors 1910!
Maurice Blake's Christmas Greeting gave us further information about his visit to England in October. He was the guest of the Society of Postal Historians, of which he was elected a "Fellow" upon presenting an exhibit of Ship, Steamer and Packets Letters via Boston, Massachusetts from 1712 to 1888. There, say we, is a distinction in a class by itself.
Rev. Harold Robinson's printed Christmas Letter tells about a "special new interest" of the past year:
As Chairman of the Commission on the Ministry to Aging Persons, of the Northern California-Nevada Council of Churches, I have enjoyed attending monthly meetings in San Francisco, of the Executive Committee of the Council, and monthly meetings in the same city, of the Commission of which I am head. I have also attended several conferences and other meetings connected with this work, and have tried to get churches to do more for the Golden Agers. I preached a sermon in our church last July on "More Than Methuselah" and helped to arrange for and conduct a Panel Discussion on "Making the Most of Added Years." I have visited such centers as Little House in Menlo Park which has about
1200 members; Senior Center in San Francisco and the newly organized Senior Center in Burlingame, a few blocks from our home. I am pleased to find that Federal and State governments, as well as local communities, are doing much to serve this worthy group of citizens. While there are some notable exceptions, it seems to me that the churches in general are lagging behind governments and communities in this important work. I am encouraged by what is being accomplished sufficiently to have agreed to serve again in 1957 as chairman of the Commission.
If Tenners know of any successful projects in this field, Harold would like to hear about them.
Some fellows have all the excitement but few of us would particularly want the kind Charlie Libbey tells about. This appeared on his Christmas card which was sent to Herb Woods: "In Denver, had the experience ofbeing held up in the Albany Hotel at 8:30P.M. in my room. Lost my money (insured)but talked them out of taking my walletwith all the personal papers, cards etc. Tookabout three minutes and I played no hero.Strange feeling however to know that youhave been 'cased.' Wasn't roughed up at all - pretty nice young bandits." Well, Charlie,at least you have a "conversational piece."But it's all yours!
The Greeting from Margaret and JohnShambow reads, "May every gleam of candlelight, Every Crimson berry, Every gay andglad 'Hello,' help make your Christmasmerry." John's postscript, "Dear Russ, howdid those Harvard berries get into the act?"It's the influence of Cambridge on Boston, weguess, John. Responding to the Greeting sentto all Tenners, Everett (Robbie) Robinsonwrote on his card, "I want to thank you foranother very lovely Christmas card with itsrecalling memories of other years." And fromWalter Phelps, this comment, "Thank youfor your Christmas Card bearing the pictureof the old Ledyard Bridge, which is deep inthe memories of all old time Dartmouth men.In spite of its 2" layer of horse manure andsplinters it is a symbol to old timers. Youhave done a good job, in distributing mementos of Hanover in the old days. I alwaysfind them interesting and amusing." HowardBushway wrote: "What a wonderful card yousent the fellows. Mrs. B. is separating thetwo pages and attaching the top or frontpage with the Bridge, and the printing of2nd page, under it, to a firm mat, and wehave some good frames and will put it inmy library at home with the watercolor ofthe Bridge." Howard uncovered somewhere,an original document, "An act to amend, enlarge and improve the Corporation of Dartmouth College, June 1818." He passed thisalong to Andy Scarlett and asked that it begiven to the Library. Andy tells me it hasbeen placed in the Archives Room of Baker.Howard wrote, "The moment I saw it, Andy,I thought of you and Nick Sandoe andthe tremendous work you are both doing andI just wanted to do something." Another itemof interest in Howard's letter: "All duringthe Egyptian affair, my son, Jay, flew intoCairo, Lebanon etc. with no interference. Hecovers all the Near East and upper half ofAfrica." This reminds us how pleased wewere when our son Dick returned to NewYork after two years as Far Eastern Managerfor his company, Arrow International (Cluett,Peabody & Co.), flying to cover a territory including Japan, Guam, Okinawa and thePhilippines with headquarters in Hong Kong.It was a great experience but not the kind ofneighborhood to make first choice for all-time living.
Charlie Noone sent out a two-page Christmas letter on an attractively decorated letterhead. He discussed liberty and the obligation - not the "privilege," of voting. "Those who died to give me my voice in government, had a right to expect that I would use it honestly and courageously." The real objective of this nation in both world wars "was to preserve liberty, and the means to achieve it for ourselves and our posterity." Referring to his most recent trip abroad, Charlie says, "A month ago I had the opportunity of touring a country which comprises one-seventh of the entire surface of the globe. It has a population of over 200,000,000. It was my privilege to visit two of its largest cities. Their aggregate population is approximately ten million. During the short interlude, I did not see a man or a woman smile. Christianity, the companion of liberty, was lacking. The spirit of liberty is the spirit of the Stranger from Galilee, who nearly two thousand years ago, taught mankind the lesson that there is a kingdom where the least shall be heard and considered side by side with the greatest."
Another bit of news by way of Jess' collection slips is from Ed Prescott who couldn'tmake it in June due "to physical incapacityand not for lack of interest in getting togetherwith the old gang. I'm better but go veryslowly and much less often. You can look forme next June." John Finn paid his compliments as well as his dues, to the Class Treasurer, in these words:
Check enclosed for dues. It is a pleasure to remit to such a fine treasurer who gives his valuable time to such a job. After a two weeks vacation, I'm back on the job. "What job?," says you, knowing I'm retired - mowing the lawn, painting the house, and the usual repairs around the house and grounds. Anyway they keep me out of mischief.
Jess did not comment on those introductorylines in John's message, but we feel certainthat if we could have read his thoughts whenhe read John's lines, they would have beenlike this: "Would that some of those few whodo not respond in any way, would turn overa new leaf and find out the pleasure and satisfaction in doing their share for the good ofthe Class." So these last lines are a suggestionto some Tenners.
Secretary, 501 Cannon PL, Troy, N. Y.
Treasurer, . 1322 Woodbine St., Clearwater, Fla.
Bequest Chairman,
