1916
John S. Everett '08, a brother of our ownCharlie Everett, writes me from Hallowell,Me., as follows:
"How come that your delightful reference to the Pringle/Bass episode neglected to add that Rev. Henry M. Pringle was of the old breed - DARTMOUTH 1890? 'Tis a fact. We old 'uns who stayed on to grow up with this country recall those days, what with Fred Plaisted promising to make Maine 'as dry as a covered bridge,' (you must have been at prep school then) and Governor Haines causing the sheriffs to be impeached for not enforcing 'the law'."
Well, the simple answer is that I was not aware that the Rev. Henry Nelson Pringle was a Dartmouth man, but I'm glad to know it, and mighty proud to be a college mate of such a gallant gentleman, who stood resolutely embattled, as others formerly stood on New England village greens, defending what he considered to be the right. The Rev. Mr. Pringle was born in Ryegate, Vt. October 21, 1864, and received his B.D. degree at Andover Theological Seminary in 1893. Thereafter he was law-enforcement director of the International Reform Federation and at the time of his retirement was living in Washington, D. C. Since the latest Alumni Directory does not include his name I believe that he is deceased. Thank you, John Everett, for setting me right in this matter.
I was privileged to see a catalogue of the landscape paintings which Audrey Soule, Rod's artistic wife, exhibited at a Boston gallery in March. 30 or more paintings and such titles! Camden Waterfront; Reed Park Rocks; Smokey Sou'wester; Pownal Hillside; Gaspe Shore; New Hampshire Lake; New England Light House; Vermont Farm. Like the kid looking into the showcase at the candy sticks, - everyone he sees, he wants. A postcard from Phileas Fogg Conley from Singapore advises that Art and Caroline were then 72 miles from the equator, with ships of all nations in the harbor. The travelers were bound for Siam and India, and expected to be home May first if the Suez is open. If Nasser is in a grumpy mood that day, it will take them 12 days more.
Your correspondent went over to New York for the March class get-together and dinner, and for Ros Magill's fine discourse on the budget and tax situation. Ros was not hopeful that our taxes could or would be reduced to any appreciable extent. But that did not dampen the enthusiasm of the group the least whit and a good time was had by all. I ran across a couple of men I had not met since Hanover days, - Bill Brett, Director of the United States Mint and Paul Richardson. I had seen Bill on "What's my line?" some months back. Paul left in his freshman year and later attended the University of Pennsylvania. What a pleasant guy to meet again. It was also an especial pleasure to see Phil Stackpole. I last saw him at a reunion, 1936, I believe, and I remember it particularly because his wife was not able to be present so he had with him his six year old son. This lad is now finishing at the Cornell Medical Center and will interne at a New York hospital. The others present at the dinner were John Ames, Charlie Brundage, John Butler, Charlie Cressy (whose eyes are much improved), Dutch Doenecke, Larry Doyle, Frank Pettengill, Ken Ross, Freddie St. George Smith, Ken Stowell, Mil Streeter and Beans Sully. Regrets were received from 18 others. A hearty laugh went up (and a few raucous cheers) when Dutch read a letter from Charlie Jones expressing his deepest regret at not being able to be present. The letter came from ACAPULCO. It was most pleasant to me to get such a right royal welcome from the group. Dutch is much gratified to have such turnouts and especially to round up some classmates whom the group has not seen since undergraduate days. One of them, who was in Hanover only for his freshman year, was so delighted with the meeting that he wrote to Dutch: "The warmth of the greetings to me was unexpected and most pleasurable. From the calibre of those men it is easy to see why Dartmouth is great." To all of which I say "Yea! Brother!" If YOU would like to receive such a right royal welcome, plan to attend one of those gatherings. The April meeting (with General Stew Paul) has already been announced in these columns. On May 2, the last meeting of the season Rog Evans will hold forth on China, and who is better qualified?
By the way, Ros Magill, president of the Tax Foundation, has written an article for that publication, "How Progressive Can We Get." In it he proposes that a 50 percent ceiling on Federal income tax rates replace the present 91 percent. Understandably he had many backers for his proposal.
From Dutch I learn that John Ames is masterminding the annual First Division Dinner which is held in April and which drawsveterans of two World Wars to New Yorkfrom all over the country. Also that CharlieBrundage is one of the organizers of a graduate school for the sciences in a communitynot too far distant from Hanover. This proposed school will specialize in training college graduates in theoretical research workin advanced physics and chemistry. Some ofthe outstanding educators in New Englandare also taking an active interest in this project. And too that Lew Howell spent severalwhirlwind days in New York recently, mostof the time tied up in business conferences.Freddie St. George Smith and Dutch havebeen added to the committee planning forthe big Yale Game Weekend come November.As Dutch says,
"It has been years since we as a class sat in the Yale Bowl to cheer the Big Green Team on to victory over the fighting Bulldogs. This fall we shall have the opportunity and if we do not win, it shall not be due to the lack of loyalty and enthusiasm from that portion of the stadium allotted to us."
A late flash from the Yale Game Weekend committee discloses that the replies thus far received overwhelmingly favor a one-day affair.
Speaking of Yale, one of the local gazettes in reporting the last second squeaker goal by which Yale beat Dartmouth by one point at Hanover in February had this headline: "Bab's Buzzer Bucket Boola-Boo for Blue." UGH! Also from a Philadelphia paper, a clipping with regard to Page Browne which was of much interest to me, as Page is a member of the class I have never known very well. It describes him as a Sheraton VP with wide experience. It said that he is a native of Newton, Mass. In World War I he was a captain of field artillery; he worked for Standard Oil after the war and later moved to Philadelphia as a member of the Saturday Evening Post family. He has been sales manager of Waltham Watch Company, also with Hearst's advertising empire and in 1937 became vice-president and director of the Sheraton Corporation. Quite a varied career. I thought from the clipping that Page was directly connected with the new Sheraton Hotel that recently opened in Philadelphia.
When Tom Lawson recently retired I wished him, through these columns, many happy years of rest and relaxation. I realize now that I might just as well have "stood in bed." Ken Ross tells me that Tom is now with Charles T. Maine, consulting engineers of Boston, and is busily engaged on the St. Lawrence Seaway project. What a man!
I am happy to report that Stirling Wilson is quite recovered from his recent indisposition and very much back in the groove. He writes me of his doings, - selling real estate, enjoying his Florida hacienda (with much surf-bathing), and his special interest, barber-shop quartettes. The Class Letter may tell you about the recent visit to the Wilsons of the Four Chorders of London, Ontario, a top-flight quartette in barber-shop society. From Stirling I learn of the following "registrations" at Dartmouth in Florida: Gran and Ruth Fuller and Heine and Ruth George, on their way further south; Honey Abraham, and his family, a fleeting glance; Jack and Kay English, a real visit.
Gil and Mabel Tapley were reported headed South for a visit with daughters in Atlanta and Dallas.
Wedding Bells: Ray and Mrs. DeVoe's son, Raymond Forsyth DeVoe Jr. '50, was married to Anne Elizabeth Fosbroke on February 21 in the Church of St. Thomas More, New York. The bride is the daughter of Mrs. Stuart Minton of New York and the late Hegell E. W. Fosbroke. She is an alumna of St. Mary's School, Peekskill and Finch College. The best wishes of the Class to Anne and Ray.
While you are rooting for your favorite baseball team, be it Dartmouth in the Ivy League, or the Red Sox, the Yanks, the Braves or the Phutile Phillies here are a couple of pitches which are very important. Don't forget your 1916 class dues, Roderique F. Soule, Treasurer, 15 Ravenna Road, West Roxbury, Mass. And even more important, don't forget the Dartmouth Alumni Fund. These notes are being written at the end of March on the eve of the campaign. They won't "hit the news-stands" and my avid readers until into May, when Alec Jardine and his trusty agents will be in the thick of the battle. "My bosom swelled with pride," as they say in "Pinafore," when I read yesterday's New York Times' front-page account of alumni fund giving, with facts and figures comparing representative colleges in the country. The report featured Dartmouth and Princeton, stating that in 1955, they were tied, at 69.4 percent, for first place in the American Alumni Council honor roll, based on the percentage of alumni giving. In 1956 Dartmouth shaded Princeton 70.9 percent to 70.7 percent, but yielded first place to a "dark horse," little Wofford College, Spartanburg, S. C., who had a remarkable 74.4 percent. In 1955 their giving was by only 12 percent of the living alumni, but a trustee of the college offered to give $1000 for each percent of alumni giving above the 12 percent of 1955. Thus stimulated the alumni arose to the challenge with a 62 point increase, and the good trustee had to dig deep in his jeans to the tune of $62,000. Wofford probably won't repeat that fine achievement this year. We won't have any such sugar daddy to spur us on, and we must keep a weather eye on the Tiger. But if every Dartmouth man makes it a point of personal pride and gives accordingly the old College will be at the top of the honor roll and over the top of the dollar goal come July. Paraphrasing the old ward leader's admonition, let's give "early and often."
Class Notes Editor,7 Swarthmore Pl., Swarthmore, Pa.
Secretary,Box 1998, Ormond Beach, Fla.
Class Agent,Box 151, Sagamore, Mass.
