1937
The first of April went by a few days ago and it looks like the back of another winter is broken. About a third of my vegetable garden is already planted and I am out rototilling neighbors' gardens, Carl Ray's included, at ridiculously low rates. But speaking of broken backs. I will have nothing on winter after I pay New York State income tax and all the other fancy numbers the first of the month brought. There may be joy in the season, but their ain't no progress at home!
Enough of this, and on to the news. I had an excellent letter of some length from Ike Collins who left Lever Bros, in New York several years ago and is now Director of Industrial Relations for the Farrel-Birmingham Co. in Ansonia, Conn., manufacturers of heavy industrial equipment. I had quite a time digging a letter out of Ike and he now tells me, a bit of irony, that he is secretary of the 1952 advanced management group that attended the 22nd session at Harvard Business School and is thus perfectly aware of the problems of secretaries. I agree that not helpless sympathy but rather a compulsive lethargy is probably the dominant motive in most cases of non-responsiveness to my letters. At least, it's a rare day when a letter is returned marked: "Moved - left no forwarding address."
Ike sounds rather content and secure in what he is doing; aye, even philosophical, to the extent of quoting me a Poor Richard saying (translated from 18th century English by Harvard Business): "Security doesn't lie in any one company or even any one industry; it consists of gaining marketable skills and abilities at a rate at least equal to the men of your age within your chosen field." As for the biographical details Ike follows the language to a tee, as I commented last month, when he says: "Married to the same gal." Three children, two girls, 14 and 6, and a boy, 12. The Collinses live on the Sound and get in lots of swimming and sailing in the summer. No more skiing, some skating, but just enough to keep in condition for square dancing. Ike gets back to Hanover from time to time to entice likely Tuck and Thayer men into Farrel-Birmingham. He's much impressed with the quality of interviewees. Ike doesn't see many classmates in his area with the exception of Gus Farwell whom he bumps into on irregular occasions.
Speaking of Gus, one of my stringers told me he had read that Gus was made a vice-president of the Warner Bros. Co., Bridgeport, Conn. Gus modestly confirmed that this was true. He joined Warners in 1938, was made a director in 1953, and was production manager before his recent promotion. At the end of February Fairfield County schools had a week's vacation, so the Farwells packed the three children into the car and made the Washington, D. C., junket, complete with visits to the Washington Monument, Mt. Vernon, and the Smithsonian Institute. They looked up Bill Bell and his wife, Peachie, who have returned from a three-year tour of duty in Germany. The Bells have just bought a new home in Falls Church, Va. Unfortunately Co!. Bill was on a trip to Kansas City, but the Farwells and the rest of the Bell family had a couple of enjoyable evenings together.
The stringer I had reference to was Dave Taylor who dropped in the other day to pass the time of day. In addition to the word about Gus Farwell, Dave also told me that he and his wife and the Lynn Browns were entertained at dinner in New Canaan by another Dartmouth man, Ernie Draper '35. Lynn is with the advertising department of Eastman Kodak in Rochester, N. Y.
I received an item via the "Tarrytown (N. Y.) News" that Alex Hunter was playing coy with the People's Caucus as to whether he would seek re-election as Mayor of Briarcliff, N. Y. Inasmuch as the election was over by the time I got the clipping, I called Alex since he is only a few miles away to find out what had transpired. Sure enough, his Honor subsequently and with some reluctance acceded to popular demand and has resumed the office of Mayor for a second term. Prior to being Mayor, Alex had served several terms on the Board of Trustees. He is president of A. M. Hunter & Son, Inc., Contractors. He, with his wife and three children - Alex Jr., Ruth and Susan — have lived in Briarcliff since 1946.
I have a Goucher College press release to the effect that Frank Kaufman, a partner in the law firm of Frank, Bernstein, Guthberlet and Conaway in Ballimore, has recently been made a member of the Board of Overseers of Goucher. Frank has been active in civic affairs in Baltimore and also lectures on administrative law at the University of Baltimore.
Great news from big Dave Camerer. You will remember that I had reported the fact that he was on a sabbitical for the purpose of writing a book. I can now report that the book is written; it has been tentatively titled, "The Virgin Glory." It has been accepted by Doubleday, and it will probably be published in January, 1958. The locale is Italy, World War 11. and the principals, American fliers. John Meston ("Gunsmoke," CBS TV, Saturday 10 PM EST) tells me he has read the MS., "and it's damned good. Wonder what sort of speech he'll make when receiving the Oscar for the screen play? And will he wear white tie, or black?" I'll take white tie and black sneakers, John. And now, for steady employment, Dave is working for CBS Radio, assigned to Herman Hickman to do scripts for Hickman's five minute sportscast, six nights a week on CBS. Dave told me he had seen Bill Leonard back at CBS, getting into the swing again after being slowed by his recent heart attack. That's all good news.
Returning to Meston, he reports to me in his note that he knows nothing "significant" about himself. He was in Mexico for several months starting in December - fishing, hunting, writing, looking. John is now back in Los Angeles for a spell writing and breathing smog. He has a great pile of scripts to write for next year's shooting of "Gunsmoke." Like most TV writers, John seems to be haunted by that incubus, the Trendex and Nielsen ratings. Having been a reasonably consistent viewer of the results of John's scripts, I have more confidence perhaps than he in his future.
In response to a note I sent him, Dr. John Schilling has confirmed that he has moved to Oklahoma City and is now associated with the Medical Center of the University of Oklahoma as Professor and first full-time head of the Department of Surgery. John says that as an aftermath of tragedy, the Smoky Hill Air Force Base in Salina, Kan., was dedicated and renamed on March 16 in memory of his brother, Dave '39, who was killed in an automobile accident last summer. I gather that the Dartmouth group in Oklahoma City is an active one and, as a matter of fact, John's new associate as professor and in surgery is Dr. Merlin K. DuVal '43.
I was most happy to receive a letter from Jim Humphrey who is our national committee man for enrollment in Montana. Jim has done a great job in this work. The thing that impressed me most in his letter was the tremendous distances that must be covered in a large and sparsely settled state to interview Dartmouth prospects. For example, Jim mentions two prospective members of the Class of '61, one of whom lives 250 miles east of Great Falls and the other 250 miles to the northwest. Jim had an alumnus to handle one prospect but he had to drive the 250 miles to interview the other. He had a rather harrowing trip through mountains and was plagued with snow slides and water run-offs. Stories such as this demonstrate the really dedicated job that a man like Jim is doing in a vast and difficult country. Incidentally Jim inquired about Dave Mann, and I can report that he has left Montana and is now living in Riverside, Calif. Bill Ward is still a Montana man and may be reached via Box 906, in Livingston.
On March 28 I attended the annual New York kick-off dinner of the Alumni Fund. In addition to our most effective Class Agent, Rowley Bialla, the other '37ers in attendance were: Dr. Mike Wright, Bob Hahn, Wes La Cour, and Bill Dixon. These latter are all among Rowley's faithful workers. The reporting of this event offers me a fine opportunity, in closing, to urge the utmost in participation and contributing on our part to meet our quota. As you know, the two big jobs of the Alumni Fund this year will be the raising of $80,000 for faculty salaries (to match Ford Foundation income) and operating expenses of $720,000.
An item about Jim Gray, editor and publisher of the Albany Herald, Albany, Ga. - an address before the Dublin, Ga. Rotary Club. Actually, I assume that many more speeches have been made by Jim by now since I gather he is in demand as a speaker throughout Georgia, where he has been for the last eleven years. I say it is a rare tribute to Jim's ability that he, a solid Massachusetts man by training, can get away with that Dam' Yankee talk because he's about as far into the Deep South as you can get.
Secretary, 869 Hardscrabble Rd. Chappaqua, N. Y.
Class Agent, 120 Broadway, New York 5, N. Y.
