1955
Once again this column brings word of the death of a member of the Class of '55. Bob Rackliff, who had returned to Dartmouth in 19-56 to complete his college education after a tour of duty with the Army, died as a result of injuries received when his car overturned on an icy Vermont road. According to reports of the accident, Bob was pinned beneath the overturned convertible for more than half an hour, and apparently died of asphyxiation. Those of us who knew Bob well - whether it was in the dormitory, fraternity, or classroom - knew him as a friend whose vivaciousness and sincerity made him an important member of our group. Our associations with Bob, whatever they may have been, will always be remembered as some of our most enjoyable moments in Hanover.
Reports have been flowing to my desk from fellow employees of "Uncle Sugar" located far and near, at home and abroad, etc. etc. etc., and from the way they all read, due to our military assignments, or in spite of them, groups of Fifty-fivers have managed to cling together in the many branches of services. Rog Young writes from James Connally AFB where he's currently a radar observer in B-25's, awaiting assignment to F-89's in the near future. To quote Rog briefly,
"The number of '55's I've seen has been small, but we form a strong alumni group here. Don Kurth, Paul Finegan and I played 18 holes of golf here today. Dave Walton is here, as is Nets Jones. Both these guys are married and Nels and Trix have a king-sized baby boy. He's going to make the Big Green a mighty fine tackle in about 18 years. Ben Sutton, who was with us at Ellington, is also here at JCAFB with his wife. Stretch Johnson is now at Mather preparing for SAC and rumor has it that Jim Perkins has departed Ellington for an Air Force job that involves some writing. Am not sure of this, however. I've heard from Hal O'Connell - at Michigan Law and doing fine. Got a card from Joe Bachman the other day - he's at Michigan Med and also doing real well. Bob Perkins is burning up the course at the Wharton School at the U of Pennsylvania. I also heard via an indirect line that Hap Sawyer is due home from Germany in the near future."
Elsewhere around the "girdled earth" roams Lt. Mike Gorton, who's stationed at the Aberdeen Proving Grounds in the Post Ordinance Office." Mike writes that "there are several Dartmouth Fifty-fivers stationed here at Aberdeen - Dick Hopkins, Bill Conrad, Jim Keane, Jed Isaacs, - Dick Blodgett, Jack Cogswell, Ted Chadbourne etc." Ace Hall just recently left for Washington, D. C. Mike and Jim Keane have been on numerous sorties up and down the Atlantic Coast - "traveling to such extremes as Hanover, N. H., and Durham, N. C." as Mike put it. Experience shows that the mecca for Green '55's is Washington, D. C. One bacchanalian feast brought Tom Hamilton, Ace Hall, John Harlor, Randy Hayes, Glen Wathen, Chris Rood, Mike and Jim, plus '56ers Tom Pencheon. Rick Webb, and Bill Buchanan into "Hambone's" apartment.
Three Fifty-five fly-boys will be back to frequent the Hanover Plain come this fall. Jerry O'Sullivan, Bob Stanford, and GerryCoffey have all been assigned to Portsmouth AFB, Portsmouth, N. H., after completing their basic training at Goodfellow AFB in San Angelo, Tex. Bruce Newman graduated at the same time, and will proceed to San Bernadino, Calif., where he'll be stationed at Norton AFB. Bruce and his wife Georgia now have two small tax deductions - names etc. unavailable right now.
Pvt. Eliot Smith participated in the All-Army wrestling tournament at Fort Bliss, Tex., recently, after which he returned to Fort Belvoir, Va., where he is a civil engineering assistant in the Engineer Center.
Phil Mayer is currently stationed at Fort Hood, Tex., where he's "Division Cashier" in the Finance Office of the 4th Armored Division there. Phil says that Bob Hadley, also stationed at Hood, dropped into the office, picked up his pay record, and was off to Europe before he got near enough to say "hello." Bob, incidentally, was "soldier of the cycle" for his unit during his training period. Phil added "just a word" for any lone cowboy - Class of '55 type - roving around central Texas, to drop in at the Finance Office and look him up. Bill Nickerson will soon be in the same type of job, as he recently graduated with honors from an eight-week finance procedures course at the Army's Finance School, Fort Benjamin Harrison, Ind.
Tom Carlsen and wife, Ann, are now in Germany where Tom is a recently-promoted "Specialist Third Class" with the 45th Armored Medical Battalion. Tom was sent abroad immediately after completing his training at Ft. Knox, Ky.
Jack and Pat Cogswell are proud parents of a two month old daughter, Julie Ann, born at the U.S. Army Hospital in Aberdeen, where Jack is currently stationed. Jack is on a 6 months' leave of absence from the New England Telephone and Telegraph Company in Boston where he has a position as Supervisory Assistant in the Engineering Department.
Jim McKendry writes from the sun-kissed hills of Korea where he, strangely enough, has run into a number of Fifty-fivers. Walt Van Dorn, and Paul Dingewell are occasional dinner companions. AValt is in the unit that supports Jim's 24th Infantry Division, and Paul is working in the Ordnance Main Army Depot. Their 16 month tour abroad is due to be completed in the next few weeks.
To get away from the military, news comes from Miami, Fla., that Bill Kofoed, who formerly reported for the Miami Herald, has joined the staff of the Hank Meyer and Associates, public relations firm. The company is a consultant for the City of Miami Beach, and handles national, state and local accounts. Bill had held his old position as staff writer on the Herald for a year and a half.
That old and trite saying about a young man's fancy and Spring is given some substance by the large swath recently cut in the already depleted ranks of bachelor Fifty-five's. Roger Block is engaged to marry Miriam Fulton of Washington and Siasconset, Mass., this coming June. Miriam is a graduate of Bradford Junior College and the Eliot-Pearson School at Tufts University. Roger is currently a student at the Foreign Service School of Georgetown University, and has completed four years of service with the Navy.
Bill Macurdy will also walk the last mile with a June bride - Sarah Morrison of Watertown, Mass. Sarah is now attending the Boston University School of Education. Navy Lt. "Monk" Spencer will marry Pat Knight of New York and Garden City, L. I., this coming July. Pat, a Skidmore graduate, and "Monk" will return to Hanover next fall where he will complete his studies for a master's degree at Tuck.
Nick Anthonisen plans to marry Barbara Feldman of Pittsfield, Mass., this coming June. Barbara is a graduate of the Mary-Hitchcock School of Nursing, Class of '56, and is employed at the Beth Israel hospital in Boston while she attends Boston University. Nick is now at Harvard Med.
Tom Jannuzi is engaged to Barbara Gallagher, a senior at Swarthmore, and a political science major. She is the daughter of Dr. Buell Gallagher, president of City College. Tom is still in Patna, India, doing research under a Ford Foundation grant.
Dave Oberlander is engaged to Martha Royer of Winnetka, Ill. - a graduate of the Connecticut College for Women. Tim Jenkins married Elizabeth George of Schenectady, N. Y., in a ceremony held on February 12 in that city. Elizabeth is a Mount Holyoke alumna.
That about wraps it up for another month. Again, let's all get behind Roy Hill, the Class, and Dartmouth, and make this another great year for the Alumni Fund. It would be a great boost to the fund if all of you who were unable to give last year or who just kept putting it off until it was too late, came through with even a small contribution this trip. This early in our alumni years, as we said last year, it's not the amount that counts, but the percentage of participation. If we can get into the habit of giving now, the volume will come with years. So long for now.
Secretary, Class 57-T, Box 693 Hondo Air Force Base, Texas
Class Agent, 37 East 3gth St., New York 16, N. Y.
