1921

By the time this issue gets into the hands of you readers we have a hunch that 1921 will again, under Don Sawyer's spark-plugging, be in the headlines as concerns our position in the 1957 Alumni Fund, and thus our standing in the Green Derby. It's not easy to write a column on such a tremendously vital activity now (as of May 5) because the Alumni Fund will be pretty well buttoned-up come publication date. As of the moment of writing, we are way up there. We are stepping on the heels of '25 who are no more than half a step in the lead, and, at the moment in number one position. We held the submission of this column until the absolute last minute so we could get a first-hand and up-to-date report from Don by phone last night, following his return from the Class Officers' meeting in Hanover.

First, let's report another deserved honor that has come to Don. At the Class Agents' meeting this past weekend, Don was elected to be their representative on the Alumni Council for the next three years. Now, and this is important, if there is anyone who is reading this column, who is a member of the Class of '21, be he graduate or non-graduate - we're all members of the Class - who has not sent in a contribution to the Alumni Fund for this year, won't you go right to your desk and address an envelope to "The Dartmouth Alumni Fund, Crosby Hall, Hanover, N. H.," and enclose in that envelope a check, or a dollar bill, or that 10,000 dollar bill from your pocket. Just put a quick scribbled note with it, so they'll know who it came from, or at least that it is for 1921's participation in the Fund.

Let me tell you a little story, boys and girls. I'll make it as brief as I can. When I was in China, and after the Communists had been in control for about a year, I talked with a Chinese friend who, because of conditions in his home area, was literally starving to death. He had been to America and had spent less than a year in an American college when he had to return to China because of family obligations. He told me with great pride that he considered himself a member of the class of so-and-so of such-and-such college. (It's best we don't identify him in any way.) He told me how grateful he was for having had that privilege, and how he wished he could, some day, really tangibly express his gratitude. On this particular day of my conversation with him things were a bit tight and I had two Chinese dollars in my pocket (worth, at that time, a very small fraction of one cent in U. S. currency). Using all the diplomacy and tact I possibly could, I asked him to accept my two Chinese dollars. He thanked me, profusely, estimating that with the money he could buy enough food to do him for a week or two. Then he said - "Would not this money help to express my thanks for the education I was given at -- College if you take it to America with you and send it to their scholarship fund?" (Remember, he was there less than a year.) I assured him that it would, knowing how happy this would make him, to do something for his beloved college, even though the value of his contribution was less than one cent. My friend died of malnutrition about a month after my conversation with him. His gift - with enough added to it to bring it up to one dollar, in American currency, was sent to his alma mater. Amen.

Back to news. The Campbells, of the West Newton Campbells John and Doris, have offered their home and back yard facilities for a New England - Boston area - gathering of '21-ers on June 5. From plans that are in conversation it bids fair to be a howling success — in fact we'll stick out our editorial neck and report - "It was a howling success, with a wonderful time had by all."

We hear that young Donald Mix — Don'sand Jessie's son is a newly graduated alum of Amos Tuck School. Congratulations to Don and Jessie and Don.

Have you heard that our St. Paul tycoon, real estate entrepreneur, golfer par excellence - plus being a great guy - has been doing some Arthur Murraying recently, and, as a result, is now welcomed more than ever before in social circles as a leading exponent of the Terpsichorean art? Who else could this be other than Rynie Rothschild?

The recent meetings in Hanover of the various class officers were well attended by '21 representatives. Hal and Doris Braman were there, with Don and Jessie Mix, Don and AliceSawyer, and Abe Weld. Our prexy Rog Wilde got stuck out on the West coast, and your secretary Charlie Gilson couldn't get his nose away from his home grindstone trying to make saints out of sinners (sometimes we are certain he is far more successful in making sinners out of saints!).

Incidentally, the report of the reactions of the '21 representatives to these recent Hanover meetings is that they are unanimously enthusiastic over the plans - which they saw in considerable detail - for the proposed Hopkins Center; that it is ideally designed to fit in with the general and over-all layout of that section of Hanover, i.e. in the neighborhood of the Inn.

We had a nice note from Dr. James D. Townsend expressing his and his mother's appreciation for the book memorial at Baker Library for his father, Maurice Townsend.

Roger Wilde and Bill and Jane Barber were reported to have dropped in on Hanover this spring. Bill, in a comment to one of his friends, expressed concern for the way he is "ballooning" since he "made the tactical errors of stopping smoking and drinking", but he expects that his program which includes tennis and squash will soon trim him down to a shadow.

Jack Hubbell continues to provide us with his always well-deserved news copy. This time it was in his role as First Vice President of SEC (Sales Executive) at their spring meeting in New York, at which - in the interests of the art of selling - the latest fashions in ladies headgear were shown, and the accompanying picture — with the report —shows Jack surrounded by officials and considerable feminine pulchritude.

That about wraps it up for this season, folks. It's been a lot of fun running off this monthly column of gossip and nonsense, however, it is obviously lacking in evidences of real newsworthiness and value. We'll look forward to being back with you come fall, and hoping that every single one of you and yours have yourselves a wonderful summer.

We use the word "nonsense", above, advisedly however, because there have been a few occasions when we have gotten onto a topic in dead seriousness - most recently including some expressed, and many more unexpressed, thoughts in connection with our response to the Alumni Fund. There probably is not a class of Dartmouth, or of any other college that has the high degree of genuine and active loyalty that has 1921 for Dartmouth. Yet, when we think of the extent of George Lee's (that's not his real name - the Chinese friend we wrote about, above) love, gratitude, and loyalty for his college - which he attended for about six months, I guess I'm going to have to send another check up to Hanover in the next mail. I sent one a couple of months ago, but it wasn't enough.

Secretary, 276 Gano St., Providence 6, R. I.

Class Agent, 200 Berkeley St., Boston 16, Mass.