1923
A newspaper clipping came in the mail a few weeks ago concerning one James J. (Jim) Hennessy. The heading is "Dr. J. J. Hennessy is Honored By Society at Dinner". The article reads as follows:
"For his outstanding contributions to the Greater Hartford Tuberculosis and Public Health Society, Dr. James J. Hennessy of Forrest Hill Drive, West Hartford, was honored at a dinner at the Hartford Club. It was the society's 50th anniversary meeting.
"Dr. William J. Lahey, president, presented a medallion and scroll to Dr. Hennessy on behalf of the organization in recognition of his work for the society. .
"The award was presented as a surprise. Dr. Hennessy, a prominent chest specialist, contributed hundreds of hours to reading films in X-ray surveys and talked to many meetings on its behalf.
"Approximately 150 persons attended the dinner. Each was presented a historical booklet on the society."
Jim Hennessy modestly passes on the word that he keeps well occupied practicing medicine. Diseases of the chest and broncho-esophagology are his specialties.
Pete Howe writes he is wearing down the grindstone of the American Colortype Company as Vice President in charge of Samuel Gabriel & Sons, the division that makes toys, books and games. He says he is tired of working and is wondering how soon Social Security starts.
Bin Kimball and Chet Bixby are very busy this year celebrating anniversaries of their respective businesses. In Bill's case it is 100 years of Music for the Millions that the Kimball family have been furnishing through their grands, artist consoles, consolettes, spinets, studio consoles, studio uprights and piano organs. Bill writes that many special activities this year, in connection with this celebration, will keep him very much tied down.
As to your secretary's activities in connection with the Bixby 75th, all he can say is Amen to Bill's comment. In 75 years of activities, in the shoe finding and box toe fields, a company makes many connections, all of which must be duly noted and given proper attention on the occasion of a diamond jubilee. The Bixby family plan a twelve month observance of this important event. Two weddings take place this year to make life a mite more binding. One of these is Ben's wedding to Fred Clark's daughter, Betsey, on June 12. This is the first class of 1923 wedding. The other is Liz's marriage to Henry Thornton of York, Pa. It looks like a busy spring and summer for Chet and Barbara.
Dr. Howie Brown's paramount interest in life for 25 years has been trying to protect the good policy holders of Massachusetts Mutual Life Insurance Company from the "Intrusions of unsound lives".
The motto o£ the Haggart Construction Co.,Inc., Fargo, N. D., of which I. R. (Bob) Haggart is president, is: "Good Roads Don't CostMoney - They Save Money."
George McLaughlin, on letter paper bearingthe heading "McLaughlin Gormley King Co.,Manufacturing Chemists-Importers and Millers of Minneapolis, writes, in thanking thesecretary for a recent large economy size postcard, as follows:
"I was one of the poor unfortunates who drew a room along with Bert Teagle on the ground floor of Thornton on the right front, one window of which you can just see in the picture mentioned above.
"Sorry I don't know much in the way of news. You might drop a line to Bert Teagle, c/o Standard Oil Company (Aruba), who should be ready, according to his original plans, to retire. I believe he has bought a place in California, and because he has lived and worked abroad practically all of the years since he was in school, has stashed away what it takes to retire earlier than the rest of us."
A very nice note came in from Esther Taber, Rae's widow, in New Bedford. It seems the Tabers have been visiting Hanover every June and October for years, taking side trips from there and often staying with the Carl Sweets on Lyme Road. Esther says the Class of 1923 meant everything to her husband and she looks forward in the years ahead to the ALUMNI MAGAZINE which she reads from cover to cover.
Al Reinthal thinks it is about time this column contained a few highlights of his career. He is assistant accountant for New York City in the Bureau of Charitable Institutions. But his principal claim to fame is his ownership of "Dusty Boy", the finest saddle horse in the country.
In past years we have incorporated some outstanding poetry in this section. This year our poets, Florence Minor, Sam Home, and Huddy Hudson have been taking a sabbatical leave. Now one comes in this time from LenBronner which I hereby quote:
"There's a loneliness down where the bell-buoy swings
On its mooring rope in a world apart, And the grey swells roll and the white fog clings To the dampened walls of the feeling heart.
And nothing is either bad or good But only obscured and misunderstood, But the wind will freshen, the tide resume And the mists unveil from the curdling sea; And the sun shall banish recurring gloom And the bell-buoy toll more cheerfully The voice of the ocean shall once more roar Its tiresome dirge at the patient shore."
Randolph (Red) Downes is professor of history at the University of Toledo. This announcement is long overdue in these columns. Red is a real authority on the history of American Indian tribes. The doctor is also executive director of the Northwestern Ohio Historical Society. The following news release states:
Dr. Randolph C. Downes, B.S. '23, is professor of history at the University of Toledo. An authority on the history of American Indian tribes. Dr. Downes also is executive director of the Northwestern Ohio Historical Society. He received the M.A. degree from the University of Wisconsin in 1924, and the Ph.D. from Ohio State University in 1929. He had taught at Marietta College, the University of Pittsburgh and Smith College before joining the Toledo faculty in 1946.
Dr. Downes has written eight books, under the colorful titles of "Council Fires," "Frontier Ohio," "Canal Days," "The Conquest," "Lake Port,""The Industrial Beginnings," "Lake Shore Ohio" and "Maumee Valley, U.S.A."
Dr. and Mrs. Downes have one son, Paul, 24. They live at 2056 Calumet St., Toledo.
Brooks Palmer has been appointed assistant curator of a Museum of Clocks recently established by New York University. In the newspaper announcement of his appointment, the University states that Brooks is an authority on antique clocks.
The Class of 1923 can well be proud of Vice President Clary Goss and the honors recently bestowed on him by his employer, W. T. Grant Company. It took considerable prodding to get the story, but at long last here it is.
"Actually, it was an award, a framed testimonial, signed by the President and Vice President of the company for second place in the Sales and Profit contest for the year 1957. It was based on a percentage of improvement basis. I was going against a top performance year of 1955 so it really meant something. The award carried with it a cash gift of $750 which I distributed in total to my gang.
"As to my Grant Company experience I think we are all rather modest about these things and reluctant to advertise them. However, I'll make it short. I did a 6-month stretch with an accounting firm in Boston after getting out of college and quickly decided that accounting was not for me because, I found no romance in the work. So I left this job at $45 per week and joined Grants at $23 on September 3, 1924. I was assigned to our Pittsburgh store where I merchandised the basement for a year. From there I went to Buffalo, N. Y., then I was sent to Chicago to open up and run our first branch buying office in which position I spent a year doing all kinds of general buying. In other words, buying anything manufactured in the MidWest that we could sell. We were just opening up the Mid-West and were not too well known to those manufacturers.
"After a year in Chicago, I was called to New York to become Senior Buyer of Ladies Intimate lines such as lingerie, housedresses and sportswear. It has been a lot of fun developing these lines. Today any one of these individual classifications does more volume by far than the whole collection did in 1928.
"It's a terrific thrill to reflect that when I joined Grants we had 67 stores and now, 33 years later, we are operating 649 stores and did a volume of over 380 million in 1956. and to know I had a vital part in that growth. It's been 33 years of glorious work, which has been fun. Dealing with style merchandise is fascinating if you have a feel for it.
"I am a past master of my Masonic Lodge, a Shrine. past President of D. C. Club of New York. My hobbies are golf, bridge, hunting, farming. Priscilla Carpenter Goss is my wife and I have a son, Donald Carpenter Goss '53; a daughter Barbara Goss Hall, three grandchildren. Am a terrific Dartmouth sports enthusiast."
Dorothy Davis Calder, wife of Charles A. "Chuck" Calder, passed away Thursday, April n, in her home at 13800 Shaker Boule- vard, Cleveland, Ohio. Dorothy graduated from Laurel School and Elv Court in Green- wich. Conn., and married Chuck in 19215. Mr. and Mrs. C. Norman Fay announce the birth of Norma Churchill on May 9 at the Richardson House in Boston.
1923 had the largest representation of officers at the annual Hanover meeting of Class officers May 3-4. Charlie Zimmerman, Clary Goss, Pete Tones, Metz Metzel, Irish Flanigan, Ted Shapleigh, Jim Broe and your secretary sandwiched in two lone; 1029, meetings. One took place Friday evening. It lasted until 2:30 a.m. and dealt with our Alumni Fund results. Seven of us let our hair down, did considerable soul searching and made a do or die resolve to give Ted Shapleigh the backing he needs so badly as our class agent. Your secretary has never mentioned fund raising before in this column. But, boys, we have been dragging bottom far too long. Our president is the chairman of the big drive for funds for Dartmouth development. We are proud that he, a very busy man on a new job, found time to take on this big assignment. We cannot embarrass him with another poor showing in our Green Derby.
George A. Morrell '23, business and civic leader in lowa, was saluted by lowa Wesleyan College with the honorary degree of Doctor of Business Administration. He has been a trustee of that college since 1929.
Secretary,170 Washington St., Haverhill, Mass.
Class Agent,79 Spring Glen Terrace, Hamden, Conn.
