1899

Ninety-Nine today salutes a distinguished '88 man. Fred Lewis Pattee, whose autobiography, "Penn State Yankee," was published in 1953 by Penn State College after his death at 87 in 1950. The book was lent to Bill Hutchinson by his son-in-law William McDill Glass, supervisor of the Engineering Research Dept. Bill's daughter Sarah and her husband just mentioned, Bill's son William and the latter's wife Helen all hold degrees from Penn; and three of Bill's grandchildren are now there working for degrees. SamSmith died last February just before Bill was to lend him the book, so Bill passed it to Warren Kendall; and he passed it to K. Beal.

Pattee grew up on a rugged hill farm near Bristol, nine miles from Mt. Cardigan. "Old Baldface"; it was near the foot of Cardigan that Bobby Rowe's wife Elizabeth Redden spent her childhood. Like Peddy Miller in Tuftonboro Pattee got his 3 R's in a tiny local schoolhouse. He polished them up as a printer's devil for Captain Richard W. Musgrove, proprietor of the Bristol Weekly Enterprise, and father of '99's master printer, Frank A. Musgrove. He then prepared for college at New Hampton Institute, where Clarence Joy was later principal (and where Clarence also found "Lena"). Fred Pattee helped pay his way at Dartmouth by teaching in 10-week winter terms at country schools, mastering the "teacher-killers" by the same physical courage and mental determination and alertness as did Bill Colbert and ArthurHopkins (Remember Hoppy's "Pep, Pills and Politics?"). He roamed the Vale of Tempe, Balch Hill and Stump Lane as did ElmerBarstow, George Clark and Frank Surrey; was a two-mile track runner as were Paul Osgood and Earl Eastman; and as a senior was thrilled by '99's adopted classmate, Clothespin Richardson as the latter "delivered his staccato volleys from the proof sheets of his then new American Literature in such a way as to make eVen the commonplace seem startling." He wrote the Class Ode at graduation as did Charlie Graham for '99. And on Clothespin's recommendation he was offered a job on the Springfield Union just as Maurice Dickey later worked on the Springfield Republican. But Pattee had an "honor debt" of $600 to repay after graduating (exactly as Joe Gannon had 11 years later) and turned for the time therefore to teaching.

When in 1894 Fred Emery '87 came to Dartmouth to teach, Fred Pattee secured the position at Penn State that the other Fred had resigned. From the first, Dr. Pattee, like our own "Dick" Richardson, maintained that American Literature as such rated distinct and separate treatment from the conventional English Literature. There at Penn through 34 years he saw that typical "Land Grant College" grow from less than 100 "Aggies" to 6,000 students enrolled in all kinds of Liberal arts courses as well as technical. As well as teaching he also constantly wrote poetry, novels and textbooks, as did Gordon HallGerould. One of his novels, "Mary Garvin," was really the story of his boyhood in Bristol, as was Gerry's "Youth in Harley" the story of his in Hollis.

In later years the Penn State Yankee visited Europe and toured England and Scotland with the same zest as did Joe Hobbs and DanFord. And in writing critical articles for the American Mercury he became as intimate with H. L. Mencken as was ever Ray Pearl with those famous Saturday night concerts at Mencken's home. When retiring from Penn State at the conventional age limit, Fred Pattee went on teaching in Florida's Rollins College just as Louis Benezet since leaving Dartmouth has been doing, especially now in Honolulu.

A good book for anybody to read, especially for Dartmouth folks who know and love the rugged North.

Six November birthdays for the Old Guard: C.E.A., L.E.W., J.W.G., A.W.B., A.L.G., L.A.M. (Know them?)

Secretary, Newbury Rd., Bradford, N. H.

Treasurer, 11 Park View Drive, Worcester 5, Mass.

Bequest Chairman,