1944

I know you will be as shocked and saddened as I in reading the following letter from Bero Beers '24, postmarked Santa Marta, Colombia January 30:

I deeply regret to report the death of my good friend and your classmate, Jorge Pradilla, in a private plane accident Monday. With him at the time were his two daughters, Cecilia, 9 years old, and Elsa, 8 years old, both of whom were killed.

George had recently purchased a new Bimotor Apache which he flew from Florida to Bogota several months ago. He made one trip down to Sevilla on the coast and I was expecting him at the time of the accident. He was on his way to Manizales to pick up some of his wife's family and ran into clouds according to his last radio message and was changing his course. They were having a Fair at Manizales, which included a ski meet, and these snow capped mountains are about 18,000 feet high.

George leaves his widow, Cecilia, and four children besides his father and mother. His parents were in New York at the time of the accident. Incidentally, George was considered an excellent pilot, having flown for many years.

I was with George last month in Bogota and we talked about Hanover. His very charming wife had never been there and they were about to get caught up on that deficiency. His uncle Keith is a classmate of mine.

This is tragic news and George's loss will be sorely felt by all of us. The Class sends its deepest sympathy to George's family and parents.

The perpetual Hanover Traveller, Art Saul, has tossed his hat into the political arena, and we trust that on March 3, he will be seated as one of Arlington, Mass., Selectmen. The local "News" refers to the present Selectmen campaign as "one of the most vigorous that has been seen in some years hereabouts." For those of you who assume that all Art does is commute between Arlington and Hanover, you should know that besides his politico efforts, he is a corporation executive, a hospital trustee, a bank trustee, Chairman of the Arlington Finance Committee, a Town Meeting member continuously since 1948, a member of the Masons, and is actively engaged in boys' work at St. John's Episcopal Church. (And he did manage to sneak back up to Hanover again last month.)

Jack Childs, the '09 Class Notes Editor kindly passes on the following:

"Bob Gilchrist has been promoted to the job of assistant trust officer at the Cleveland Trust Company, known as Ohio's largest bank. In keeping with the dignity of his new position, he went out and bought himself a new suit. It's reported that Bob has also given the little woman a complete mink outfit ... two traps and a rifle."

After West Shell had his big promotion in the local newspapers, the rest of the Cincinnati contingent got busy. Jim Briggs was elected president of the Heating, Piping & Air Conditioning Contractors Assn. of Cincinnati ... and Dr. Bud Coith was appointed Director of Surgery at the Drake Memorial Hospital. And the Bill Portmans made news when their first daughter made her appearance on January 11.

Rog Antaya is now with New England Life Insurance down in Atlanta. You can't say that our boys don't get into all phases of life. I have a report here that John Lovewell, an associate of Camp, Dresser and McKeen, consulting engineers of Boston, has just been appointed to make a survey of the Nashua, N.H., sewer system. I guess the bakery equipment business isn't so bad after all. Ab Davis who has been racing through Southern New England Telephone Company in a series of promotions, has now been named general directory sales manager, and as such will direct statewide sales of advertising in the telephone directories. That's the same line of work that John Berry, HoseCraig, and Sperk Welch are in.

Fritz Hier has taken to the speakers' circuit and was recently guest speaker at the Newport (N.H.) Woman's Club.

Dartmouth has just created the position of Director of Medical Sciences to develop a new pattern in medical education. The appointment to fill this position went to Dr.S. Marsh Tenney. There's a lot to the job, but Marsh's immediate responsibility will be to secure capital funds required for the expansion of the Medical School.

Ted Brush is out in Portland, Ore., with the Bigelow-Sanford Carpet Company. Other West-Coasters, LeRoy Briggs and Dr. BobPetersen have settled down in Santa Barbara, Calif. East a bit, Len Landry is instructing engineering at Colorado State College. The Fritz Witzels seem to have made a good selection in their house hunt and are now natives of Winnetka. You as well as his math professors will be interested to know that Fred Harrsen is president of Management Audits, Inc. in N.Y.C.

That's a pretty up-town basketball team the Big Green is sporting this season.

Robert M. Schaeberle '45 has been madeAssistant Controller of the National BiscuitCo. in New York. He had formerly beenassociated as a department specialist.

Hugh S. Betts '45 has been named Superintendent of Agencies of the Continental Assurance Co. of Chicago. In his new position he has responsibility for all of Continental's Canadian life insurance operations.

Secretary, 1105 Center St., Milford, O.

Treasurer, Ballwood Rd., Old Greenwich, Conn