1917

You all will be shocked and saddened to learn that during April, 1917 lost three classmates by death. Dan Harris died suddenly on April 6 of a coronary while en route by car from New England to Cleveland. Polly was driving at the time of Dan's attack and he had passed away by the time aid arrived. On April 16 Maurice Blackmur died as the result of illness. Finally, Bunny Holden, who had been in and out of hospitals during the past couple of years, died on April 20. Our class was represented at Bunny's funeral in Boston by Howard Bartlett, Forrest Emery, Spique and Ruby Maclntyre, Pete and Lucy Olds, Ralph Sanborn and Ray Sault. I know that you all join in expressing very sincere sympathy to the families of each of these men.

On a more cheerful vein, Roger and CarolStone are greatly elated by the arrival oftheir first grandchild, Michael Roger Stone,on March 6. The new arrival's father is BillStone '50.

Karl and Elsie Koeniger recently madetheir annual trip to Pasadena to see theirdaughter and grandchildren. While therethey had an opportunity to have dinner withJim and Ruth Durkee, and on another occasion, lunch with Em and Vera Ward. Karland Al Shiels tried their best to get in touchwith one another but missed out all around.

Through the grapevine it has been learnedthat Russ Paul has retired and is takingadvantage of the opportunity to play aroundwith three of his grandchildren.

Vic and Irene Smith recently took an interesting trip and I'll let him tell you aboutit in his own words.

Irene and I took a very wonderful trip this spring. We left Philadelphia on March 27 and flew out to Lawton, Okla., and spent 5 days with Virginia, including Palm Sunday and Ginny's birthday (April 1). Then we flew up to Columbus, Ohio, and spent Vic's birthday (April 3) and Easter Sunday with Vic Jr. and came home on Easter Monday. It was a nice trip and we had loads of fun getting acquainted with the grandchildren.

While in Columbus I called Frances andMott Brown and they arranged for dinner on Saturday night at a delightful restaurant in Columbus and saw to it that Searles Morton was there also, and you can well imagine that we had quite a reunion! We stopped back at the Browns' house for a few minutes after dinner and saw their lovely and convenient home.

During early April Bill and Sally Sewall flew to Florida and a fine visit with Bob and Anita Scott at the latters' apartment at Fort Lauderdale. After a few days there the two couples drove to Islamorada where they stayed with Norm and Mary McCulloch at their lovely winter home. It was Sally's first trip to Florida and Bob made the most of it for her by driving her to many of the more interesting places which she would not otherwise have seen. On one of the drives they passed Mudge Mudgett's winter home but no one was there.

Harry and Helen Fowler are leaving early in June on a six months' trip that will take them to such far away places as Japan, the Philippine Islands, Hong Kong, Thailand (Siam to you), Malaya and Indonesia.

After more than 31 years at 9 Park Terrace, Upper Montclair, N. J., Helen and I are pulling up stakes early in June and moving to Woodstock, Vt. Our new home is on the South Pomfret Road, about 2 miles from the Woodstock Green and 17'ers always will be welcome there. Take Route 12 towards Bethel but at the fork in the road where Route 12 bears left, keep straight ahead. Ours is the little white house with two maples in front. Our mail address is South Pomfret Road, Woodstock, and our telephone number is Woodstock 691-K. We look forward to seeing you all there, though not all at once, please.

I was on the point of closing these notes but word of Bunny's death has brought some letters from his classmates, two of which are quoted below. Bunny's loyalty to his class and his college, his many acts of kindness always accomplished anonymously, his zest at all Dartmouth gatherings leave us with fond memories. There was no one quite like him and we shall miss him.

First a letter from Bunny's roommate, WillFitch:

I am shocked and sad to learn of Bunny Hoiden's passing. Despite reports of recent hospitalization, he always seemed sort of indestructible to me. When I was with him in Hanover last fall he lightly spoke of an intensive examination by Jack Bowler and a clean bill of health.

Perhaps he was whistling softly in the dark to me and perhaps he didn't know himself. At the end it must have come quickly for I had no intimation that he was in danger. Bunny would have wanted it that way. He never admitted defeat in anything.

You see I have known him intimately for a lot of years. As boys we used to go to dancing school together in Boston, lugging our pumps under our arm in a green suede bag.

Later on in college we roomed together for four years, joined the same fraternity, the same Senior Society and played on the same hockey team. We even played the same position and insomuch as there could be only one goalie at a time, when it came to Varsity hockey, I yielded to him chiefly because he was better than I was.

In all those years we never had a falling out or, so far as I can remember, an unpleasant word. Bunny had a sunny disposition and a very friendly, loyal nature.

We both left college during April vacations of our Senior year to go to war and curiously enough although he joined the Navy and I the Air Force, we both served in Italy.

I came home first after the war and entered the wool business in Boston. As soon as Bunny returned, I introduced him to the boss and persuaded him to hire Bunny. He was still working for that firm up to the time he died.

The College has lost a faithful son and our class has lost one of its most devoted members. I have lost my oldest friend. We shall miss him greatly.

Then from Bob Scott:

Bunny's passing hits me like a brick. A few men achieve greatness or a permanent place in the hearts through ability or the inborn faculty of human kindness. It is to their credit that most of us slip into the anonymous niche of the tall guy, the fat guy or the short guy - (what was his name ?) - status. I think that Bunny carved out a very big niche for himself in 17 s history through the possession of very special types of ability and kindness - the ability to temporarily shed the years whenever a 1917 group got together and the kindness to include everyone who wished to join him in that blissful state of carefree youthfulness. He will be missed terribly by Nita and me because he was always the piece de resistance at our Yale party.

Bill Eaton, Vic Smith, Gil Swett and the writer attended the Class Officers' meetings in Hanover, May 2-3.

Secretary, : 9 Park Terrace Upper Montclair, N.J.

Class Agent, 6 Wyeth Rd., Hanover, N.H.