1937's Year Late 20th
They said we were a year late in '58 but take it from an eye witness and active participant that we made it all up in those all too short hours between Friday and Sunday, June 13-15. As a matter of fact, a few, among them Chairman Mutt Ray and Ruth, the Berkowitzes and the Cashes, arrived on Wednesday evening. By Thursday night the gathering had grown to include the BradPetersens, in from California, the Hal Evanses, Rog Allen, the Bill Ashes and members of our own sizable Hanover contingent also made their appearance. Later, after such doings as cocktails with Russ and Lee Stearns, dinner at the D.O.C. and the tapping of keg #2, the early birds were ready to welcome the main contingent of '37.
Our tent was set up between Wheeler and the Chapel with the former, Richardson and North Fairweather as our living quarters. The children's tent for '37, '38 and '39 was located by North Fair.
Friday afternoon, with large numbers now in evidence, John Latchis arrived in his station wagon and proceeded with the mixing of a large batch of Tom Collinses, a gratuitous gesture for which we are in John's debt. At about the same hour Bob McCoy's music makers, a grand Barbary Coast quartet, appeared on the scene and you may be sure that by 6 P.M. '37's tent was a little piece of bedlam. Indeed, we were proving so popular among all hands, ours as well as others, that Mutt Ray told me the constabulary furnished our group disposed of 25 stowaways found in the chow line for our delicious seafood buffet.
With dinner behind us, our Reunion group of 99 couples, 14 bachelors and 58 children was largely complete and ready to sally forth to President Dickey's reception, the Alumni Dance, or remain in the tent for all or a part of that mad, noisy event, The Raffle. Many were in the ranks for the latter, with Mort Berkowitz and Monk Anion sharing the voice-shattering job of calling out the winners of the fabulous lot of prizes Mort and local warehouseman John Milne had managed to accumulate, even to the one ton of charcoal briquets shipped from Kansas City by Pat Uhlmann. And so went Friday, with a late, late shower clearing the air for a beautiful, sun-drenched Saturday.
Bright and early Don McKinlay started events for all reunion classes as moderator for a panel discussion on. college admissions - now and future. Don deserves the entire credit for instigating this first attempt to get a reunion group together to discuss matters of common intellectual concern and the success of the initial effort may be measured by the fact that over 300 attended.
After our class picture at 10:30, the '37ers were off to Sanborn House for the class meeting which was surprisingly popular. A rapid run-down of the agenda reveals that the usual reports of secretary, treasurer, agent, and memorial fund chairman were made - briefly and with competence. The new model class constitution recommended by the College was adopted as our legal framework of action, followed by the report of Mort Berkowitz as chairman of the nominating committee whose job it was to select a new executive committee of eleven, to wit, and without subsequent objection from the floor: Carl Amon, Wayne Ballantyne, Bibs Bankart, Rowley Bialla, Boz Bosworth, Fred Castle, Bill Coe, Frank Danzig, Fran Fenn, Art Ruggles and Pat Ulhmann. The meeting wound up with a welcome and announcements of Reunion Chairman Mutt Ray, a motion of thanks to Mutt and his committee for a great job, and last but not least a resolution to extend honorary class membership to coach Bob Blackman.
A quorum of the executive committee met following the class meeting and named as class officers your reporter as chairman; Al Bryant, secretary; and Rug as treasurer. FranFenn was continued as our popular memorial fund chairman. At a later date after further discussion the committee will name able Bialla's successor to the agent's job as well as the newsletter editor. Then back to the tent and a fast beer before trooping off to the gym for the Alumni luncheon.
Saturday afternoon saw no let-down in activity what with visits to fraternity houses, golf, MIT crew races (the real feature of crewing being a contest between '48 and '37 with our shell stroked to victory by Dana Prescott, in from Germany for the event).
Then, before we knew it, Latchis drove up again, this time with a large cold lot of martinis which got everybody in a happy mood for our banquet at the Inn. And, of course, McCoy's madcaps were back with the tools of their trade for a stand which ultimately lasted far into the night. Needless to say the Inn dining room was a gay yet decorous scene for the piece de resistance of Reunion. Our meal was superb and the program perfect for the occasion. Bob Blackman was our delightful guest, not only to receive and accept the honorary membership in the class but also as speaker, in which role he is hard to beat. Topping this whole show off was a song fest by some of our old glee clubbers, led by Al Bryant.
As always when night had fallen, it was again back to the tent for music, singing, class movies (que nostalgia!), more beer and just general milling around until very late.
And then Sunday, just as it had started and become full-blown, so it faded away. By late morning, after the Memorial Service and a marvelous steak and egg brunch, only a handful were left. We had again drifted off, each to his separate place, and all we could murmur was our more poignant slogan of this grand Reunion: "Adieu 'til '62." By God's grace, may you all come back.
Those who made the reunion were:
Rog Allen; Monk and Dorothy Amon and children; George and Barbara Andrews; John Arborio; Bill and Virginia Ashe and children; Bob and Meg Aylward and children; Bal and Mavis Ballantyne; Les and Cecelia Barrett and child; Harty and Margaret Beardsley and child; Stan and Constance Berenson; Mort and Marjory Berkowitz; Blais and Alia Blaisdell; Bill and Jean Breitinger and child; Larry and Katherine Brooks; Will and Natale Brown and child; Ronald and Harriet Brown; Al and Sherry Bryant; Hals and Sarah Bullen and child; Fred and Mildred Bunce; Bob and June Butler; Ben and Barbara Cardoza and child; Bill and Nancy Cash and child; John Chapman; Albie and Marjorie Chester; Claude and Jennette Clark; Bill and Fern Coe; John and Carol Coggeshall; Charlie and Virginia Collis; Dick and Libby Cooper and child; Jack and Peggy Costello and child; Frank and Catherine Danzig; Bob and Lillian De Varney and child; Paul and Frances Dickson and child; Sam and Rebecca Dillon and child; Bill and Elizabeth Dixon; Ben and Marjorie Doran and child; Don and Polly Dumont; Bandy and Margaret Dwinell; Cal and Eleanor Eldred; Carl and Carolyn Erdman and child; Fran and Florence Evans; Hal and Gail Evans; Fran Fenn; Goldy and Sally Gould and child; Bill and Eleanor Greenwood and child; Johnny and Jane Handrahan; Walt and Virginia Heer and child; Bob and Dorothy Heaeage and child; Chuck and Margaret Hotaling; Alex and Virginia Hunter and child; Fred and Muriel Ingersoll; Park and Barbara Johnston; Morty and Pearl Karp and child; Roily and Belem Kent; Rog and Dorothy Keyes; Joe and Suzanne Kiernan; Stanley and Irene Lappin and child; John Latchis; Fred and Rachel Laughton; Garry and Mary Lowe; Jim and Jean Luttrell and child; Bob and Elizabeth McCoy; Tom and Myrtle McIntyre; Don McKinlay; George Mackey; Bruce and Josie Manternach; Ben Marion; Lin and Margaret Marr; Bill Mauran and wife; Al and Teresa Mayer and child; Fred and Esther Mayo and child; Mai Merritt; John and Jean Milne and children; Corb and Jean Moister and child; Bar Moseley; Bill and Hanna Newburger; Jake and Margaret Newton; Carl and Jean Noyes; Brad and Mary Petersen; Hank and Barbara Pierce; Dana Prescott and wife and child; David and Helen Rainey and child; Mutt and Ruth Ray; Al and Yvonne Reinman; Al and Bertha Romanow; Ernie and Janet Roos; Don and Daphne Ross and child; Bob and Elizabeth Ross; Bill and Martha Rotch and child; Art Ruggles; Rich and Julia Rush; Giles St. Clair; Dave and Rosalie Samson and child; Bill and Margery Sayre; Connie and Mary Schuck; George and Ethel Skinner; Dexter and Marjorie Smith; Jud and Jane Smith; Ken and Kate Stearns and child; Russ and Lee Stearns and children; Ed and Margaret Sterns; Al and Ruth Sutter; Win and Jane Taft; Bill and Jean Tallberg; Joe and Olive Tardiff; Bob and Elizabeth Terwilliger; Bill and Charlotte Timbers; Dave and Suzanne Todd; Pat Uhlmann; Brad and Judith Varnum; Sheldon and Janet Wagner; Paul and Erna Wentworth; Dick and Beatrice Wood; Dick and Helen Woods and Ed Wynot.
1937 joined the Classes of 1938 and 1939 in celebrating its 20th Reunion.
RETIRING SECRETARY
