1926
In Hanover, it's the month of duck-boards; in '26 news, it's a month o£ honors, and journeys.
HONORS of a very tangible sort came to Dick Lattimore, Professor of Greek at Bryn Mawr College, in the form of a $10,000 award from the American Council of Learned Societies. Dick's award, for distinguished scholarship in the humanities, was one of ten such awards announced at the Council's 40th annual meeting, in Rochester, on January 24. The Council is a private, non-profit federation of 29 constituent learned societies in the humanities and social sciences, and is supported by foundations and its members. (Maybe the Greeks had no word for it, but the Indians did: - "Wah Hoo Wah!")
Another illustrious '26 professor received national honors, when Ed Cole, of the Yale University Dramatic School, was given the Theta Alpha Phi award for outstanding contributions to the American Theater. The award was presented in Chicago, at a combined convention of ten national speech and theater organizations. Theta Alpha Phi is a national honorary organization fraternity.
Last October we mentioned that Duck Heacox, District Fisheries Manager for the N. Y. State Conservation Dept., had become eligible for retirement, but had been persuaded to continue till the department's reorganization had been completed. What Duck apparently didn't know at the time was that the reorganization included HIM ... and in a big way! To quote from the "Outdoors" column of a New York newspaper:-
Things in our Conservation Department from now on will be strictly up to the scientists. Commissioner Harold G. Wilm completed his executive staff Wednesday by appointing Cecil E. Heacox as department secretary.
Secretary Heacox graduated from Dartmouth in 1926 and did graduate work in fish and wildlife conservation at Cornell. He went into the Conservation Department as an aquatic biologist in 1940 and in 1944 was promoted to a district fishery manager with headquarters at Rochester and six years ago was transferred to head the Southern District including Long Island with headquarters at Poughkeepsie.
JOURNEYS, Too. Christmas-vacation journeys, for the most part. Hugh and CharlotteMorrison flew to Mexico. "We went with a couple from Williams who are very close friends of ours. We had a wonderful two weeks in Mexico, and really covered a lot of ground. We hired a car with a Mexican driver, and really went just about every where and saw almost everything that one can do in two weeks. We had wonderful weather and were fascinated with Mexico, and I must say were not too happy to return to the sub-zero weather in Hanover."
Wad and Nadine Woods celebrated daughter Diane's 21st birthday with a cross-country plane-and-car journey to Los Angeles, Los Vegas, Phoenix, Tucson and Palm Springs. A tennis pro during the (teacher's three months') summer vacation, Wad mentioned casually that because his right elbow has been troubling, he's now learned to play with his left-hand as well! Wad also writes of his visit with Ted Greeley, a teacher at Palm Springs High School.
Eighteen years ago, Ted went from L.A. to Palm Springs, to teach for one year only. He and Laura liked it so much, they stayed on. For nine years he was principal of the high school, but since added administrative duties each year took him farther away from the student body, and deeper into paper work, and since, too, compensation was very slightly more than that of a teacher, he gave it up to get back to teaching, in which he is very happy. I made a similar decision, myself, a few years ago, so I know exactly how he feels about it. Ted has a very charming wife, Laura by name, and they have one married daughter. Ted is a member of Rotary and quite interested in civic matters, and from my observation, well-known and popular in the city.
At 5 below, and 5" of snow, even a walk around the block is a journey! And so it came to pass that on the night of January 6, fifteen hardy '26-ers made their way to the annual Class dinner at New York's Dartmouth Club. (And all but two succeeded in making their way home!) As reported by our versatile Treasurer:-
The fearless fifteen were Herm Trefethen, Chip Chipman, Art Nathanson, Lloyd Sanford, Holt McAloney, Steve Millard, Tony Gleason, Charlie Bishop, Paul Allen, Larry Wolff, Fred Hurd, Ed Fowler, Snipe Esquerré, Don Hopkins and Ed Hanlon. Herm Trefethen presided, taking over from "Chip," who has done such a great job in the last five years in reviving class ties in this neck of the woods. Through the good work of Art Nathanson, we had the pleasure of watching the movies of the recent football season. Art also discussed disposition of the funds raised for the Class Aid program, which as you know has now been dropped. A committee of Hurd and Nathanson was appointed to handle this matter. Chip spoke briefly on the class record in the Capital Gifts campaign, and your Treasurer reviewed class finances. To date we have received dues from 252, as compared with 277 at this time a year ago. Of those present, Lloyd Sanford and Art Nathanson are re-living Hanover, as both have sons up there now. And we have the good news that Herm Trefethen's boy has been accepted for this fall.
And some long-distance changes of address: - Sandy Dougless, from Ohio to Maryland, where he is now President and Manager of the Gordon Douglass Boat Co., Inc., 3rd & Omar, Oakland, Md. Fred Rowe from Chicago to Frisco (2060 Pacific Ave.). How about a letter, Fred, to tell us all about it? Some MISCELLANY, Too.
Bob and Pensé Cleary have announced the engagement of their daughter Susan to William Ray Garratt, of San Francisco. They plan to marry after she graduates from Smith, this June. Bob writes that Ritchie and Betty Smith played an important role in the romance, when Susie visited them in 'Frisco last Summer. "Rip" Pillsbury reports that he is still living in Amesbury, Mass., and is General Production Foreman for CBS-Hytron in Newburyport. Hytron is a subsidiary of the Columbia Broadcasting System, and is a manufacturer of electronic tubes. Jim Oberlander was guest speaker at the Christmas Social of the Wesleyan Alumni Club of Chicago. In case you've forgotten, Jim was a football coach at Wesleyan in 1933 and 1934. (We believe he also went out for football at Dartmouth.) We made a New Year's resolution to print not one word about CourtneyBrown or George Champion . . . unless the news in question was FRONT PAGE. So look what happens! The Jan. 21 issue of "Investor's Reader" goes and gives George a front-cover picture and feature story... from which we quote a few small excerpts:
Leaning back from the large walnut desk in his paneled, red-draped inner sanctum, George Champion smiled, admitted: "I always had banking in the back of my mind but I had no idea I'd end up in this position." The position is president and a chief executive officer of $8.3 billion-assets Chase Bank, which ranks second only to California's state-wide Bank of America among all the nation's banks.
Illinois-born Champion acted on the prompting in the back of his mind as soon as he graduated from Dartmouth in 1926. He went to work for New York's National Bank of Commerce, three years later joined the Equitable Trust Company; when Equitable merged with Chase National Bank in 1930 he continued as an assistant cashier. In 1931 George Champion went South as a vice president of New Orleans' Canal Bank & Trust Company. But two years later he returned to Chase as second vice president for the Southeastern district. Working his way up through the vice presidential hierarchy he became a full vp in 1939, a senior vp in 1949 and an executive vice president when Chase merged the Bank of the Manhattan Company in 1955. Two years later he moved up to president.
He can however find time for such worthy but relaxing functions as entertaining newsboys from his hometown of Bloomington, Ill. He spends many hours on civic and industry tasks. He is president of the Association of Reserve City Bankers, holds important posts in five other major banking groups. He serves as a director of American Smelting & Refining, Southern Railway, Travelers Insurance Companies, Discount Corp. of New York, is a trustee of Tuskegee Institute, holds membership in some ten business and social clubs. In his rare spare time president Champion relaxes with golf or bridge, sometimes in the company of another golf & bridge-loving chief executive, Dwight David Eisenhower.
To close this rather heavy column on a light note ... we are pleased to announce that, thanks to a generous donation by a '26 benefactor who wishes to remain anonymous, a "like new" 1926 freshman cap will be awarded to the '26-er with the most grandchildren. You can enter this contest for yourself, or as the "sponsor" of .some worthy-butmodest classmate of your acquaintance. If the man you sponsor is the winner, the prize will be split (length-wise) between you.
Secretary, 9301 Hamlin Ave., Evanston, Ill.
Treasurer, 6 Stanwich Rd., Greenwich, Conn.
Bequest Chairman,
