1952

This day was bound to come. If I were to call this month's column "News in a Nutshell," I'd be shunned by every squirrel in Hanover. Since I'm rather fond of the town's bushy-tailed crowd, I'll just state openly that news items are a scarcity this month.

First let me clean out the files on the news I do have, then a line or two on 1952 and its members as we get set to move into our eighth alumni year.

The big news item is on the action taken by the brokerage firm of Nugent & Igoe of East Orange, N. J., in admitting Jack Unkles to the firm as a general partner. Jack first became associated with the firm in 1956. Jack went with the First National City Bank of New York after graduation, then served a hitch with the Coast Guard before joining Nugent & Igoe. Jack and Jane live in Morris Township, N. J., and have two sons.

Larry Stern has left his post as editor of the Sales Executive and public relations director for the Sales Executives Club of New York to become placement manager with Dun-Rite Placement Agency, same city. Larry is working on the placement of men on all levels, from trainees to executives, in the sales, marketing and public relations fields. Anyone looking for a job?

Captain Ray Alexanian has dropped the military title for plain Dr. and is now with the King County Hospital in Seattle, Wash.

Another doctor, Burt Russman, has shifted operations from Chicago to Cincinnati (1613 Asman Avenue).

Brooke Taylor is still a Californian but he's gone north to San Francisco (2516 Octavia Street).

Our world-traveling reunion chairman Bob Binswanger has once again made news, this time in the Philadelphia, Penna., Bulletin. Bob, although he teaches at Deerfield, still manages to march each year with the Murray Comic Club in the Mummers' Parade. According to the Bulletin, Bob is the only Dartmouth alumnus ever to strut up Broad Street with the Mummers. He makes his own costumes.

That concludes the news available before deadline. Now for some observations on a seven-year Dartmouth class. The general impression I have gained through correspondence, visits with classmates in various Eastern communities and informative items that come to the Alumni Records Office and to me is that we have reached a "settling" stage.

What substantiates this? First, the pattern of family moving. Within the past year the proportion of changes of addresses has shifted markedly from long distance to local moves. Where more than half the address changes reported a year ago were for cross country moves, now four out of five are for new homes in the same communities. This shows, I believe, that we have passed through the phase of shopping around for a career and have selected vocational fields (and the employers through whom we seek to satisfy our ambitions). Thus established, at least for a semi-permanent period, there is more inclination to purchase homes and become part of one particular community.

Contributing to this are the statistical facts that show that the great majority of '52 men have long since completed their service responsibilities to Uncle Sam and have taken on new responsibilities to their own family units.

The sharp decrease in the report of new children also may be part of this time of settling in career, family and community environments. This "settling" is to be expected, of course, but the question that arises is this: "Has this leveling off affected our intellectual curiosity, our zeal for becoming involved in affairs not directly connected with home or office?" If you'd like to comment on this, I'd like to see it, and I'm sure others in the class would be interested in your views too.

Two '52 attorneys, Bob Medvecky (1) and Ed Blair, get together in New Haven at the 200th Anniversary Development Campaign meeting to mix shop and Dartmouth talk.

Secretary, 5 South Park St., Hanover, N. H.

Class Agent, 1435 Lexington Ave., New York 28, N. Y.