Progress Report from Ken Turner '28

To the ALUMNI MAGAZINE office from time to time come letters asking for the name and address of the Dartmouth man who, crippled by polio, has undertaken to make his own way by running a magazine subscription agency at his home. Whether our readers remember the name of Ken Turner '28 or not, they have a deep interest in how he is doing, and the MAGAZINE has been pleased to print his progress reports. Here is the latest, dated March 1959:

DEAR FRIENDS:

With another year on the books — in black ink - we feel it's time to report to you, our stockholders. Well, it's a little like that, except that our stockholders have invested without expectation of gain, unless it be the personal satisfaction of helping a polio-stricken family to new hope and happiness. We are always mindful of how much easier it might be for most of you to place your subscriptions closer to home. That's why we're grateful, why we use this way of telling you so.

There's good news! 1958 was the best yet, with a 25% increase in both units and value of subscriptions over the previous year. Orders from new customers during the year averaged close to ten weekly! Two highlights came just before Christmas; first, 75 Fortune gift subscriptions from a prominent corporation, followed by another like single order for 65 Readers' Digests ... to make Santa Claus quite as real for adults as for children at the T's of T. C.

Since the beginning, in July of 1956, we have received over 5,000 individual orders. At present there are some 2,000 customers' names in our files, mostly all "regulars," about equally divided between Dartmouth alumni and non-alumni. Incidentally, over 30,000 pieces of first class mail, plus quite a few thousands of postcards, have gone out from our Agency in the last 2½ years.

As for the current year, we're off and running, and if attention to business, added "know-how" and superior service can do it, we expect to break another record. Our relations with publishers become ever more cordial as volume mounts. Our processing is becoming increasingly efficient. And grim determination to win and hold business on our own merits is our objective. That's why we urge you not to let personal consideration keep you from informing us of any service deficiencies, of bawling us out if it's coming to us. In addition to serving you well, we want you to feel you can recommend us to your friends with complete confidence.

Finally, we'd like you to visit us if it's at all possible. It has to be that way, of course, since our traveling is a bit limited. So we've included a map to show you that a number of New York state's arterial highways come close to Tomkins Cove. When you get into the vicinity, a call to us at Stony Point 6-3141 will simplify things — or ask anyone, because we're pretty well known hereabouts. Stop to say "hello," or for as long as you choose, but do stop. We don't know how to make this invitation stronger except to say we'd love to see you!

Thanks, too, for the wonderful notes and letters you send us - interesting, cheering, humorous, challenging. They bring sunshine and encouragement into our home.

Tomkins Cove, N.Y.