1894's 65th
The reunion - the fourteenth in our history - was attended by 53 people, broken down as follows:
Classmates 7, Wives 3, Honorary members & husband 2, Widows 7, Sons 6, Sons' wives 6, Daughters 10, Daughters' husbands 4, Grandchildren 5, Friends 3.
The first and third days may be briefly described. The beginning was the arrival at the Inn on Friday at 11:45 a.m. of the secretary and his wife who immediately got into action by setting up a '94 registration table in the Inn lobby. Before the afternoon was over five of the seven members of the Class (with their "caretakers") had arrived.
Though invited, none of the Class marched in the Commencement procession on Sunday morning, but two of us, with proper chaperonage, attended the Commencement exercises in spite of all the weather's inclemency, and survived to tell the tale. This writer feels that the address of Charles H. Malik, president of the General Assembly of the United Nations, and representing the Lebanon Nation in that body, was one of the most pertinent ever given at Dartmouth Commencement, and perhaps the very best given at any college commencement in 1959. It would seem that a particularly interesting group had been selected for the honorary degree ceremony, and President Dickey, noted for his citation adeptness, was never more happy than on this occasion. On the whole the College adequately celebrated our 65th Reunion by the kind of Commencement it had!
Now for the Big Day - Saturday. Actually it began with more or less rain, but we youngsters didn't mind that. For example, we went right ahead with our business meeting. The first action there was the refusal to accept the resignation of our Class Treasurer at the end of forty years of service. We decided that he must serve until the end of the chapter, and so appointed Lloyd L. Parker '24, a son of the Class, as Assistant Treasurer, upon whom the Treasurer can devolve as much of his duties as he desires. The second action worth noting was the election to the Executive Committee of representatives of the "distaff side" of our Class, of our sons, and of our daughters. The roster of officers who will take care of Class affairs during the coming quinquennium is therefore as follows:
Class Chairman and Chairman of Executive Committee, Philip S. Marden; Secretary, Charles C. Merrill; Treasurer, William M. Ames; Assistant Treasurer, Lloyd L. Parker '24; Class Agent, Kent Knowlton; Members at large, (wife) Mrs. Albert M. Lyon, (son) Robert P. Burroughs '21, (daughter) Mrs. Sumner G. (Catharine Jones) Babcock.
At the Memorial Service the names of the twelve wives who have died during the past five years were read and of them the Secretary (who conducted the service) spoke from personal knowledge in saying that "each one of these felt it a privilege to be a member of the '94 Family and made her contribution to our comradeship." Brief sketches were given of the six men who have left us since our Sixtieth - namely, Decker Field, Ben Welton, William Gibbon, who died in 1956; Herman Lovejoy and Frederick Martyn, who died in 1957; and B. A. Smalley, who died in 1958. This meant that 35% of our living members had gone. This was 10% less than during the previous quinquennium. It was remarked that if the percentage between now and our Seventieth should go down another 10% we would have eight men living at that time.
The traditional "Class Dinner," or "Banquet" as it is sometimes called, was for us a luncheon this year - this in order to permit nearby people to come and go the same day and also because it seemed the most suitable time for a group composed partly of octogenarians to get together. It was held in the main dining-room of the Dartmouth Outing Club, than which no better place could have been found. The College outdid itself in providing a luscious chicken dinner, charging us only a token price.
Phil Marden, as Class Chairman, presided, and under his guiding hand there was no lack of movement from start to finish. First the Class Roll was called, and the six men present - Stone, Parker, Colby, Merrill, Knowlton, Marden (John Cassin, the oldest, attended only the Memorial Service) - responded concisely. Greetings that had been received from the four absentees (Ames, Grover, Hall, Bushee) were shared with the group. They all had good reasons for not being with us but we knew they were verymuch with us in spirit. "Eddie" Grover had been hoping to come until within a week. He is our Class Poet and sent a composite of his previous poems, naming it "Fragments." This was read by Lloyd Parker. In the case of "Billy" Ames, his daughter, Natalie Ames Prentice, was called forward as her father's representative and to her in behalf of the Class the Chairman presented a silver bowl in recognition of Billy's forty years as Class Treasurer and of his approaching ninetieth birthday. Mrs. "Bud" Lyon responded for the wives of the Class, absent and present; Miss Ruth Sawyer for the daughters; and "Bob" Burroughs for the sons. The Class considered itself highly fortunate that two grandsons were graduating at this Commencement and were glad to have them come away from the Alumni Luncheon and speak in behalf of the grandsons of the Class. They were Edgar Turner Jr., grandson of "Ajax" Rollins, and Ira Gordon Colby III. grandson of Don Colby.
Perhaps the other College class to which '94 has been closest is '99. Joe Gannon felicitously brought their greetings. On invitation, '94 Secretary reciprocated by taking greetings to the '99 Dinner Saturday evening.
'Ninety-four has been proud that the niece of our "Billy" Ford, Charlotte Ford Morrison, has been the highly efficient Alumni Recorder of the College for 35 years. Long ago we made her an honorary member. She responded in her usual adequate way to what might be called a "Toast to the College," and when she was through we were much better informed about what has been and is going on in Hanover.
We regretted that President Dickey was detained, but were happy to have Vice President Hicks greet us individually before the luncheon.
So ended what beforehand we called the "Big Day." Without doubt it will always be "big" in the memories of those who were there. Perhaps it helped the older members of the Class Family the better to face the future in the spirit of the last four lines of Emerson's "Terminus" -
Lowly faithful, banish fear, Right onward drive unharmed; The port, well worth the cruise, is near, And every wave is charmed.
Al Munro '59, attackman, was named to theRalph S. Bartlett '89 of Boston, being escorted by Green Key members, was back forhis 70th Reunion and was the senior alumnus present for Commencement Weekend.
The Class of 1894 Family at its 65th Reunion during the Commencement Weekend.
CLASS SECRETARY
