1904's "Grand" 55th
There is plenty of "Go" left in the men of the Class of 1904, evidenced by the fact that 27 of them "got up and went" to our fifty-fifth reunion at Hanover, including Bascom Brayton, 84 years old, from Idaho Falls, Idaho, Major Sharpe, 79, from Monterey, Calif, (his first reunion); Bull Turner from St. Louis, Johnny Fletcher from Chattanooga, Tenn.; Johnny Watson from Cleveland; and Tom Streeter from Morristown, N. J. The other 21 members present never took Horace Greeley's advice; they remained in New England. From Maine: Ike Maynard, Herbie Andrews, Charlie Tubbs; New Hampshire: Edge, Al Terrien, Sid, Rosie, Bill Slayton; Vermont: Daniel Webster, Myron, and "Oh Wing"; Massachusetts: Squid, Ike Charron, Matt, Robbie, Sex, Jimmy Walker, Carl, Beck; Rhode Island: Pat Manning; Connecticut: Frank Doonan.
The reunion committee, Rollins, Rollins, and Rollins, did a lot of planning and really did a fine job in our behalf. Most of the men and their wives were housed in Fayer-weather Hall. Badges with our names on them greatly assisted classmates in identifying each other. While Heart and Spirit never change, faces do. Most all the classmates had arrived by Friday afternoon. We gathered at headquarters, where Sid had provided the cup that cheers and Sally the snacks, and we had a delightful party together. At seven o'clock we all met at Thayer Hall for a family dinner party. Our wives were there in force: Ellen Hinman, Marie Witham, Ruth Streeter, Geneva Webster, Mary Sexton, Louise Rollins, Anna Tubbs, Ida Charron, Marion Lampee, Ann Manning, Fanny Walker, Marion Woods, Augusta Fletcher, Lucy Maguire, Bertha Edgerly, Sally Johnson and the guest o£ Sally and Beck, our good friend and neighbor from Lenox, Mass., Roberta Hollings-worth. It was a nice dinner, no speeches, just a happy family dinner party enjoyed by all present.
After the dinner many of the wives attended the Glee Club Concert at Webster Hall. The men all gathered at headquarters and the reunion really began in earnest. Beck had brought his two volumes of snapshots, nearly 2500 pictures of the Class from 1900 to June 1958, the 1904 Aegis, the 1904 graduating class book, his 50th reunion report and two volumes of his scrapbooks covering the doings of classmates for the past five years. There was plenty to see and talk about. It was a grand "bull session." When the ladies returned from the concert they joined us for a nightcap. Taps sounded at midnight.
Saturday morning after breakfast, all gathered at St. Thomas Episcopal Church at 9:30 for our memorial service, which was conducted by our classmate, The Rev. Canon Charlie Tubbs. Matt sang most beautifully the song he has so often sung at our services, "Oh Love That Wilt Not Let Me Go." The Lesson was read by Charlie then Beck read the roll call of all members of the class who had passed on since 1954. As each name was read he gave a brief sketch of the career of each classmate. He stated that of the 201 men who had entered with the class in the fall of 1900, together with twelve classmates who joined us later, 137 men had passed on. Of the 127 men who had received their degrees in June 1904, 45 were now living.
As Secretary, Beck had written to nearly every widow of classmates informing them of the hour and the place of our service, and all who could not be present joined us in spirit and were deeply grateful they could be part of the memorial service:
"We gave thanks to the gracious powers above from all mankind that singled us, and poured the pearl of friendship in the cup that kindly mingled us, and bound us in a wreath of flowers with hoops of.steel knit under it, nor time nor space nor chance nor change nor death himself shall sunder it."
After the service we all gathered in front of Dartmouth Hall for the class picture. Most all who attended the reunion are in the picture. The afternoon was spent by classmates with visits to the Library and various parts of the campus. To most of us the face of Dartmouth College has been so lifted we hardly recognized the College of our day. With assets of nearly fifty million dollars and a campaign to raise seventeen million more, Dartmouth may be a small college but it looked big to us.
We left the campus proud that it had been, and still is, our privilege to share in the history and traditions of the College from which we graduated and which we love. Five-thirty Saturday evening we gathered again at headquarters for refreshments and visits with each other. Jack Childs '09 came in with his banjo and enlivened the party, with music and song. Everybody was happy. Then the ladies went down to the Inn for their dinner party and at seven all 27 men gathered at Thayer Hall for our class dinner. Sid presided, he made his report as president of the class with a few appropriate remarks. He steamrolled the election of class officers by by-passing a nominating committee, got himself re-elected along with all the rest of the officers: Beck, Secretary; Tom, Treasurer; and the executive committee whoever they may be, nobody knew. Then Beck read letters and telegrams from nearly every member of the class who could not be present, a great example of class loyalty. It was wonderfully gratifying to hear from so many classmates. The deep sincerity and expressions of loyalty to the college and to the men of 1904 wherever they may be touched us all. Beck read also many notes from the widows of classmates who could not be present. Their tribute to the College and to the memory of husbands, now passed on, made all of us feel how deeply they too love Dartmouth and members of the Class of 1904. Sid called on every man present for a word and all responded. The spell of the Dartmouth Spirit hovered over all of us.
Last fall at our round-up at the Algonquin Club in Boston, Al Terrien made the suggestion that it would be fitting to give Beck some token of the appreciation of the class for his services as Secretary. A committee was appointed of Albert, Robbie, and Sexton Albert took the floor to present to Beck a beautiful silver tray engraved with the sentiments of the class for Beck and Sally. It is a lovely gift, they both are very proud to receive it and take this opportunity to thank each member of the class for the gracious thought of them. The dinner ended with singing "Men of Dartmouth" and a Wah Hoo Wah for Dartmouth and the Class of 1904. A few hardy souls then went around the corner to the tomb of Eleazar Wheelock. It wasn't quite midnight by the Dartmouth clock but we carried out the tradition of the Class for a visit to his tomb, sang a verse of "Eleazar Wheelock" and then all headed back to headquarters for a wee nip and to bid goodbye to some of the men who were leaving for home early in the morning.
Sunday dawned cold and windy. Only a few braved the long session of sitting in the cold in front of Baker Library for the graduation exercises. By Monday morning only a handful of the class were left in Hanover. Our fifty-fifth reunion was over. It was a grand reunion. We are grateful it was our privilege to have been present. May the Great Master keep you all in health, comfort, and cheer. See you in 1964.
CLASS SECRETARY
