1944's Fifteenth Fiesta

I guess the best testimony to the success of the Fifteenth Fiesta was that we went broke. Obviously all the action took place in the '44 tent and the neighboring classes moved in and drank us into the red.

Needle Allen's lottery and auction was a dandy. The giant prize was a '29 Reo coupe with a rumble seat in mint condition which the Needle wheeled up from New Jersey. Gentleman farmer Fred Daley was the lucky winner. Bob McLaughry (our new class Chairman) won the set of Royal Worcester China which was donated by Ray Zrike;Chuck Rendigs' $400 Dior creation was won by Paul Cray; Dr. Monte Duval, who was unable to attend, was kind enough to offer for auction one free appendectomy, one free hemorrhoidectomy, and one free circumcision. This created some spirited bidding, with the circumcision winner vainly trying to unload his good fortune on a ticket for the Dior dress. Joe Vancisin won the Evans velocipede donated by Boog McLoud, and Ez Hale who has a staff of some thirty-odd lawyers working for him won the one hour's free legal counsel donated by Buck Mansfield. Ez donated $175 worth of law books. Kindly Bucky Brandt donated a year's supply of toilet tissue. There were a raft of other extraordinary prizes like a printing press, vacuum cleaner, sewing machine, mammoth jars of aspirin, etc.

The weather, I understand, left something to be desired but Haffenreffer's beer nullified any problems there. Dick Ranger in his suecessful selection of musical talent is possibly most responsible for attracting the sundry beer drinkers to the '44 tent. Dancing honors went to Bill Orr and Gloria Schoenhut who, I understand, cut a mean carpet. There was a bit of personal savagery when, after Pinky Corroon and Marty Shea checked into the Hanover Inn, there were distributed hundreds of printed invitations reading "Open House ... Friday and Saturday, after midnite ... Owl's Nest (our room) Hanover Inn ... Please keep knocking if you don't receive a ready answer. We want to see you! (signed) Pinky Corroon, Marty Shea." Pinky and Marty were forced to flee for their lives and seek asylum in Keene's.

The class business meeting was well attended. Bob McLaughry was elected Chairman, other incumbent officers were retained and poor Phil Penberthy fainted. The following were elected to the executive committee: Barr, Shea, Brandt, Simpson, Bill Barrett, Al Barrett, Bruce Thompson, Craig, Mayberry, Edwards, and Eckels.

George Kent and his son came all the way from Phoenix; Max Edwards blew in from Hobbs, N. M., and the Sterling Suddarths came from Cheyenne, Wyo.

There were a lot of Ohs and Ahs about Jim Browning's lovely house on Rope Ferry Road where the Sunday brunch was held. And I understand Wemo Epply's new home on Rip Road up Balch Hill way is rather extraordinary with a marvelous view of the Hanover Plain. I am pleased to report that Dottie Glines kept the car keys safely away from Chucker T. and no Hanover trees were demolished this year.

Belying their years, those in attendance were a most spirited group indeed and maintained stimulating sensible conversations until five A.M. each morning. Bob Hirschfield elected to bring his golfing companion from Bay City, Jack McKinnon, rather than his wife. All of which created some confusion in the Hanover Inn where Jack (now an honorary member of the class) was known as Mrs. Hirschfield, a handle readily picked up by all concerned. So now we have a Mrs. Hirschfield in the class.

In all, the Reunion couldn't have been better. Everything went off without a hitch. Special thanks are due Phil Penberthy and his platoon. A marvelous job!

P.S. Helen Welch kept the money in her purse this year and was actually smiling at Sperk on Sunday afternoon.

Class of 1944 Attendance List

Mr. and Mrs. Robert D. Allen, Mr. and Mrs. Allen M. Barrett, Dr. and Mrs. Franklin C. Behrle, Mr. and Mrs. Alex L. Bensinger, Mr. and Mrs. James R. Bodine, Mr. and Mrs. Herbert A. Brandt, Phillip H. Brown, Dr. and Mrs. David A. Brown, Dr. and Mrs. Russell S. Burdge, Mr. and Mrs. Hardwick Caldwell Jr., Mr. and Mrs. H. Bradley Campbell, J. Stanley Carter, Mr. and Mrs. R. C. Colwell and children, Mr. and Mrs. Malcolm D. Corner, Mr. and Mrs. J. "William Craig Jr., Mr. and Mrs. Frederick M. Daley Jr., Mr. and Mrs. Harry R. Davis, Mr. and Mrs. Richard A. Davis, Dr. and Mrs. James S. Deakins, Mr. and Mrs. John M. Denison, Mr. and Mrs. J. C. Donnelly and children, Mr. and Mrs. Daniel J. Donovan, Mr. and Mrs. H. Thomas Douglas Ill, Carleton G. Eldridge Jr., Mr. and Mrs. John R. Englehorn, Mr. and Mrs. Donald D. Evans, Mr. and Mrs. William A. Fead, William O. Foye, Mr. and Mrs. William E. Gatlin, Mr. and Mrs. Fred Graf, Mr. and Mrs. Bradford D. Grinnell, Mr. and Mrs. John M. Haffenreffer, Mr. and Mrs. Merle E. Hagen, Mr. and Mrs. James S. Hardigg, Mr. and Mrs. Raymond L. Hensler, Mr. and Mrs. Carroll L. Holman, Mr. and Mrs. John M. Hughes, Mr. and Mrs. Russell D. Isner Jr., Mr. and Mrs. Charles C. Jack, Mr. and Mrs. Warren Leopold, Mr. and Mrs. Richard G. Lesser, Mr. and Mrs. John S. Lovewell, Mr. and Mrs. William H. McElnea Jr., Mr. and Mrs. Frank J. Martell, Mr. and Mrs. Richard E. Mayberry, Mr. and Mrs. Thomas M. Miner, Dr. and Mrs. Harry R. Morse, John J. Murphy, Anne LaVigne, Mr. and Mrs. Karl R. Musser, Mr. William Orr 11, Mr. and Mrs. Fred H. Page Jr., Mr. & Mrs. Willis M. Partridge Jr., Mr. & Mrs. Arthur A. Peabody, Mr. and Mrs. Philip E. Penberthy, Mr. and Mrs. L. Donald Pfeifle, Dr. & Mrs. Charles W. Pierce, Walter Prosser, Mr. and Mrs. Richard L. Ranger, Dr. and Mrs. Charles. D. J. Regan, Mr. and Mrs. Charles C. Richardson, Mr. and Mrs. Ralph A. Rieth Jr., R. E. Robbins, Mr. and Mrs. John C. Roberts, Mr. and Mrs. Irl W. Rose II, Mr. and Mrs. Arthur D. Saul Jr., Mr. and Mrs. Louis D. Savage, Mr. and Mrs. Harry E. Schoenhut Jr., Mr. and Mrs. Charles H. Schumacher, Mr. and Mrs. Ralsey B. Scofield, Mr. and Mrs. Dale R. Sisson, Mr. & Mrs. Charles V. Spallino, Mr. and Mrs. David M. Spencer, Mr. and Mrs. W. F. Sporleder, Mr. & Mrs. George S. Springsteen Jr., Mr. and Mrs. Sterling B. Suddarth, Mr. and Mrs. Warren Sullivan, Dr. & Mrs. Richard T. Sweet, Mr. and Mrs. Robert J. Tompa, Mr. and Mrs. R. N. Tarlow and children, Mr. and Mrs. Winslow Turner, John F. Tyler, Mr. and Mrs. Joseph R. Vancisin, Dr. & Mrs. Gordon van den Noort, Dr. and Mrs. W. S. Walters and sons, Mr. and Mrs. D. W. Warner and children, Mr. and Mrs. W. C. Welch, Mr. and Mrs. Whitcomb Wells, Mr. and Mrs. Richard A. Whiting, Mr. and Mrs. D. B. Wrisley and children, Stanley Barr, David Blair, James Browning and wife, John A. Corroon, Thomas Close, Robert Conroy and wife, Nicholas Daukas, Alfred Densmore and wife, Max Edwards, William Epply and wife, Roger Feldman and wife, William Hale, Robert Hirschneld George Kent and wife, Robert McLaughry and wife, Malcolm McLoud and wife, John Maguire, William Marsh and wife, Richard Murchie, Allen Myers and wife, Robert Myers, T. Howard Price and wife, Charles Rendigs, George Sawyer, Martin Shea, Raymond Zrike and wife.

Its class meeting completed with dispatch, 1944 then marched to the campus bleachers for this pictorial memento.

CLASS SECRETARY