1923
The reunion of 1923 at the Sumner Sollitt farm in South Haven, Mich., surpassed all previous reunions by all measurements. The weather was perfect, temperature in the upper 70s. There were 29 present. These included Tru and Bunny Metzel, Irish and Alice Flanigan, Jules and Carol Ripple, Cark and Mary Williams, Bill and Dottie Kimball, Sam and Mim Home, Chet and Barbara Bixby, Warren and Marion Cook, Shunt and Eugenie Turnbull and son Mike, Vine Baldwin, Bob Maxwell, Major Bird, Art Everett, Bill Juergens, Ted Swartzbaugh, Bud and Connie Freeman and the hosts Sum and Bettye Sollitt. Terresa and Francis were busy every minute in the kitchens, and what cooks they are. Clem was everywhere, chauffeuring, picking peaches, broiling steaks and transporting scotch. Eric Linton, entertainer, our one man orchestra from Chicago, kept everything jumping Saturday night. Irish and Terresa danced the shardas.
The croquet ground and nine hole golf course located amidst the apple and peach trees were the busiest places in the daytime. Bob Maxwell, Sam Home and Clem each went the rounds with 33 strokes. They were the champs. Others would have pressed them if they hadn't run afoul so many fruit trees. Karl and the secretary rode Lassie and Barby respectively on Saturday and Sunday. Saturday's ride was uneventful. Sunday's saw the secretary neatly displaced from the saddle onto the ground. Just a few scratches and aches and pains were the result.
The water in the Sollitt pool being 71 degrees tempted a few hardy souls. Everybody admired the new rose garden. The bridge tables were busy.
Sum had a problem keeping the bar staffed and loaded and Bettye protecting her gold fish from Events' Cocker Suki.
The list of our sons of 1923 in College is growing smaller. We still have four young men and we are proud of them. They are: Ford A. Daley '61, who lives at the Chi Phi house. Ford is the son of our late Classmate Wilbur. Austin C. Eaton Jr., '62, son of Austin C. Eaton. Richard R. Hertzberg '62, who lives at 210 Lord, is the son of Reinhold Hertzberg. Charles W. Rivorie Jr., '62, who lives at 208 South Mass, is the son of Charlie Rivorie.
If the September 26 issue of Life magazine is still in your library open it up to page 30, and take a long look at the motel at the bottom of the page. This is what is left of Stuie Knight's motel at Marathon on the Florida Keys after Donna blew in and through.
In a recent issue of Ayer, Massachusetts' newspaper, Public Spirit, a front page article appears concerning the Hopkins Family. The title of this is - Three Generations of Family Doctors serve Ayer since 1899.
Our classmate Edward Hopkins is the son of Dr. Bertrand H. Hopkins. Ed's son, Bertrand B. Hopkins, is associated with his father.
Ed went to the University of Pennsylvania Medical College, graduating in 1926; spent one summer on the Boston Floating Hospital and two years as an intern at Episcopal Hospital in Philadelphia. It was while he was serving a six weeks' obstetrical internship that he met a Dr. McLean who was also an intern. This Dr. McLean subsequently was invited to Ayer to see what New England was like. Subsequently, this same doctor married Ed's sister, Caroline Hopkins, and became associated with the Hopkins family in the general practice of medicine.
Ed married a nurse, Dorothy Jubb of Shirley. They have four sons, two of whom have followed their father into the medical profession.
Howard Emerson recently represented Dartmouth at the inauguration ceremonies of Dr. Andrew Holt, new President of the University of Tennessee. Howard is a full professor at this university and in addition is head of the Industrial Engineering Department. Howard says he didn't realize how old Dartmouth was until he found his place near the front of the long inaugural procession.
One of the earlier deaths in our class was that of Walt Jones. Recently his widow Florence, now Mrs. B. N. Anderson, writes that Walter Jr. went to Andover, Cornell and now where he is starting work on his Ph.D. in astrophysics. Daughter Marcia spent two years at the University of Wisconsin, finished at Johns Hopkins, and is now starting work on her doctor's degree there - at the same time continuing her work in an electronics lab at the University. After getting his master's degree in science at M.I.T. in 1925, Walter associated himself with Western Electric in La Grange, Ill
Word comes out of Cleveland that the wedding of Karen Forbush, oldest daughter of Peg and our late classmate Tex Forbush, took place in middle August. Also that the Ray Barkers and Vic Cannons have been in Europe, following the footsteps of the Caswells, Rices, Metzels, Landauers and goodness knows how many '23 couples.
The election on June 15 of Charlie Zimmerman as life trustee of Dartmouth College has already been noted in the MAGAZINE. Its importance rates this announcement high in our class history. Charlie occupies the #1 spot in 1923 and always will. We are proud he has been selected to succeed the late Beardsley Ruml to this all important trusteeship. In April he was also elected to the Board of Directors of the Phoenix Insurance Co. and The Connecticut Fire Insurance Co. to fill the vacancy created by the resignation of his old friend Peter M. Fraser.
Henry Allen wrote from Monrovia, Liberia, that on May 12, he accepted a position as staff physician at the Carrie V. Dyer Child Health and Maternity Center in that city. This is a 100-bed institution. He found this a very interesting tour of duty, the experience was far-reaching and many new vistas were opened to him. An attack of malaria forced him to return to the States in late summer and the Aliens are now located in Prentis, Miss., Route 3, B 24.
Preston W. (Brick) Pennell, who retired from the Congregational Ministry last spring, has purchased a home in Winthrop, Me., and is now busy enlarging and fixing it up.
Reub Winchester, who prides himself on his ability to disregard all direct-mail communications after many years in direct mail and other advertising work himself, finally succumbed to your secretary's wedding anniversary letter.
Reub wrote:
"We saved so much on the anniversary dinner that we dedicated the savings to the Bixby anniversary card and sent a modest, last-minute check to the Alumni Fund."
Eddie Rowe proudly announces his first grandchild. His oldest daughter Noel had a baby girl, Cheryl Lynn Wilson, on May 5, i960.
Phil Bowker writes from his new home in Coral Ridge Isles, Fort Lauderdale, Fla., where he is enjoying his retirement from a long and strenuous political career in Massachusetts.
Wilma, the German Wine Queen, greeting two U.S. Air Force generals, Walter Miller '22 (1) and Roy Hatch '37 (r), on their inspection trip of the Rheingau wineries. Both men are on a European tour of duty.
Secretary, 170 Washington St. Haverhill, Mass.
Treasurer, 960 Longmeadow St., Longmeadow, Mass.
