1900
It has been authentically established that the 1900 Florida contingent was increased by two over the number reported in the March issue of the MAGAZINE. About the middle of February Ben Prescott and Arthur Wallace set out by automobile from snowbound New Hampshire to seek relief from winter in the hoped-for balmy climate of Florida. They expected to make their general headquarters in the vicinity of St. Petersburg. With the arrival of these two reliables of the 1900 clan, the number of classmates in the sunshine state was eight, or approximately 36 percent of the living members. Here was a heavensent opportunity to arrange a pre-reunion roundup; a chance to flex our mental muscles in preparation for our 6oth reunion in June.
Your . secretary was delighted to receive Christmas greetings from Mrs. Mary Stickney Branliere, sister of` Bill Stickney. She speaks of her life abroad for many years and now in a small Vermont country town as quite uneventful. In the minds of some of us there might be a question about this. In one way or another, for each individual, life in a for-eign country has interesting and unique significance nificance. In her note, Mrs. Branliere emphasized her enduring loyalty to the class of 1900 and of the abiding influence Dr. Tucker had on the students of Dartmouth during his tenure as President. I know that we of 1900 count it a great privilege to have been a part of that group of students who enjoyed his gracious and inspiring leadership. The impress of his vigorous, vital personality is still a part of us. I well remember his word of advice to us on graduation. "Gentlemen," he said, "make a good newspaper your future textbook; identify yourselves with some unpopular, righteous cause."
Lena Fletcher, Pete Fletcher's wife, very appropriately, I am sure, spends the winters in Winter Park, Fla. Here certainly she must bask in the warm intellectual and cultural glow of Rollins College. Her summers are spent at Stinson Lake near Rumney, N.H. She rents her cottages on the lake to a fine group of teachers and musicians. Lena is evidently in good health and enjoys life to the full. She admits to an occasional visit to call on friends in Hanover.
Harold Hastings sent me greetings on a card showing a fine old Connecticut house in a snow setting which is a reminder of the lovely pictures one encounters during a New England winter. Harold says he thinks his daughter Mary was in New Delhi, India, at the time of the Eisenhower visit. If so, she was undoubtedly one of the great crowd in the capital city of India which greeted "Ike" in such a genuine and enthusiastic manner. Harold claims he has to be a bit careful of himself. On pleasant days he gets out for his customary walk. He very much hopes to be in shape to attend our class reunion in June.
Arthur Roberts gives his hearty approval of and general agreement with the 1959 Christmas Letter. However, honest man that he is, he feels impelled to check the ebullient enthusiasm of the author. He takes a kindly exception to two statements in the letter. Very fortunately for one of these the writer of the letter is not responsible. Arthur, while paying tribute to Thomas Jefferson, aims a critical shaft at the Great American Declaration. He writes: "Much as I revere Jefferson, I'm sorry the absurd phrase "Pursuit of happiness" ever got into the Declarations; the deleted word "property" was better. And as for "equality," it doesn't exist, even in algebra. What we need is more high quality." I believe most of us would say "Amen" to that statement. Arthur, too, is a little wary about "the youthful state of mind; for I long since adopted maturity as a goal and that left much that was youthful in the discard." As a rejoinder, I may say that I was taking a potshot not at the errant meanderings of the youthful mind, its lack of manners and responsibility, but at the tendency of oldsters to drop into the stodginess of old age. On this point Arthur and I would surely be in agreement.
Secretary, 3 Pleasant St., Hanover, N.H.
Class Agent, 34 Carruth St., Dorchester, Mass.
