1937
At our 20th Reunion in June, '58, we elected Al Bryant Class Secretary for (at least) the next five years. He took the job under the condition that some of us would help him with a column once in a while. Others have done their stint, and now it is my privilege (?) to do so. Frankly, not having the slightest idea of how to go about it, I borrowed from another pro-tem secretary, Frank Danzig, who dreamed up a "West Coast Questionnaire," designed to stimulate some information, serious and otherwise, from those in the Pacific area. (The results were reported in last February's (1959) issue.) Now the job of getting information from our worthy classmates is tough! However this questionnaire seemed to stimulate people better than other means so I adopted it, applied certain statistical license, and sent it out to more than a hundred in the Metropolitan area.
Result? Bombsville!!! The response was terrific! Well over half answered, and about two-thirds of those included personal notes! Al tells me this is more information than he has had in two years! So - to begin with, thanks to Danzig for the idea, and many thanks to you who answered! (Even you who didn't like the questions sent in comments!) Perhaps this thing will spread across the country and keep Bryant supplied for ten years!
What did we learn? Well - a lot of things like: The Eastern contingent mostly wants to retire between 60 and 65, with a range all the way from 20 to 96 and four guys who said they would "never" quit (or maybe it was "be able" to do so). 90% are now married and have collectively 138 children. The record holder is Bill Leonard of CBS who has eight - all boys. He wrote that he had "just returned from eight weeks in the Dominican Republic filming a CBS Reports show on Trujillo - nary a Dartmouth man in sight. Two of my eight sons are now college age but have gone down the sinful roads to Yale and R.P.I. Six shots left." Also reports he saw Dr. Mike Wright in New York recently. Mike wrote us as well with some very good ideas for future information gathering.
A very nice note from Carl Gram - "Haven't seen a...soul in the class for months. My eleven-year-old girl placed third at Lake Placid in Eastern Figure Skating Championships. Anne, and three girls (eleven, nine, seven) and I are planning a month abroad, two and a half weeks of which we are going to spend in Egypt, up the Nile, etc., before the Aswan Dam floods everything..."
Jack Sheffield wrote, "While my New York address remains the same, I am now technically a resident of the Bahamas where we hope to be living the rest of our lives. Am in charge of the development of some 800,000 acres of Crown Lands, residentially and otherwise, on the Island of Andros." Thanks to Jack's wife, too. On his statement, she did all the writing.
Still more statistics: 55% think their families spend too much time looking at T.V., there are eighty sets amongst the sixty-odd who answered, six guys with none, and one man who says he has six! While I'm on this subject, for anybody who thinks radio is dead, of those reporting, 53 men own a grand total of 264. radios in homes and cars! What do they listen to? Particularly the guy who reported fourteen!
Mutt Ray commented, "Not much to report but the new job with Royal-McBee - especially the commuting, since it's just twenty minutes from home to office. Was in Hanover last weekend. Things look good, but it's hard to believe we've been out of that place for almost 24 years!" Speaking of Hanover, if a personal note is permitted, your substitute secretary and Friend Wife Fern spent Carnival weekend in Hanover ourselves. As you may know, we have a son in the Class of '62, and he asked us up. What a deal! Things looked about the same except for CBS all over the place, a different method of choosing the Queen, and no formal dances. We really had a fine time. You can also be sure this was one Carnival when I did behave myself! Incidentally, that question came up on our survey, and nearly 75% said they really believed after thinking it over, that they had behaved themselves at Carnival. I wonder how many tongues were in how many cheeks! At least one man wrote he had to say so because his wife was looking over his shoulder when he checked it off! In all sincerity, it was a good party.
More notes - Carl Noyes says, "Unfortunately your address file is out of date as I moved my family from New Jersey to Manchester, N.H., about a year ago. Therefore my results should not count in the survey." (I made a statistical correction, Carl.) "Had a pleasant get-together with Will Brown and wife at Pete McLane's house about two weeks ago. Will is in business for himself as a forestry consultant and also active in State Democratic circles, along with Tom McIntyre. Dick Cooper was in the bank today sporting a Texas style sombrero and pumping for next week's fifty dollar 'Dinner with Ike'."
Charley Blaisdell writes, "My son Charles Jr., is a junior in high school. Wants to go to Dartmouth in 1961. My daughter (younger) is heading for Wellesley. Terminated my law partnership in 1959 and am practicing with associates at my new offices at 230 Park Ave., N.Y. 17, N.Y. Have become very interested in oil and gas law as an adjunct to my general practice." Sectionalism is to be expected, I guess. Strangely enough, however, only 60% of the Easterners think the East is the best place in which to live. On the other hand, 85% favor the New York Giants and Charley Connerly; 91% think that Southern California is over-rated; and about that number are certain that New York and New Jersey winters aren't what they used to be - for which, I presume, they are grateful.
A long letter from Mai Merritt, Editor of "Modern Sanitation and Building Maintenance," in part,
The address you use is no longer current. I now live in New York in a minute apartment and I'm never there. (Address: 225 East 54 St., N. Y. 22, PLaza 1-5992) During the day and some nights I edit this magazine which I note lists your company's products in its annual Buyers Guide issue — coming up for February. Bill and Hannah Neuberger stop in to see me now and again for a quick Martini when they're in town from Hartford and come to New York to check the competition. Frank Robin and I have lunch when he's uptown or I'm downtown but actually, as you see, I don't come across much alumni news.... Thanks, Mal.
Art Munkenbeck has seen more people than anybody. He writes roughly as follows: "The other day I ran into (1) Molloy, (2) Clegg and (3) Don Boyle '38 who live in (1) Garden City, (2) New Jersey (Bound Brook, that is), and (3) Garden City. They are doing terrific jobs as (1) Lawyer, (2) Steamship Owner, and (3) Paper Salesman. See Bob Hahn - U.S. Manager, . North British and Mercantile Insurance Company, Marine Department. See Bud Griffin often. His son - Nick - was unable to get in Dartmouth - no preference given to sons of alumni, whereas Yale bends over backwards to take in alumni sons. Dartmouth should do the same. My oldest is eleven — my youngest is four. Let's get them in now!!"
Regards,
Secretary, 25 Old Stamford Rd. New Canaan, Conn.
Class Agent, 4285 N. Port Washington Rd. Milwaukee 12, Wis.
