Deaths
[A listing of deaths of which word has been receivedwithin the past month. Full notices may appear in thisissue or may appear in a later number.]
Philbrook, Edgar B. '86, Sept. 1955 Morgan, Wilfred B. '01, Apr. 3 Little, William O. B. '02, Apr. 22 Jackson, Andrew '03, Apr. 9 Marchand, George M. '05, Apr. 4 Howard, George H. '07, Apr. 17 Jordan, John H. '07, Dec. 8, 1959 Curtis, Don H. '10, Nov. 29, 1959 Veitch, Raymond W. '11, Apr. 16 Campbell, Vance C. '12, Apr. 21 Ruml, Beardsley '15, Apr. 18 Perkins, Lyman G. '16, Apr. 10 Cunningham, Bill '19, Apr. 17 Molla, John '23, Apr. 15 Knott, Robert C. '24, Feb. 26 Hart, Milton N. '25, Mar. 28 Allen, Paul S. '26, Apr. 30 Avery, George L. '26, Mar. 26 Cunningham, Arthur F. '26, Apr. 11 Freeman, Richard B. '35, Nov. 4, 1958 Bennett, Foster E. '46, Feb. 22 Kaulbach, Joseph '91m, Mar. 16, 1959 Sedgwick, Ellery, Litt.D. '21, Apr. 21 Longhurst, Maurice F., A.M. '24, Apr. 24 Lockwood, Harold J., A.M. '25, Apr. 15
Faculty
MAURICE FREDERIC LONGHURST, M.A. '24, Professor of Music Emeritus, died at Palm Beach, Florida, on April 24, after an illness of several months. He had lived in Florida since his retirement from the Dartmouth faculty in 1954 and was organist at the Bethesda Cathedral in Palm Beach.
Professor Longhurst was a central figure in the musical life of the College for 33 years. He came to Dartmouth in 1921 as Assistant Professor of Music and taught courses in theory and composition. But the classroom was only a small part of his musical contributions, which included directing the Handel Society Symphony Orchestra and Chorus, and also the Dartmouth College Band for many years until the music faculty was enlarged. Professor Longhurst directed the annual Dartmouth College Concert Series, which he inaugurated, and as College organist he not only gave many recitals in Rollins Chapel but was a familiar figure at official College occasions such as Commencement and Convocation. He also served as organist and choir director at St. Thomas Episcopal Church in Hanover.
By the College and Hanover community Professor Longhurst is perhaps most warmly remembered for the Gilbert and Sullivan operettas he staged each year, after herculean rehearsals with singers and orchestra members recruited from the student body, faculty and town. He had studied with members of the renowned D'Oyly Carte troupe and had first put on operettas while teaching in Scotland. Among other musical training, he had learned conducting under Arthur Nikisch of the Boston Symphony Orchestra, and had studied organ at the College of Organists in London. He was a wonderfully versatile musician, and although this resulted in great demands on his talents, he generously gave his time to all musical activities and contributed richly to the cultural life of Hanover.
Professor Longhurst was born in Windsor, England, September 12, 1887. He received the Bachelor of Music degree at the Royal Conservatory in Leipzig, Germany, and also was graduated from the College of Organists and the Guildhall School of Music, both in London. He was a Fellow of London's Royal College of Music. After teaching at the Bridge of Allan private school in Scotland, Professor Longhurst came to the United States in 1913 to be master of music at St. Genevieve's Preparatory School and College in Asheville, N. C. In addition he was organist for G. W. Vanderbilt and All Souls' Church in Biltmore, N. C., and a concert organist for Asheville's Grove Park Inn.
Professor Longhurst came to Dartmouth in 1921 as assistant professor and was promoted to full professor in 1924. During most of his 33 years with the College he served as chairman of the Department of Music. The bells of Baker Library tower serve as a kind of memorial to Mr. Longhurst for it was he who supervised their selection and installation after the library was completed in 1929. Instead of a carillon, as first proposed, he favored a chime of bells that could be played both manually and electrically. After a long and careful period of casting the bells, the devising of the right mechanical system for ringing them proved even more difficult, but all problems were finally solved, and Baker's ringing bells are known and loved today as a Dartmouth tradition.
Professor Longhurst was married in 1915 to Genoese Cansler, who survives him with their two daughters, Mrs. Blake Forrest of Quantico, Va., and Mrs. Robert H. Shertz ('36) of Gladwyn, Pa., and six grandchildren. Funeral services were held in St. Christopher's Episcopal Church, Gladwyn, Pa., on April 27.
The family requested that in lieu of flowers donations be made to the Maurice F. Longhurst Memorial Fund at Dartmouth, to be used for some part of the Hopkins Center, where musical activities in the future will have their headquarters.
1893
JONATHAN HENRY CHILD, a member of the Class of 1893 for one year, died at his home, 29 Eversley Ave., Norwalk, Conn., on April 5.
He was born in Thetford, Vt., February 28, 1872. After leaving Dartmouth he spent one year at Worcester Polytechnic Institute and then engaged in engineering work in Woon-socket, R. I., and Wallingford, Conn. In 1911 he became secretary-treasurer of Eastern Construction Co. From 1914 to his retirement in 1942 he was construction and maintenance superintendent for R. Wallace & Sons Mfg. Co. in Wallingford.
On October 1, 1894, Mr. Child was married to Alice Carpenter Knowles, who died August 7, 1940. He is survived by his daughter Marjorie, who is a teacher in the Norwalk High School.
1894
FREDERICK ALEXANDER BUSHEE, who for 28 years taught sociology and economics in the University of Colorado at Boulder, died in that city April 4. He was born in Brookfield, Vt., on July 81, 1872.
Bushee assigned as his reason for coming to Dartmouth: "Probably proximity and low cost." His fraternity was Psi Upsilon, and he made Phi Beta Kappa.
It is doubtful if any member of '94 made so thorough a preparation for his life's work as did Fred Bushee. He studied at Harvard, where he secured the degrees of A.M. and Ph.D.; at the Sorbonne, Paris; and at the University of Berlin. Quite as important was his residence at the South End House in Boston, a social settlement founded by William Jewett Tucker.
Fred began his teaching at Harvard, 1901-02; continued at Clark University, 1902-08; at Colorado College, 1910-12; and then began his lite work at the University of Colorado where for a time he was head of the Department of Economics and Sociology and also served as acting dean of the School of Business. The character of his teaching is suggested by the way he used his summers in traveling abroad. In 1932 Mrs. Bushee wrote as follows: "Summers such as these do give Mr. Bushee, as you see, much valuable material for his class work, make his illustrations more vital to the students. Also as he is much in demand as a speaker, on all sorts of economic and social questions, before many kinds of organizations, he needs for his public work the stimulus that comes from international contacts."
His books include Ethnic Factors in thePopulation of Boston, Principles of Sociology, and Social Organization. He also was a part author of The City Wilderness, Americans inProcess, and Carvey Essays. He also wrote articles and book reviews for publications dealing with sociology and economics.
After his retirement in 1940 he devoted three and a half years to service as chairman of the Coordinating Council in Boulder, and served on the Rationing Board during World War II. He was also a member of the War Labor Board.
In 1902 he married Bertha J. Fellows, who died in 1955. He is survived by a brother, Rev. George A. Bushee, Newman Rd., Newburyport, Mass.
1903
After a long and distinguished career in law and public service, ANDREW JACKSON died on April 9 in Littleton, N. H., at the home of his sister, Mrs. Beth Varney. All his life he was a wide reader and a student of history and public affairs.
Andy was not only one of the youngest members of the Class of 1903 but also one of the smallest. Yet he accomplished some surprising physical feats. With his two brothers he made a journey into northern Labrador one summer and explored Hudson's Bay in a canoe. In the summer of 1913 the three embarked at Toronto in a twenty-foot canoe, paddled down the St. Lawrence River, travelled around Nova Scotia, and finally ended their trip at Rye Beach, N. H. It seems doubtful if any others have attempted that particular itinerary in the history of Canada and New England. In "World War I Andy made a round trip of 24 miles through the mud of the Chemin des Dames, a portion of it under artillery fire, in a trifle over six hours, and wearing rubber boots.
During the first few years after graduation Andy taught chemistry at Lyndon Institute in Vermont, and in the Rochester, N. H., High School. He was then superintendent of schools in Rochester until he left to enter the Law School of Boston University. There he completed the three-year course in two years and graduated magna cum laude. For a time he served in the law office of Hurlbut, Jones, and Cabot of Boston. He then became attorney to the Public Service Commission of New Hampshire.
At the beginning of the first World War Andy closed his law office in Rochester, and enlisted in the 103rd Infantry, 26th Division. His two brothers came to join the same company, Harry '05 and William '09. Andy became Sergeant Major of the 26th Division, A.E.F., and was decorated with the Croix de Guerre with Bronze Star for bravery in action at the battle of Chateau Thierry, where he was wounded.
At the close of the war Andy studied at the University of Caen and then went to Latvia as a representative of the Hoover Commission, administering relief to that and adjacent countries. Later he was commissioned by certain business interests to make a survey of conditions in Australia with a view to determining the possibilities of establishing a chain store system there. This led to a trip around the world.
On the formation of the Securities and Exchange Commission in Washington he was appointed an attorney on the staff and after some eight years in that capacity became codirector of the division of Corporation Finance. He was endorsed by the Commission for a vacancy on the S.E.C. but he declined the appointment for personal reasons. The following letter from Judge Healey of Vermont, then a member of the Commission, shows the esteem in which he was held:
"In a way it is regrettable that Andrew's sense of loyalty and friendship will not permit him to accept appointment to the Commission. All of us - and I am not excepting the members of the Commission - defer to his judgment and interpretation of the law. I have been repeatedly astonished at the accuracy and scope of his knowledge of the statutes and rules and regulations under which we operate, the more so because he has this knowledge at his finger tips and never seems to need to refer to the records. He is by all odds the most valuable member of our entire organization and has been especially helpful in assisting newcomers to the staff."
When Andy retired the Harvard Graduate School of Business was anxious that he should write a history of the administrative end of the Securities and Exchange Commission, but he was unwilling to do this as he felt that nobody should write such a history without giving facts exactly as he saw them and felt that this would cause controversy and cut across lines of friendship. The same reasons made him decline offers from various influential law firms to act as tax attorney before the S.E.C.
Andy's death at the age of 78 brought to a close a colorful and distinguished career. Perhaps the most signal recognition of his achievement came at the celebration of the twenty-fifth anniversary of the founding of the Securities and Exchange Commission when he was deeply moved by the reception he received from the many who had worked with him through the years.
Friendship with Andy was a rare privilege. He will be greatly missed, but we cannot regret that the end came without the long and painful illness that would have ensued if he had lived longer. Besides his sister he is survived by a brother, Robert Jackson 'oo.
1905
ROYAL PARKINSON died suddenly on April 9 at his home, 103 Otis St., Newtonville, Mass. In December and January he had spent seven weeks in the Massachusetts General Hospital, but had recovered sufficiently to return for a time to his business. He later retired and had had time to close up his professional affairs.
Royal was born February 10, 1884, in Fergus Falls, Minn., the son of William D. Parkinson '78 and Caroline Bowman. At Dartmouth he had made himself known as a faithful, earnest student, who was liked and admired for his friendly disposition and great interest in class affairs. He was elected to Phi Beta Kappa. After graduation he attended Lowell Technical Institute and received a degree in electrical engineering.
For twelve years he was employed with the Stone & Webster Engineering Co. In this field, which ended for him with his superintendency of the Edison Electric Illuminating Co. in Brockton, Mass., he gained much experience in solving public relations problems. He devoted 27 years to the personnel directorship of the American Optical Co., in Southbridge, Mass.
With this background, it was very natural that in 1945 Royal should start a consulting business of his own with an office in the Statler Building in Boston. Here he attained wide recognition for his success in helping solve personnel difficulties. Among his great varieties of activities, he was employee relations consultant for the Associated Industries of Massachusetts. On March 18 of this year the directors of that organization paid Royal a very gratifying tribute and presented him with a framed life membership in recognition of his worth and ability.
Throughout his life Royal was devoted to the interests of his class and College. He was especially interested in the promotion of the William Jewett Tucker Foundation. To this, as also to other needs of Dartmouth, he gave unstintingly both of his money and his personal energy.
Our class owes an especial debt to Royal for our 50th anniversary class book. While pro-tem secretary he commenced the gathering of the material that, with Royal's whimsically humorous touch, composes the bulk of those "profiles."
Royal belonged to the Norumbega Lodge A.F.&A.M. and the Central Congregational Church of Newtonville. A man of very wide interests, church, school, local civic and national affairs, he has left an unforgettable record, always accompanied by a self-effacing consideration for fairness.
Royal is survived by his wife Ida, a daughter Dorothy and a brother Dana '08. Taintor '09 and Herman '13 were also brothers.
1907
GEORGE HENRY HOWARD died at his home, 485 Park Ave., New York City, on April 17 after a long illness.
He was born in Craftsbury, Vt., November 20, 1884, and prepared for college at Phillips Exeter Academy. Editor-in-chief of both TheDartmouth and the Aegis, he was a member of Phi Beta Kappa, Phi Kappa Psi, and Sphinx. After graduating from Dartmouth he went to Harvard Law School where he received his LL.B. in 1910.
Going to New York almost penniless, he became associated with the law firm of Simpson, Thacher and Bartlett. Nineteen years of work in reorganizing and financing light, power and gas companies in this country and abroad brought him leadership in one of the most important utility alliances of the time - the United Corporation which was established in 1929, and of which George became president. In the 1930's when legislation was passed breaking up utility holding companies, United became an investment company. In 1943 he resigned as president and returned to his old law firm, of which he was a partner.
With Floyd B. Odium and another member of his law firm, George formed the United States Corp., which later became the Atlas Corp. At various times he held directorships in many companies.
One of the best informed men in Wall Street, few men in their lifetime had the affection and respect in which he was held. He was a man of integrity and his word was his bond.
At Commencement in 1996 Dartmouth conferred an honorary LL.D. degree on George. In his citation President Dickey said, "In the busiest days you found time to serve your College as Alumni Councillor, president of the General Alumni Association and member of the Development Council. Above it all you stand pre-eminent among the loyal alumni of Dartmouth as an uncommonly interested and generous patron of Dartmouth's most precious tangible asset, the good teacher." At the 1957 Convocation he was again honored with an Alumni Award for distinguished service.
George was an excellent shot and rarely missed a year of bird shooting near his old home in Vermont. Each year at foliage time he would make a pilgrimage to the College Grant, with President Dickey and other friends, to fish, and talk quietly with the log cutters and truck drivers.
On April 9, 1921 George was married to Elizabeth Short McMillan, who died in 1934. He is survived by a son, George H. Howard Jr. '47, and a daughter, Mrs. Elizabeth Howard Mathissen.
Sam Bartlett represented the class at the funeral in New York. Burial was in Craftsbury.
JOHN HAROLD JORDAN died in Waukegan, Ill., on December 8, 1959. His home was at 837 N. Sheridan Rd.
Born in Boston, March 29, 1884, Harry prepared at Brighton High School. In college he was a member of Theta Delta Chi and Dragon and was on the track and relay teams. He received his M.C.S. from Tuck in 1908. His entire business career was with Griess-Pflegler Tanning Co., of which he was vice-president.
On June 30, 1913 Harry was married to Vera Mary Murray, who died in 1943. He is survived by a daughter, Mrs. Ellen Riley, and a son, John M. Jordan.
Harry returned to Dartmouth infrequently, his last visit being at our fiftieth reunion.
1911
Death came suddenly to RAYMOND WILIAMVEITCH on April 16 in Huntington, Long Island, where he had made his home for many years.
He was born in Maynard, Mass., December 21, 1888, and entered college from Maynard High School. He left at the end of sophomore year to enter the employ of the American Woolen Co., remaining with them until his retirement about five years ago. He served them in various capacities including cashier, chairman of the procedure group, and manager of the cost department.
Ray was a member of the Maynard Golf Club, the Blue Lodge and Chapter. Although he was with us a short time he made up for it in his interest in, and support of, the College, being a consistently generous contributor to the Alumni Fund for over forty years.
He and Maud S. Schouler were married in Bennington, Vt., December 10, 1916. He is survived by a son, Robert, a sister, Mrs. Helen Kitvhin, and a brother, John.
1912
VANCE CHARLES CAMPBELL of 175 Denslowe Dr., San Francisco, Calif., died in that city on April 21, after undergoing X-ray treatments for approximately six weeks.
Vance was born at Centerville, lowa, July 29, 1888. In his business career he served some thirty years as vice-president of the old jewelry house of Johnson and Wood in San Francisco. Irked by the inactivity of retirement, he reentered the sales field in 1955 with Western Contract Furnishers, catering to interior decorators.
For years Vance was one of the stalwarts among the Dartmouth alumni in San Francisco and served a term as vice-president of the Northern California Alumni Association followed by two successive terms as president. In the words of one of his closest Dartmouth associates, Guy R. Carpenter '10, "Vance was endowed with the great gift of perception and sympathy for his fellowman's problems and aspirations. His sound commonsense counsel was sought and highly valued by succeeding generations of younger alumni as they entered business careers on the West Coast."
He is survived by his wife, Elizabeth Johnson Campbell, his daughter, Mrs. Thomas J. (Barbara) Clarey, and his grandchildren Thomas, Barbara and Susan Clarey.
1914
HAROLD ADAMS PEASE died in the Ridgewood, N. J., hospital on March 19. His home was at 303 N. Monroe St.
Harold was born April 28, 1892 at Palo Alto, Calif. He prepared for Dartmouth at Port Chester, N. Y., High School and was a member of Beta Theta Pi.
He had retired as secretary of the National Process Co. of New York in 1953 due to a heart attack. He was a former president of the West Side Men's Club. He was also a member of the Tamarack Club of Rochester, N. Y,
Harold was married to Florence Betts of Port Chester, N. Y., on December 18, 1916. She survives him with a son Marshall, of Kensington, Conn.; a daughter Barbara, of Cambridge, Mass.; and a brother, Douglas M. Pease '28.
1916
RAPHAEL RUSSELL FITZSIMMONS, of 21 Fairfield Terrace, Longmeadow, Mass., died suddenly of a heart attack while at his office at the Perkins Machine and Gear Co. of Springfield. After a solemn requiem high mass in St. Mary's Church, Longmeadow, he was interred in Calvary Cemetery, Holyoke, Mass.
"Fitz" was born in Holyoke, October 24, 1893, the son of Andrew and Katherine (Dowling) Fitzsimmons. He attended Sacred Heart Academy and Holyoke High School in that city, and later attended Worcester Academy, before entering Dartmouth. During World War I he was a lieutenant in the field artillery, and following that service, was employed by the Perkins Co. as a cost accountant, staying with that concern for thirty years.
He was married to Alice M. O'Donnell in Boston, October 19, 1920, and is survived by his wife; three daughters, Mrs. John A. Reed of New York City, Mrs. Michael J. Cleary of Omaha, Neb., and Mrs. Leonard L. Kogut of Wilbraham, Mass.; and a son, Edward C. Fitzsimmons, who lived with his parents in Longmeadow.
LYMAN GILSON PERKINS died quietly in his sleep on Sunday afternoon, April 10, at his home on Route 4, Lynchburg, Va. He had passed an ideal day, walking around his place, planning the plantings, inspecting his daughter's home adjoining, and watching TV. Slightly fatigued, he retired for a nap that ended in the endless sleep.
Lymie was born in North Andover, Mass., May 6, 1892, the son of George and Lilliam (Berry) Perkins. He graduated from Lawrence High School and from Phillips Exeter Academy in 1912, where he was a prominent athlete. At Dartmouth he played on the freshman hockey and baseball teams and was captain of the latter. He was later captain of the varsity baseball team and played a sound game at shortstop. He was a member of Delta Kappa Epsilon and Sphinx.
After graduation Lymie enlisted in the Ordnance Corps, being transferred later to a machine gun company with a commission as lieutenant. Upon his discharge from the Army he entered the shoe business as a sales representative and worked in that capacity until his retirement in 1950.
Surviving are his wife, the former Dorothy Cate and a daughter, Mrs. Richard N. deNiord Jr., and three grandchildren, Sally, Richard N. III and Holly, all of Lynchburg.
Smiling, friendly, modest, Lymie had a host of friends among his classmates and elsewhere, and will be missed wherever members of the Class congregate.
1917
JAMES MONTGOMERY JR. died on March 28 at Phillips House, Boston, after an illness of some seven years' duration. His home was at 117 Mechanics St., Putnam, Conn.
He was born in Worcester, Mass., on November 28, 1895, and prepared for Dartmouth at South High School, Worcester. At college he was a member of Sigma Nu.
Jim enlisted in the Navy on May 2, 1917, at Newport, R. I. He trained to become a communications specialist and on July 6, 1918, was ordered to duty on trans-Atlantic transports, serving on the USS PresidentGrant and the USS George Washington. He was assigned to the staff of Admiral Gleave and by him was sent as Communication Officer aboard the USS George Washington when that ship transported President Wilson to France. He was placed on inactive duty on January 23, 1919.
Lpon his return to civilian life, Jim went to work for the Wachusett Thread Co. and became treasurer of the company in 1928. Then in 1943 he became connected with the Belding, Hemingway interests and remained with them until illness forced him to retire.
On March 31, 1921, at Swampscott, Mass., Jim married Ruth Lovejoy Kitfield, by whom he is survived. A daughter, Mrs. Marcia M. Wentworth of Watertown, Mass., also survives.
He was a member of Montague Lodge AF&AM of Worcester.
The illness which ultimately resulted in Jim's death was a rare and most unusual type of cancer. He was only the 13th person in medical history to have that particular type about which practically nothing was known by the medical profession. Jim unstintingly gave the last years of his life that more about the disease might be learned and to that end, submitted to countless examinations and tests. In the truest sense of the word, Jim served as a human "guinea pig" so that medical science and posterity might benefit.
JAMES LYON RUBEL died on March 10 at his home, 277 East Ogle St., Costa Mesa, Calif., following a long illness.
He was born in Louisville, Ky., July 8, 1894, He entered Dartmouth from University High School, Chicago, and was a member of Delta Kappa Epsilon.
Jim enlisted in the Field Artillery on April 29, 1917. Within a few months he transferred to aviation and after training at ground schools in Texas, was commissioned 2nd Lieut, in the Air Force. On August 8, 1918 he was assigned to the A.E.F. and attached to the 24th Aero Squadron with which he took part in the St. Mihiel and Meuse-Argonne offensives. For this he was cited in General Order No. 30 of the Ist Army on November 4, 1918. He was discharged at Garden City, N. Y., on March 27, 1919, with the rank of 2nd Lieutenant.
After his discharge Jim became assistant manager of Acme Steel Company's Riverdale Works. Then from 1920 to 1923 he was treasurer of Handycap Manufacturing Co. and in 1924 he became president of Apex Stamping Co. As sidelines during these early days, Jim raised champion police dogs, wrote popular songs and did radio broadcasting from station WJAZ at Chicago. He probably was best known in recent years for his writing as he authored some forty mystery and western novels, some of which have been filmed.
Jim had lived in the Newport Harbor area for nearly thirty years. He was commodore of the Newport Harbor Yacht Club in 1944, was on the board of governors of the Balboa Bay Club and a former president of the Lido Isle Community Association.
On April 28, 1927, at Chicago, Jim married Elizabeth Mason, by whom he is survived, together with a son, James Jr., a Corona del Mar attorney, and a daughter, Mrs. Kenneth Stamps of Hermosa Beach, Calif.
1918
WILLIAM H. COULSON, adopted '18er, passed away in Washington, D. C. suddenly on April 7. His death is a great loss to his many warm friends and to Dartmouth College as well. Each year his love for the College seemed to increase. In his early life, Bill held the position of assistant treasurer of the Guaranty Trust Co. of New York and later became an official of Smith, Barney & Co. He was one of the pioneers in originating and developing a training course in Principles and Procedures of Investment Banking as a practical supplement to graduate and undergraduate work in college. He had also been one of the leading members of the Dartmouth Alumni Association, having inaugurated several new methods of fund raising in the field of parent relations.
He received the Legion o£ Merit for exceptionally meritorious conduct in the performance of outstanding services during World War II as a Colonel, General Staff Corps.
In 1957, he was named executive director of the President's Committee on Fund Raising Within the Federal Service. In making the appointment, Secretary Williams cited his past contributions in the field of Federal Fund Raising, saying: "I am keenly aware of the key role you had in the last few years in helping to work out an equitable long range fund-raising program within the Federal Government based on the concept of true voluntary giving and privacy of the donation."
The past four years Bill was acting as staff assistant to the President's adviser on personnel management and had been chief executive liaison officer with the various groups in connection with the new Federal policy of not more than three drives each year through- out the civilian and military branches of the Government.
He is survived by his wife, Miriam R Coulson, a daughter Florence, and two sons. William H. Jr. '40 and John L. '39.
1919
ELIJAH WILLIAM CUNNINGHAM, famed Boston newspaper man whose sports stories and feature columns under the by-line Bill Cunningham made him a nationally known writer, died at his home in Newtonville, Mass., on April 17, at the age of 64.
Bill, who was an especially colorful and distinctive figure in the Dartmouth family, underwent an operation for throat cancer in September 1958. Two months later, despite the loss of his voice, he returned to his writing for The Boston Herald but his career as radio commentator for the Mutual Broadcasting System had to end. Bill continued to turn out his columns and went to Rome to report the elevation of Archbishop Cushing of Boston to Cardinal. He courageously kept going in spite of a recurrence of his illness, but with the Herald column on his birthday, February 11, he was finally forced to cover his typewriter and write finis to his newspaper career.
That career, begun with the Dallas News in 1921, continued with The Boston Post from 1922 to 1941, and concluded with nineteen years of writing for The Boston Herald, was marked by a writing style and a wide-ranging interest from sports to world affairs that made Bill Cunningham a unique figure in the newspaper world. Many of his stories were rated as classics by his colleagues, and he had a large and faithful following of daily readers. He had "the most racy, buckety, slambang vocabulary in journalism," according to one author, and this was part of his appeal. At the time he moved from the Post to the Herald he was reputed to be the highest paid sports writer in the country. The move permitted him to sign up also with United Features as a nationally syndicated writer, but it was in New England, where he was a newspaper institution, that his reputation was greatest.
Bill was born in Pattonville, Texas, on February 11, 1896, the son of schoolteachers, and won a scholarship to Dartmouth in 1915. His college course was interrupted for military service in World War I. He went overseas with the artillery, participated in three major Allied offensives in France, and rose to the rank of first lieutenant. Returning to Dartmouth after the war, he played center on the Big Green football team and was picked for Walter Camp's second All-American team in 1920. He also resumed his job as pianist at The Nugget, which he had persuaded F. W. Davison to open in Bill's freshman year. For the rest of his life Bill loved to play the piano and could go on for hours at parties and songfests; he also was an ardent organist and had an electric organ in his home. As an undergraduate, Bill sang in the Glee Club and Choir, and was a member of Phi Delta Theta, Casque and Gauntlet, Round Table, and The Arts.
After getting his A.B. in 1921, he returned to Texas to write sports for the Dallas Morning News. While there he also helped coach the Southern Methodist football team. A key event in his life was a request from TheBoston Post to cover the Baylor-Centre game. The scintillating story he filed, much longer than the paper bargained for, led to an invitation to come and write sports for the Post, then the nation's largest morning newspaper. Thus in 1922 began his flamboyant Boston career. Bill wrote also for national magazines and the movies, and in 1942 he was sports editor of Liberty magazine. He had two books published, The Kid Next Door (1944) and The Pearl of Her Sex (1947). about his wife Doris.
Bill was in great demand as a public speaker, and his services were also sought, and freely given, for charitable and community programs. He was for many years Massachusetts state chairman of the National Foundation for Infantile Paralysis, and recently he was honored by the National Jewish Hospital of Denver. He was one of the founders of the National Football Shrine and Hall of Fame, and was a member of the Joint Army and Navy Commission on Welfare and Recreation. Honorary degrees were conferred upon him by Norwich and Suffolk Universities and by Portia Law School and Staley, Calvin Coolidge and Nasson Colleges. Perhaps the greatest public tribute paid him was the mammoth gathering, "Salute to a Champion," held April 19, 1959, in McHugh Forum, Boston College. There, in the presence of leaders of the church, education, philanthropy, the press, politics and sports, he received the first annual Fred Digby Memorial Trophy for his writings. President Dickey represented Dartmouth at the occasion.
Dartmouth was a deeply ingrained part of Bill Cunningham's life, and the College figured prominently in his columns and reminiscences over the years. He returned to Hanover as often as he could, either to file stories or just to be with some of his closest friends. Bill was a member of the Dartmouth Alumni Council from 1938 to 1944, and ever since graduation was involved in Dartmouth affairs in one way or another. Some years ago the class secretary had a long letter from Bill expressing regret that he could not attend more class gatherings because of his newspaper commitments. He did say, however, that he and Doris probably spent more time in Hanover than most '19ers, which was true.
Bill was married June 15, 1921, to Doris Wilde of Attleboro, Mass. In addition to his wife, Bill leaves two daughters, Mrs. Sumner R Andrews of Winchester, Mass., and Mrs. George S. Bissell ('51) of Newton, Mass.
Funeral services were held at the Newtonville Methodist Church on April 20 and were attended by hundreds of persons, including many state and national notables. Representing the Class were Jigger Merrill, Kitty and Cotty Larmon, Ray Hinds, Tom Bresnahan, Casey Bevan, Morris Freedberg, Guy Cogswell, Herb Fleming, Al Googins, Bunny Burnett, and Rock Hayes. Ed Martin was one of the honorary pallbearers.
The comment by Sid Hay ward, Secretary of the College, is one to which we all subscribe: "Bill Cunningham loved Dartmouth with unswerving devotion and the fierce sort of loyal spirit which only Bill could feel for those things and people who experienced his full affection. His many Dartmouth friends and classmates will miss him, and all of us in Hanover who knew Bill are saddened by his passing."
1923
JOHN MOLLA died at his home in Barre, Vt., on April 15.
Jake graduated from Spaulding High School in Barre in 1918. He graduated from Dartmouth magna cum laude and was a member of Phi Beta Kappa.
For a time he was employed in New York City. Returning to Barre, he studied law in the office of J. Ward Carver, a former Vermont Attorney General. In 1932 he was admitted to the bar. He served as attorney for the city of Barre from 1939 to 1953.
John married Dora C. Frontini, June 13, who survives him.
1924
We have received word from Esther Knott that her husband, ROBERT CHURCH KNOTT, died on February 26 after a short illness. The cause of death was cancer. He is also survived by his mother, Mrs. Van Buren Knott; his brother, Dr. Pierce Knott '24, both of Sioux City, Iowa: by his two children, Robert C. Knott Jr., North Highlands, Calif., and Mrs. R. Gann, of Eugene, Oregon.
Bob withdrew from Dartmouth in June 1921, and graduated from Albany Medical College in 1928. He moved to Sioux City in 1931 to become a surgeon. There he married Catherine Peck in January 1932, and Robert Jr. was born in November 1932. Mary was born eight years after her brother.
After serving in the Medical Corps, with the rank of Major, practicing general surgery in the E. T. O., Bob returned to medical practice in Eugene, Oregon, where he worked as physician and surgeon in the Medical Center Building in that city until his recent death. He was born on January 27, 1901, in Sioux City, lowa.
1925
MILTON NUVEEN HART died on March 28, in Denver, Colo. He was born August 16, 1903, in Chicago and prepared for Dartmouth at Evanston Township High School. He was a member of Alpha Chi Rho.
At the time of his death he was an assistant trust officer of the First National Bank of Denver. He had been active in the Denver Society of Security Analysts, being a past president of that organization as well as a past vice-president of the National Federation of Financial Analysts Societies. His home was at 3345 Jay St., Wheat Ridge, Colo.
Mil's chief recreational activity after moving to Denver in 1954 was hiking and climbing with the Colorado Mountain Club, which plans a memorial climb for him later in the season when the snow has gone from the high peaks.
He was married February 26, 1937 to Alice Bentley, who survives him and to whom the deep sympathy of the Class is extended. Dartmouth has lost another loyal and devoted son.
1926
ARTHUR FRANKLIN CUNNINGHAM died on April 11, in Spokane, Wash., after a long illness. Spokane was Art's home from birth till death, except for his four years at Dartmouth, four years at the University of Chicago's medical school, and a year of interning, also in Chicago.
Art returned to his home town in 1931 and entered private medical practice with his father. He became one of Spokane's most eminent physicians and surgeons, until illness forced his retirement in the spring of 1959. He was a member of the American College of Surgeons, the North Pacific Surgical Society, the Western Association of Railway Surgeons, the Spokane Rotary Club, and the Spokane Country Club. At Dartmouth, he was a mem- ber of the Band, and of Lambda Chi Alpha.
In 1931, in Chicago, Art married Connie Helen Wondergren, who survives him. Also surviving are their two daughters, Carol Jean and Connie Helen. His home was at 1414 Woodcliff Rd., Spokane.
1927
Word has recently been received of the death of NATHANIEL MOORE JONES II, of a heart attack, at his home in Brecksville, Ohio, on October 25, 1959.
He was born in Cleveland, on August 14, 1904, the son of Dr. Nathaniel and Elizabeth (Shafer) Jones. He entered Dartmouth in the fall of 1923, from the University School in Cleveland, and left at the end of the first semester. He has been out of touch with the College and the Class, so nothing is known of his career.
He is survived by his wife, Jenne Greenfield Jones, and by his mother and father. He had no children.
1928
EBER MONTGOMERY WELLS died as a result of a stroke on April 7 at his home, 10 Craftsland Road, Brookline, Mass.
Monty was born in Lynn, Mass., March 22, 1906, and graduated from Winthrop High School. At Dartmouth his track specialty was hurdling, and some of the records he set for Dartmouth, and later for the Boston Athletic Association, still stand.
For three years after graduation he taught at Roxbury School, then returned to Dartmouth for a year to get his master's degree. Since 1932 he had taught physics and coached track, tennis or golf at Brookline High School until illness forced inactivity upon him last fall. In spite of failing health, he was able to announce a track meet in Boston and one in New York last winter. This activity and golf had long been his chief hobbies.
For 22 years he was golf champion of the Martha's Vineyard Country Club. He scored three holes in one and once made 18 consecutive fours in a round at the Mink Meadows Golf Club, Martha's Vineyard, where he was club professional.
He leaves his wife, Grace; his mother, Mrs. Lillian Montgomery Wells of Chestnut Hill; a son David, a senior at M.I.T., and an uncle, Thomas Montgomery '18.
1930
A note from his widow advises of the death in Allentown, Pa., of HENRY THOMAS SCHNURMAN on March 10 as the result of a heart attack. He had suffered similar attacks in 1948 and 1958. His home was at 5594 Walnut St., Allentown.
Prior to his retirement two years ago, Hank had been for sixteen years production supervisor of the brass foundry of the Bethlehem Steel Company in Allentown. He was a member of St. Paul's Lutheran Church, Greenleaf Lodge F and AM and Lehigh Consistory.
Hank was with us for the first two years of college and had been looking forward to the reunion in June. The Class extends its sympathy to his widow, Miriam.
1935
RICHARD BOWLES FREEMAN died in Beloit, Wis., on November 4, 1958, it was learned belatedly only a few weeks ago. Neither the College nor the class secretary had had any information on Dick for a long time.
He was born in Red Wing, Minn., where his father was a shoe manufacturer. He was with us at Dartmouth for two years, then changed to Northwestern, from which he was graduated in 1935. At Dartmouth he was a member of Sigma Chi.
He served in the Pacific as a naval officer during World War II, was decorated with a bronze star for distinguished service at Iwo Jima, and discharged as a Lieutenant (j.g.).
Latest information was that he was working with the family business in Beloit, the Freeman Shoe Corp. He is survived by his wife, Jean.
1939
ROBERT GILLETTE WHITE died suddenly on March 20, in the Highland Park Hospital of a coronary. His home was at 1241 Forest St., Highland Park, Ill.
Bob was born December 23, 1916 and was raised in Chicago, entering Dartmouth from Highland Park High School. He was managing editor of the Jack o'Lantern, a member of Alpha Delta Phi, and C&G and swam on the freshman and varsity swimming teams. Bob majored in English and, following his graduation, received his Master's degree in English from the University of Rochester.
Bob spent his entire business life in advertising. He began as a copywriter with J. Walter Thompson, Chicago. He served in Europe with the Eighth Infantry Division during the war. After the war he reentered advertising, this time with Leo Burnett Co. in their Hollywood office, later moving to their Chicago headquarters. In 1954, Bob joined Needham, Louis and Brorby, Inc., Chicago, as a copy supervisor, returning to Leo Burnett in the same capacity in 1959.
Bob was active in community affairs and was a member of the North Shore Citizens' Committee and served as president of the Highland Park Community Chest Drive.
He is survived by his wife, the former Maryanne Peters; a son Ted, 17; and a daughter Robin, 12. He also leaves his mother, Mrs. Kenneth Masters of Santa Monica, Calif, a sister, Mrs. Dewitt Jones of Winnetka, Ill., and a brother, Gillette, of Costa Mesa, Calif.
1944
WILLIAM THOMAS ARD, noted author and television and motion picture script writer, succumbed to cancer in Largo's Suncoast Osteopathic Hospital, Clearwater, Fla., on March 12. Bill fell ill only shortly before his untimely passing. His disease had been diagnosed less than a week before.
Bill was born in Brooklyn, N. Y., July 18, 1922. He attended Tuckahoe, N. Y., High School, where he was president of the G.O. and a member of the football, basketball, and baseball teams. At Dartmouth he was a member of Sigma Chi and early gave evidence of his extraordinary literary talents.
After graduation, Bill embarked on a career of advertising writing for Warner Brothers Studio and later with Paramount Pictures. He gave up a promising future in advertising to devote himself to writing. He had more than thirty works of fiction to his credit. Many of them have been translated in several foreign languages.
Under the pen name of Ben Kerr he wrote mysteries with a tinge of sharp humor and tough dialogue. His best known works were the Buchanan western Series, written under the name of Jonas Ward. He also wrote under the names of William Ard and Mike Moran.
Bill wrote the movie screenplay for Buchanan Rides Alone and also a number of television scripts. His last published work was Buchanan's Revenge which appeared in January of this year.
Bill, Eileen and their children, Eileen and Bill Jr., moved from Scarsdale, N. Y., to Clearwater, Fla. in 1953. They were members of the Carlouel Yacht Club and the Pelican Golf and Country Club and made their home at 1004 Bruce Ave.
The deepest sympathy of the entire Dartmouth family is with Bill's family. His life, however short, was one of great accomplishment and it is with pride that we can reflect on our association with him.
1946
Our class has been saddened by the sudden passing on February 22 of DR. FOSTER ELTING BENNETT.
Fos was born in Omaha, Neb., December 30, 1924. He attended the schools of that city, received his degree at Dartmouth in 1945 and attended the Dartmouth Medical School. He went on to Johns Hopkins where he got his M.D. and followed that with an internship at Philadelphia General Hospital in 1948-50.
From 1952 to 1954 Fos served as a Captain in the U. S. Army Medical Corps in Honolulu and then went on to specialization in neurology and practiced neurology and electroencephalography at Berkeley, Calif., in 1954-55. At the same time he was a teaching fellow in psychiatry at the Western Psychiatric Institute. In California he was a member of the advisory committee for the Contra Costa (California) League against Epilepsy and was secretary of a Neuropsychiatric Research Foundation set up by his father. He was well known for his work in neurology and psychiatry and was a member of many professional societies in these fields.
For the past year he had been at Philadelphia General Hospital, where he died of subacute bacterial endocarditis.
He is survived by his son, Mark Elting, and by his father, Dr. A. E. Bennett of Berkeley, Calif., and his mother, Mrs. Evelyn Bennett of Orinda, Calif.
Maurice Frederic Longhurst, M.A. '24
George Henry Howard '07
Bill Cunningham '19
