1935

Secretary, Hog Hill Road, Chappaqua, N.Y.

Class Agent, 89 Grovers Ave., Bridgeport 5, Conn.

From time to time you have got to expect very little news in this column, particularly when the juicy tidbits have been siphoned off to the competition — i.e., Bankart's "Tear Bag." But in addition to scooping him last month on the McCarty/Dorsey pictures (because of the pictorial limitations of a mimeograph machine) I can report this month that one of his questionnaires was returned to me. If he thinks I will forward it he's crazy. If any others are so inclined, they will be duly reported on coated paper rather than on that bilious green MF.

Herewith the news, then, about Arnold Washton - an old Brooklynite like me - who has put his eccy to work as President of Atlantic Coast Auto Rental, Inc., was married the day after Christmas, 1940, maintains his interest in sports and politics in spite of this, and manages to find time to participate in charitable as well as business activities. Wife Helene, daughter Hope, and beagle Eloise complete the family, Arnold's comment about people is interesting, particularly in view of the condition in which some of our salesmen return rental cars. "People," he says, "Are Good!" Perhaps maintaining this philosophy has kept the grey hairs to "a few on the backs of my fingers."

A letter has been received, real and unsolicited, from Landon Rockwell, now professoring at Hamilton College in Clinton, N.Y. He had just returned from moderating a two-week Executive Seminar at the Aspen (Colo.) Institute for Humanistic Studies. "A most bracing experience - including, of course, skiing every afternoon." This remarkable institution was started by Walter Paepcke, former president and founder of the Container Corporation of America, whose untimely death last year deprived the country as well as the packaging business of a great industrial statesman whose influence extended far beyond his business into the arts, education, music, painting, literature, and architecture.

We have a few of this ilk in our own class and the picture of one of them, Ralph Lazarus, appeared on the cover of Forbes Magazine March 15 issue. Ralph's business philosophy is strikingly similar to Walter Paepcke's. The key to profits is not to cut down your overhead, but to build up your volume, bearing in mind continually the dictum that "We're not merely interested in growing. We're interested only in growing profitably." It's a lead article in Forbes, will strike you green with envy, and repays study.

Another class tycoon was in the news recently on the occasion of the Floor Coverings Industry Dinner in Los Angeles where Herb Shuttleworth, President of Mohasco Industries (Mohawk Carpets etc.), was the featured speaker.

I should also report on a recent visit to Richmond. Va., when I had the chance to renew old acquaintance with Newt Hamblet, Operations V.P. of Thalhimer's Department Store, a competitor of the Lazari and a customer (I hope) of Shuttleworth's. Thalhimer's is an independent store with eleven units centered around the main store in Richmond so Newt has his hands full. He seems to like both the job and the life down south, where he has been for the last seven or eight years after a stint with Macy's and Lord and Taylor in New York. He lives on the outskirts of town with wife Mae and six children (five girls and a boy in the middle) - enough to require a department store. As if this weren't enough, he has recently taken the responsibility of heading up the United Givers Fund with a budget goal, if I remember correctly, of $2½ million. Colton please take notice!

Harvey Conklin also lives in Richmond where at last report he was an actuary with the Life Insurance Company of Virginia. I'll track him down next trip....

Another new recruit to a board of directors is Johnny Harrison of Ridgewood, N. J. He was just named to the board of the Citizens First National Bank and Trust Co. Johnny survived Columbia law school and after Army service entered the firm of Harrison and Reinhardt in Ridgewood, later forming a law partnership with Gordon H. Brown (now Judge Brown) and then continuing practice on his own shingle. He now lives in Saddle River with his wife, Joan, and two daughters, Arden and Lee.

Another lawyer makes the news this month, Harris Reynolds of Wellesley, Mass. He was speaker at the Women's Republican Club of Winchester recently which was held at the home of His Excellency, Governor and Mrs. John A. Volpe. He chose for his topic "Lincoln's Evolution to Greatness," a topical subject if I ever heard one. Harry was assistant attorney general of Massachusetts and in 1957 served as special counsel to the Massachusetts Crime Commission as well as being active in many community affairs in Belmont and Newton.

I almost forgot another board of directors recruit: Put Kingsbury, who has just been named to the Board of Members of the Mayo Association in Rochester, Minn. This is the administrative branch of the Mayo Clinic where he has been a member of the administration staff since 1951.

Coming back to tycoons, it looks as if our boy Len Bryant has made the grade. You may remember I mentioned his Horatio Alger career at the Hooker Chemical Company in a column last January. Now he has been elected president of the company. Len and Frieda moved last year to Smoke Rise, N. J.

Another fellow who looks as if he is on the way up is John McPherson, recently advanced from plant manager of Mosinee Paper Mills Co. to be vice-president, operations.

Ellwood "Woody" Curtis blew into Hanover the other day with his two sons, one on the point of graduating from M.I.T. and hoping to do graduate work at Dartmouth in mathematics; the other son, Don. a candidate for admission to Dartmouth this fall, with such a remarkably good scholastic record, prowess in athletics and extracurricular affairs that another son may well be in Hanover next fall. Woody lives in Moline, Ill., where he is vice president of John Deere, in charee of their foreign affairs. His schedule provided one day in the office after returning from Hanover and then taking off for his 26th European trip in the last four years. This is a record which even McCarty may boggle at.

Our Hanover intelligence operative also notes seeing Don and Jean Cotton at the Dartmouth Skiway "looking very much at home in their ski togs. They made the usual noises about not being too skilful on the boards, but they were only being modest!"

The class passed a milestone at its 25th reunion and it brought home to many of us the increasingly serious responsibility placed On us "older" alumni to support the College in something more tangible than good fellowship and Dartmouth spirit. The tremendous job done by Ted Harbaugh, as head class agent, and with Ted Steele in organizing support from our class for the capital funds program and the 25th reunion gift is well Known to all of you. Mac McCarty has now announced the appointment of Tom Wilson as bequest and planning chairman for the class to carry our program of financial support to the college still further forward. I will report to you more fully on this in another issue, but would like to congratulate Tom on his appointment and assure him of our collective support.