1936's Twenty-Fifth
"Grow old along with me! The best is yet to be, the last of life for which the first was made." This quotation from Robert Browning was joyfully proven by 690 persons attending the 25th Reunion of the Class of 1936 on June 15, 16, 17, and 18. The thought that there will be many more reunions for '36ers is a pleasant one although the records established at our 25th will be hard to beat, by us or by any other class. Rumor has it that Reunion Chairman Al Gibney has had the courage to throw his hat in the ring for our 50th, if not for the 30th, and he'll be unanimously nominated if he ever volunteers again in view of the superlative job he has accomplished. Al was in good health, and sane, when the last earful of fatigued reunioners drove out Tuck Drive on Sunday afternoon.
First of all, let's check the weather. A beautiful, clear summer sun shone by day upon the campus from Thursday A.M. throughout the entire weekend, and the cool nights made the food from the charcoal grill in the '36 tent taste better, the songs sound truer, the fellowship closer, and the beer flow faster.
Never before had so many classmates returned to reunion (225) and never before had so many guests (465, including 184 wives) registered with the alumni. Our class won the "Class of 1894 Cup" which is awarded for the highest percentage of graduates attending reunion (48%), and the "Class of 1930 Cup" for the largest number of men returning.
Reunion attire consisted of informal necessaries plus a tailored Dartmouth-green Hathaway sport shirt that was given to all adults. Brad Chase handled all the details in providing shapes, sizes and quantities for everybody. He even arranged to have a special' label sewed into each shirt "tailored for the D Class of '36."
Children were each given a green jockey cap with the '36 numerals on the visor. Name tags were attached to all persons, and the tags for the adults had the entire four day program printed on it. In this way parents could check at a glance not only what event they should be enjoying at any time of day or night but also where their children should be. Chuck Aaron was the unsung Santa Claus for the kids because he planned their pro. gram and gathered a full staff of experienced counselors, headed by Bill Craver and Tony Dougal, to supervise their days.
Tents were set up in front of Russell Sage, Hitchcock, and Streeter Halls as headquarters for adults, seniors and juniors respectively Families were housed in eight dormitories you'll note some new buildings - Hitchcock' Lord, Streeter, Gile, Webster, Wheeler, Russell Sage and Butterfield. Bill Macurda and Brew Towne set up the room reservation formalities with the assistance of the Bursar's Office to handle the most complicated problem of room assignments ever undertaken by that office. As far as I know, no children were lodged with the wrong families, and all late comers were properly housed. Assisting in the "desk clerk" assignments were Charlie Lehman, Jacko Morrison, Paul Hessler, Frank Weston, Brad Chase, Pete Fitzherbert, Brint Schorer and others to see that everyone was welcomed and properly tagged. Bill Niss, Reunion Treasurer, must be mentioned as an unsung hero of finance.
A gift of the College to the Class of '36 was the entire expenses for Thursday, the first day of Reunion. Gene Tamburi planned the menus for the weekend, and Jim McFate of the Hanover Dining Association with his assistants, Jeanette Gill and Jim Rouse, guided the culinary machines. Everybody ate not only well, but too much. We must have set records in food consumption as well as beer intake. Ray Reitman and Roy Coppedge provided libations to assuage the more refined alcoholic tastes of classmates when required. The final tab for beer showed a consumption of 330 gallons which is the equivalent of one-half gallon for every person including children who registered. However, the '36 tent played host to all the campus, and one night, when attention centered on our musical classmates (Paul Lynch on the piano, Frank Weston on the clarinet and Herm Nunnemacher on his banjo), a hoard of genial strangers appeared to share our flowing beer. Citizens of White River and Lebanon were apparently returning some of the impositions we thrust upon them twenty-five years before.
In the Hanover Holiday Program LouisBenezet, President of Colorado College, made a charming and astute M.C. Panel members sat on a dais set up on Baker Lawn for the Commencement Exercises which had been held on the previous weekend. The theme of the first panel was "The Educated Citizen and Political Activity." Joe Millimet, a little, big lawyer from Manchester, N. H., amused the large audience with his comments on the "practical politician." Joe and Dick Nixon have both lost their most recent campaigns, Joe as a Democratic alderman in a Republican area. "Stamina," Joe insists, "is one of the most important ingredients of a successful politician" and he proved he had enough of it to withstand a 25th reunion panel, as well as a 25th reunion. Ed Drechsel, a regional editor of U. S. News and World Report, and Bill Minsch, Counsel for the U. S. Atomic Energy Commission, provided stimulating first-hand points-of-view to urge the participation of the educated citizen in political activity. The second panel which continued in beautiful sunshine, brought forth the thinking of four leading classmates on the subject, "Excellence from Liberal Arts: What Are the Results?" The views of a professor-writer, college provost, poet, and businessman were given respectively by Hugh C. G. Chase, Len Mead, Sam Morse and Paul Lynch.
An informal and brief class meeting was held in Silsby Hall on Saturday morning. Pete Fitzherbert, Class Chairman, presided. Vin Wentworth, chairman of the nominating committee, presented the following slate of officers who were unanimously elected by the classmates who were not out on the golf course. Our new secretary will be Barry Sullivan of Washington, D. C.; new class treasurer will be Jim Stephens of Long-meadow, Mass.; the new class agent is Chuck Aaron of Cleveland, Ohio. These men were elected for a term to end at our 30th Reunion. Members of the Class of '36 Executive Committee were nominated and elected. This committee will consist of the three class officers plus the following men: Pete Fitzherbert, Charlie Brooks, Ed Drechsel, Bob Fernald, Brint Schorer, Al Gibney, Bob Ingersoll, Jack Kenney, Kirk Liggett, Bob MacPherson, Buster May, Dick Morton, John Sawyer, Seymour Sims, Steve Stotzer, Gene Tamburi, Jim Tindle, Bud Titcomb, Frank Weston and Ross Woodbridge. The stand-out candidate for Class Chairman was Pete Fitzherbert. The entire new executive committee was delighted, as the class will be, to know that he accepted the responsibility to continue to lead the great class of '36 again for five years as he did in the years leading to this record breaking Reunion.
When we talk about the class picnic at the Lake Morey Inn, Pep Minte and Gene Tamburi should take bows. It was a superb resort, a great meal and a lot of fun. Other events that brightened the star-studded program were the dance in College Hall, the President's reception, the golf tournament, Players' production of "Pajama Game," the class picture (which was arranged for by Bob Densmore), and the special luncheons for Medical, Tuck and Thayer graduates. Also, whenever Brint Schorer could get a quorum together, his melodic voice would sound out over the loudspeaker announcing lucky winners of the many prizes he had received from classmates. Brint estimates that classmates gave him about $2,500 worth of gifts which he in turn distributed as names were drawn from a hat. For example, my wife won a copy of "Norman Rockwell, My Adventures as an Illustrator" which was contributed by Dick Morton. Brint also had about fifty prizes which were given away in the children's tent.
At our Reunion Banquet, President Dickey said the class of '36 was one of Dartmouth's greatest classes, a view with which we all agreed. Chairman Pete Fitzherbert reflected on the work that many men and women of our class had given to Dartmouth activities. Ed Brooks' wife, Ruth, was cited, for example, for providing our "True Twentieth" reunion in her back yard, and the wives of Ted Andrew and Cliff England were honored for being presidents of the Dartmouth Women's Club of Boston. Pete Fitzherbert announced that our class had given $522,245 to the College. This is the largest total given by any class in history in its 25 years since graduation. He also said that our head class agent, Kirk Liggett, will probably win the Green Derby for the second time in his six-year career, and so when this final campaign ends for Kirk on June 30 the class record of total giving will even exceed the above figure.
Al Gibney, at the Banquet, thanked the many people who had worked with him on the Reunion program. He introduced Jeanette Gill to the 720 dinner guests. Jeanette was applauded for not only the excellent steaks but also for the decorations. She had picked the daisies and other wild flowers in the afternoon in the Vermont fields to brighten every table. Prof. Andy Scarlett, our class advisor, told of the personal interest he has taken in '36ers from the first day Pete Fitzherbert arrived in his office on pro. Andy knows more about our classmates than any single person who has not been a class officer, and his interest is going on with us now.
Brint Schorer presented six prizes at the Banquet. He picked out six prizes as special achievement awards. With graciousness and wit, Brint gave the following: to Tomand Margie Monagan from Waterbury, Conn., a Huffy tandem bicycle donated by HoraceHuffman because they brought eleven beautiful children, ten girls and one boy to Reunion; to Art and Martha Appleton of North-field, Ill., one appendectomy by John Ovitz because they brought the largest number of sons to Reunion. They brought five sons and one daughter; to Al and Mary Momenee of Detroit a chrome serving tray donated by Bob Fernald because Al was the 36th 36er to register. To Ted and Pat Andrew of Andover, Mass., a transistor radio donated by Paul Lynch because they have the most grandchildren; two: to Ed Drechsel and DickHefler from Belvedere and Burbank, Calif., two State of Maine sea chests donated by the Governor through Pete Fitzherbert because they brought their families the longest distance.
The last scheduled event was the memorial service conducted by Rev. Jim Lancaster in the Bema on Sunday Morning. This was a fitting climax to a great reunion. "The still North remembers them, the hill winds know their name."
Our 25 year classbook will be mailed to all classmates later this summer. Joe Cunning-ham and Dick Spong will complete the editing in a few weeks. Please send the snapshots you took at Reunion to Joe Cunning-ham, Spencerville, Md. Swamp him with pictures to reprint in our classbook and record forever the fun, frivolity and fraternity of 1936's Record breaking 25th.
A new attendance record was established as 1936, the 25-year class, returned 690 strong for four days of reuning.
RETIRING CLASS SECRETARY
