1961

I just decided that I am in love with Christa Speck. If any of you playboys have a nodding acquaintance with this young lovely, please let your old dad know so that I can start being extraordinarily nice to you. Other than that nothing really BIG is happening around the world as far as I can surmise. Seems that I pulled a rather clever little faux pas on Doug Zipes and I quote from his letter to me: "Including me among the class's noble bachelors prompted my mother-in-law to write asking whether her daughter and I were living in sin. Actually, loan and I celebrate our second anniversary this February ... etc." I hope you and your bride's mom are back on speaking terms, Doug, and that no blood was shed. Please assure her that I am but an ignorant clod and knew not what I said. Elliott Weiss stole some paper from the Yale Law Journal and dashed off a quick one, thus indicating his influence with the management of that respected medium. He reports that Jeff Conn married Miss liana Keane in Rock Island, Ill., last June. Ellie and Butch Small attended to keep Jeff honest. John Ratigan,Bill Kandel, Al Loeb and Bill Collishaw are all studying at Yale trying to fill Jerry Giesler's shoes. Salty Ernie Goff just completed the Naval Justice School, in Newport, and is back aboard the "USS Northampton." Doug Knox married Miss Beverly Birt last August and recently accepted a position with the Kearsarge Telephone Company in the Granite State. Bob McIndoe tried to run me down in a fancy Marine vehicle a couple of days ago, but having failed was content to have several of the little green animals he leads around pin me to a piling whilst he told me all about the members of the class that he had seen. Bob used to be so nice and quiet and now ... well, here's his scoop. Paul Heimer is at Temple Dental School learning that all that chatters is not gold. Dick Beattie and Frank Buethe should just about be getting their Marine Wings at Corpus Christie, Texas. I didn't trust Beattie in a Tanzi truck and now look! Two more Marines, Whitey Dunphy and Tom Hewitt, are having the time of their lives at Quantico (snicker). Dick Lefcort is at Navy O.C.S. and soon to join the fleet. Pete Robinson is reported in France someplace learning to parler with the jeunes filles. Bob himself is enjoying his tour with the Mud Puppies and is officer-in-charge of a transportation platoon out of Swamp Lejeune.

Army Intelligence informs me that DaveWainio has just finished the two-month officer orientation course at Fort Benning and is now turned loose on a platoon. You may have noticed that your friendly reporter has conspicuously shied away from any mention of the present casualty rate among our once-proud cordon of celibates. I want you to know that it's not from personal prejudice, but rather from an astonishing rate of failure by the young lovelies to trap our fellows last month. One conspicuous exception was the success of Miss Madelaine Busch who nabbed noble John Zabriskie. Zabbo and his choice will be wed when he finishes graduate school at Rochester. I hear that Wilson Cooper and Doug Freeman have joined together to head up a group called "The Society for the Preservation and Encouragement of Wooden Commode Covers in America" or for short . . . the Birch John Society, but that is unfounded as yet. Marshall Ledger is going for his Ph.D. at U. Cal. Ever-lovable T. Andrew Morse is still in his sunny, California homeland teaching and going to school at the same time. Gordy Wentworth is working in a bank in Newton, Mass. Bob Vale is in D.C., and .Tan Wyers is in Eugene, Ore. Connie Persels is a mathematician at G.E. in Liverpool, N.Y.

Thass about it, guys, have a Merry Yule and send any extra presents to Bob Marriott.

Pssssst - hey Bob, you be sure and send me half, ok? This way nobody knows that it's really greedy me that gets the goodies.

Secretary,: U.S.S. Linden Wald (LSD-6) Fleet Post Office New York, N.Y.

Treasurer, Administrative Resident 601 N. Broadway, Baltimore 5, Md.