1900
Certainly our class baby, now Mrs. Ruth Bean of Auburndale, Mass., daughter of "Cap" Jenkins, should receive due recognition. Not long ago a picture of a Mrs. Ruth Bean, being awarded a plaque by the President of Simmons College, appeared in a Boston newspaper; but this was not our very own Ruth Bean. The only relationship between the two being through, of all things, a mix-up in bank statements. We believe this little financial flurry has been amicably settled to the complete satisfaction of the two Ruths concerned. It thus seems that even such a trifle as a bank statement can become, under some circumstances, a thing about which to worry.
Our Ruth, however, has had an exhilarating experience in her own right. For a number of years she has been active and held important offices in the state organization of United Church Women. Last October she was honored for faithful and efficient service by being sent as delegate from the state organization to the National Convention of United Church Women held at Miami Beach, Fla. At this convention an assembly guide was selected from each state organization, and Ruth was chosen as guide from Massachusetts. It was a real honor and a tribute to the fine work Ruth has done. To Ruth the meetings were most inspiring, the entertainment offered thrilling, and the contacts made with people from all sections of this country exciting. One interesting but sobering episode was a visit to the Cuban Refugee Colony at Miami. At first-hand she got definite impressions of this many-sided problem. At the time there were about 100,000 already in Miami, and from 750 to 1000 new arrivals were coming in each week. We are living in an era of problems, and here is just one of many facing the social consciousness of our people.
A Christmas card from Bill Howard gives a change of address. He is now living at 5526 South Hoey Street, Seattle 18, Wash. It was nice to hear from Bill, and we sincerely hope he has fully recovered from his serious accident of a year ago.
One remarkable historical fact which has a distinctive 1900 flavor is that Harold L. Bradley, "Chels" Atwood's brother-in-law, was a classmate in the Hyde Park, Mass., High School of "D. B." Rich, "Cuddy"Balkam, "Dana" Sears, and "Notch" Norris. "Hal" is a good man and true. The only blemish on his escutcheon is that somehow he missed Dartmouth. Perhaps now at long last we may be able to forgive him for such an important and unfortunate lapse. Hal recently called on Jeannette Rich, "D. B.'s" widow, and found her in good health and spirits. Reading between the lines, one can assume the call was an interesting and delightful one. Perhaps they reminisced at length on the good days of long ago in Hyde Park.
Much of the year Mable Downing, widow of "Pete" Downing, lives alone in Littleton, N. H. She reports herself in good health, and this, for people of our age, is something for which to be devoutly grateful. A part of the winter months Mable spends with her older son at Cocoa Beach, Fla. Her younger son, Everett, is now Superintendent of the Maine Production and Broiler Test Co. of Monmouth, Me.
As of Dec. 7, Ethel Woodman, Jim Woodman's widow, was still confined to the Franklin Hospital recovering from the painful accident she suffered in October. She is getting on very well although more slowly than at first expected. She is now very hopeful that by spring she will be her usual, robust, active self.
Recently Loring Dodd very kindly sent me a copy of his article published Dec. 12, 1961 in the Evening Gazette of Worcester, Mass. The article bears the title of "An Old Dilemma Returns: New John Whorf Exhibit Vibrantly Alive With Color." Whorf, considerably influenced in his early years by John Singer Sargent, is notable for his boldness of design and his resplendent colors. He has had 32 annual consecutive exhibits in Boston, New York, and Chicago. Loring is so impressed and delighted with Whorf's artistry that he has one of his paintings in every room in his house in Worcester. Since 1938 Loring has attended with pleasure and enthusiasm every one of the Whorf exhibits, and frequently has come away with one of the paintings firmly clutched under his arm. These of course were come by quite honestly and only after turning over a substantial sum of what the Good Book calls "The root of all evil." Whorf's untimely death in 1956 ended a brilliant career. This last Whorf exhibit held at 179 Newbury Street, Boston from Dec. 9 to 23, 1961 was not a mere collection of odds and ends from his studio, but rather was a replica of all the vibrant color of the exhibits held during his life time. Loring comments: "All that you have ever liked of John Whorf is here again - vibrancy, vitality, elan. Just as of old I wanted to tuck a picture or two under my arm and walk away. Just as of old the vision of scant wall space at home confronted me." And here is the dilemma of a sincere, discriminating, mature art critic who frequents the exhibits of a well-loved water colorist.
Secretary, 3 Pleasant St., Hanover, N. H.
Treasurer, 20 Chapel St., Brookline 46, Mass,
Bequest Chairman,
