1931
By golly and by jiminy Christmas, the spirit of Christmas has accomplished something I have not been successful in doing for quite some years now! Harriet and I received a Christmas card from Ted Harms and inside the card was one of the nicest things that has happened to us in a long, long time - a short letter from Ted. Truly it's wonderful, and now in more ways than one I'm glad for the spirit of Christmas. Ted's letter is complimentary towards my efforts to make our column interesting, and he even scolds by saying, "You've wasted your life in the industrial world." Well, maybe so, but that's just a matter of opinion, and differences of opinion, so far as I am concerned, are what make this world go around. Ted and I went through Poly Prep together, roomed together at Hanover and managed to stick pretty much together for quite a few enjoyable years. Then when I shifted jobs and came to New England in 1945, like the old saying about all good things must have an ending, our close relationship seemed to come to an ending. I hope this letter from Ted will start it up all over again - and once again lam grateful for having the job of writing this monthly column, because, as I have written so many times now, it has made a closer relationship between many of you and myself than ever existed during our four years at school.
Harriet and I hope to be around New York for a few days towards the end of May, and we are already trying to work out a schedule that will let us contact the maximum number of friends, relatives, classmates, etc., who are in the area, so some of you New York and New Jersey guys don't be surprised if you hear from us around that time, and that includes you particularly, Ted. Thanks for the note.
Time goes so darned fast that it seems as though it was just a few days ago that I wrote the column for the January issue. Now here it is only a few days before Christmas and I'm writing the February column. Usually I get the column in just under the deadline of the fifth of the month prior to the issue so that I can squeeze in all the news. This month, however, and I suppose I'm no different from most of the rest of you, I'm pretty well mixed up in many respects - one mix-up is the fact that my most helpful secretary still has a vacation period coming to her, and if I don't get this in tomorrow, it just won't get written in time.
At the moment - 9:55 p.m., December 20 - I feel extra well fed and just fuzzy enough to feel that cloud seven is a wonderful place to be. In case you wonder what that's all about, I'll explain as follows: Business commitments in my relatively new job have kept me out so many nights lately that I felt life owed it to Harriet and me to have a pleasant night out at our favorite eating place, so that's just what we did. We've just returned from doing it, and we sincerely suggest that the most of you try it for size if you've been going around in too many circles recently with too little time to spend together under the right influences. (How's that for a sentence?) Harriet says I should try it more often myself - and no doubt, as usual, she's right.
Johnny Benson forwarded some more notes that a few of you were good enough to return with your class dues payments. Old man Schneider says that he hasn't been back to Beantown since 1957 when his daughter graduated from Lasell Junior College, and also that ''I am now becoming a Southern gentleman since my youngest son Pete is now a fourth class Cadet at the Citadel in Charleston, S. C."
Jim McElroy states that he is "now vice president of the Philadelphia Alumni Association so sees quite a few Dartmouth men at the weekly lunches which are held right across from our Institute (Seamen's Church Institute, 1222 Locust Street, Philadelphia 7, Pa.). Incidentally, Parker Soule told me he is moving to Hanover about January 1. He will be working in Orford."
Bill Light enclosed a letter to John, a summary of which says he was semi-retired this past year; he now has been appointed distributor for Metropolitan, N. Y., for the Chrysler Airtemp room conditioner line; he is now ready to wade into the distribution scrap all over again; his family and he had a wonderful summer trip to the Scandinavian countries and to Leningrad and Moscow; after three days in Russia he feels that he is qualified as an expert on the subject; he met several Dartmouth people over there and amongst them, George Frankel from Cleveland; Jane and he recently celebrated their 25th anniversary and to help them celebrate were Ned and Helen Rosen, Les andVita Klein and Milt and Thelma Seiden; he has a daughter who is a junior at Syracuse and a daughter who is a junior in high school. Thanks to the three of you for your "quickies." For the rest of you, please remember that to forward a "quickie" to us takes only a few minutes, and we don't care what you write it on, as long as you write - so don't stew and fret and procrastinate, just write whenever the spirit hits you. There's no time like the present, so why not jot down a few lines as soon as you finish this column. Huh?
Like I said - Bill Steck and Ernie Moore keep coming through with items all the time. Here's another one from Bill -
Just returned from another trip East which included Thanksgiving dinner with three of four children (Pete was in Dick's House with a bad sinus infection); talked to Adrian O'Keefe and Sam Groves both of whom appear to be treating the world as their own oyster; was with the Doug Woodrings at the Princeton game and spent the weekend with them - what magnificent hosts! At the game spotted Red Gristede, Ted Harms, Art Kyle, Bill Little, Joe Mullan, Charlie Schneider and Bob Wallace; Sunday evening had a fine visit with Parker and Helen Soule in Philadelphia just prior to their giving up their apartment (see previous note about their moving to Hanover), and on Monday had lunch at the Dartmouth Club and ran into Jim McElroy.
Wally Blakely (1930 Secretary) sent a letter and a clipping about Dr. Richard E. Thursfield which appeared in the Daily Times, Sullivan, Ind. By way of explanation Wally says, "The Indiana clipping might puzzle you as to how I had it, but the explanation is that our company has a plant in Sullivan, Ind., and I subscribe to the daily paper in order to keep generally abreast of what is going on in the sleepy little town. There are very few Dartmouth men in that neck of the woods." Another clipping from the New York Times is headed "Irving Trust Company Elects High Executive," and the article states that Art Boardman was appointed executive vice president of the Irving Trust Company and also was elected to the bank's board of directors. Art is in charge of the bank's international division and to prove that that's something just read Dick Holbrook's comment in the 25th year-book which states "the better-than-a-billion Irving Trust Co." Congratulations, Art and thanks, Wally.
On December 2 I had the pleasure of watching Adrian O'Keefe do a smooth job of presiding as president of The Clover Club of Boston at their annual Christmas Party. Also had the opportunity of chatting with Adrian, Dr. Charlie Sullivan (a member of the Executive Committee) and Sam Groves (who sat at the head table, but who's no more Irish than I am - and now don't ask me how I got to the meeting either!). A recent Boston news item announced the marriage of Adrian's daughter and if I could write with an Irish brogue, I'd say "and a mighty pretty girl she is at that, Adrian!"
As you might imagine, it s rather late now, and since my secretary will, no doubt, have her hands full enough to complete her work before going on vacation Friday noon, it behooves me to give up and go to bed along with very best wishes to you all.
Reuel Denney '32 has recently had anew collection of poetry published bythe University of Chicago Press. Thevolume is entitled In Praise of Adam. Denney is primarily known as an eminent social scientist and co-author of The Lonely Crowd. He is now a professor of social studies at Chicago, andcurrently is at the East-West Center ofthe University of Hawaii.
Secretary, 36 Shaw Drive, Wayland, Mass.
Treasurer, 96 Fair Oaks Park, Needham 92, Mass.
Bequest Chairman,
