1899

Only ten days after age 91 John Ash died in Corvallis. Our deep sympathy goes to all his large family; our tribute to him is in the Memorial section of this issue. More glimpses of his warm and rare personality in a later issue, including some gala returns of the family to Hanover reunions.

The annual spring newsletter will contain full details as to the Saturday, July 21, Round-Up at the Highway Hotel, Traffic Intersection, Concord, N. H. "Dr. Bob" Allison, Doc Norton's grandson, cannot be with us as he was in '60 and '61; he's now "Captain Robert" M.C., U.S.A.F. Hosp., Sheppard A.F.B., Texas. But we have some hope that his mother, Mrs. Lester Allison of Texas, may be.

Eva (Mrs. Guy) Speare tells us of the recent death of Bones Woodward's brother, Guy Eric '04. Bones and Eva's husband roomed in Wentworth 18, Freshman year. Last September Ralph and Blanche Hawkes surprised Bradford by an afternoon call. After a while we realized that they were touring New England in celebration of their Golden Wedding on the twentieth. Ralph reminisced about Bert Boston, Walter Foss,Paul Osgood, Herb Rogers, and others who used to help in his father's York Village drug store summer vacations. One of the Hawkes' grandsons had just graduated from Erskine Academy; and a granddaughter, Debby Tracy, had just secured a fine position in a Boston law olfice. Colby Junior and Grandfather's office had prepared her. Muriel (Mrs. Gus.) Heywood one stormy afternoon started sawing up wood for the fireplace, some of the "spare" pieces Gus had accumulated but never used. Muriel's philosophy: "He who saws his own wood gets the heat of it twice."

Louis P. Benezet's son, Louis T. '36, president of Colorado College, in the lead article of the October 21 "Saturday Review" discusses "The Trouble with Excellence." His topic, simplified, asks, "How is true excellence in the work of a college to be attained?" You might get up a lively discussion with your friends on some of the following possible answers to this question: (Do you detect a touch of satire in any of them?)

(1) Assign hard work, and lots of it; "That's the current reaction to the Sputnik trauma, going on a heavy-assignment binge."

(2) Aim at "turning out graduates pro- fessionally employable and socially accept- able."

(3) Have a winning football team, thus "lumping together the accomplishments of a philosopher and a performing bear."

(4) Demand competence in standard or traditional courses; this will "produce people who show a more sympathetic awareness of society's demands upon themselves, a keener interest in tackling our hardest problems such as integration, overpopulation, world peace, or the implications of the scientific revolution."

(5) Remove the "stranglehold of grades" until students "become interested in intrinsic learning."

(6) Have the most experienced teachers sit with the freshmen in small classes.

(7) Find methods of teaching that will stimulate students to "help America sell her way of life to the less privileged millions in Latin America, Africa, and Asia."

While you are puzzling over the above suggestions don't forget that July 21 date in Concord.

Secretary, Newbury Rd., Bradford, N. H.

Treasurer, 22 Vera St., W. Hartford 7, Conn.

Bequest Chairman,