1935
While of course I don't do this on purpose, you understand, one of the most effective and satisfying ways of getting a reaction from members of the class is to let a little misinformation leak into the column. BillHands has now written me with some asperity that the news of his grand-niece at Hollins is a fabrication. His genealogical situation simply renders a grand-niece impossible. The mystery was solved the other day by my sitting next to another Bill Hands, Class of '14 and not known to be related to our Bill, who regaled me with news about his grand-niece at Hollins. Many apologies, Bill, but the news came from the girl herself, and she was quite a pretty grand-niece to have had, even for a short time.
Dartmouth gatherings around New York have been rather frequent lately and the '35 class luncheons, sparked by Art Bamford, have attracted a lot of interest from members of the class. I got to my first one last week and found myself sitting next to EdMitchell, who is involved in foreign operations for the Texaco Company. He has just moved to New York and to my considerable astonishment now lives virtually across the street from me on Geary Drive in Chappaqua, N. Y. He had some news of CurtLamorey, who is with Texaco in England. There's a fellow we could use back in the United States some day. Last time I saw Curt was when we both had rooms in a pension on the Impasse des Deux Anges (Dead End of the Two Angels) in Paris.
Speaking of angels, Dero Saunders was at the luncheon too and admitted his picture in Forbes looked like the devil.
Going west for a moment, Bob Seltzer recently devoted a whole column in the Cleveland Press to a profile of Lou Weitz. He has just been re-elected chairman of the Children's Council of the Welfare Federation in Cleveland. "Lou, a slender, baldish man of 47," according to the column, "is a partner of his father, Sidney M., 74, in Weitz and Weitz." He has long had an interest in young people's organizations, having been a delegate to the White House Conference on Youth and Children in 1960, a trustee of the Jewish Community Federation from 1957 to 1961 and a member of the Mayor's Advisory Committee at the Cleveland Boys' School at Hudson. He was the president of the Jewish Children's Bureau - Bellefaire. Lou is also a frustrated politician, was a member of the Shaker. Heights Charter Commission in 1957 and run unsuccessfully for the State Legislature in 1950. He has done a great job in welfare work in the Cleveland area and it is wonderful to see this recognized.
A little further west there is some truly astounding news from one of our self-styled "class racketeers," George Hoke. When not lawyering in Minneapolis, George used to derive enjoyment from mowing down the opposition in a squash racquets court. This is an activity most of us gave up some years ago for various reasons, mainly advancing senility. Not George. . . here I am damned near 49, and just for fun and not having entered the state tournament since last I won it and retired undefeated in 1954, I just thought for fun I'd give it a whirl again this year after an eight years' layoff. ... Believe it or not, I came within an eyelash of winning again Saturday at the Minneapolis Club. Don't worry about me, I am not going to die of a heart attack. I went through the whole tournament without so much as the loss of a game until the finals when I plain ran out of gas with Bill Kuross. I was leading Bill two-one and thought I might even win the match but finally my 48-year-old legs just plain buckled under me and that was that." George needn't feel too badly, he has won the state championship eight times and been a runner-up five. Looks like the beginning of the end for George though. He will have to take up some quiet sport like single sculls or cross country skiing.
Had a nice letter the other day from Jim Alfring, who runs the Interstate Supply Company. This company has an RCA Victor and Whirlpool distributorship covering eastern Missouri and southern Illinois and Jim has recently added an electronic parts distributing organization with seven outlets in the same area. "I have been pretty busy trying to keep three children all in private schools. The oldest one, incidentally, is making her debut at a ball in June which we are giving with Hugh Logan '34. His daughter Peggy is the same age as Dessa Anne and we have decided to launch them together."
We seem to be holding our own in representation at the Dartmouth Alumni Council. The January meeting saw five delegates from our class (Bankart, Chaney, Moulton, Funke and Roberts). Word has just been received of the re-election of Carl Funke to another two-year term on the Council. Dave Smith was also elected to the Council as regional representative of Dartmouth Alumni clubs in the Pacific States. With Morry Heller on the Med School faculty (I saw him roaring down the Dartmouth skiway in January), three of our class on the college administrative staff, and about 37 undergraduate sons, we seem to be keeping our end up.
Three 1935 couples met in Honolulu in March when George Colton, Dartmouth'sdirector of development, addressed the alumni there. Left to right: Mimi and FitzDonnell, Ruth and George Colton, and Berta and Pug Atherton.
Secretary, Hog Hill Road Chappaqua, N. Y.
Class Agent, Box 94, Salem Depot, N. H.
