HANOVER CHARACTERS — 1963

One of the recurring topics of conversation in any group of Hanover folks - whether town or gown - is this subject of Hanover characters. Sooner or later someone is bound to say, "Gee, there ain't any of those odd ducks left," or to ask "What has become of those colorful figures of yesteryear?" And then we are off with stories about Buster Brown and Nat Woodward, Jake Bond or "Doc" Wood, Jim Hagerty, or "Fletcher," on the town side, and such unique representatives of the academic world as George Breed Zug, John Poor, Stephen Schlossmacher, Craven Laycock, Brooks Henderson, or David Lambeth. For each of these men, and others, of course, whose names would occur to many of you, was in his own right sui generis. To be sure each' of us is a bit eccentric but thank God some individuals have more of this off-centeredness than others, and they are the ones who give life its zest and color. They redeem our existence from that drabness and uniformity which so easily beset it, and incidentally, they provide subject matter for endless stories and furnish topics for conversation over the coffee cups or the beer mugs. And such talk, you may be sure, is not confined to gatherings over those more plebeian containers but intrudes, happily and with equal relish, with upraised crystal glasses of rare liqueur after fashionable candle-lit dinner parties.

To take a minute to illustrate the flavor of the old days some may recall the time when Harry Tanzi was trying to persuade Nat Woodward to go peacefully to the county farm in Haverhill and Nat stopped Harry in his tracks by inquiring in that inimitable voice and inflexion, "If it's such a damn good place, Harry, why don't you go there yourself?" Another may recall Professor John Poor's remark that when he came down street in the morning and saw the flag full-staff he knew that at any rate he wasn't dead. Or his remark that if he were cold in the winter he could always go into the Ad Building to get warm. Then John would add, with a dry twinkle in his eye, "They have the heat on all the time in the Ad Building."

But let us return to our original theme that many Hanoverians seem to feel that such characters are no more in our midst. Apparently this is an age-old attitude and one has to remember that time always gives an added aura to eccentricity and death tends to embalm it. If we do not happen to have as distinguished a set of characters today as we had a generation ago a closer look will not only uncover a group of queer characters in the making but I am sure also a group which may even rate that status now, before death puts its final seal on their vagaries and their bon-mots.

It is more difficult, of course, to evaluate eccentricity when it is a part of the everyday scene and sometimes a bit awkward to single out living friends and neighbors for this distinction. One trouble is that such a distinction seems a dubious one to many — and nothing to be proud of - though some of us feel that it rates very favorably with other more generally accepted areas of distinction.

Perhaps we can mention a few who may view it in that light. One thinks of Julius Mason - former postman - and entrepreneur of Vermont chickens and Vermont eggs who is retired in Hanover and known locally as "Mr. Green Thumb." Julius loves to plant gardens and to talk and is happiest when he is doing both at the same time. He tends several different plantings, such as the one in front of the Nugget parking lot, and can often be seen there cultivating away around some flowering shrub until the soil is churned and rechurned and all the while talking about the American Legion or the Hanover which used to be with Emeritus Professor John Stearns or Postmaster Emeritus John Gould.

Somewhat more in the public eye is the senior member of the House of Tanzi - Harry himself - who is Honorary Mayor of Hanover and as great a talker as Julius. Harry does spend a few winter months in Florida now but most of the year he is still on Main Street at 7 a.m. full of gossip, and queries, and wisecracks. He takes more time off than he used to but still manages to keep the Hanover ladies all a-twitter while he rings up the cash register with one hand and eats a peach from the other.

And up the street a piece is a relatively new arrival in Hanover, but a real character from the word go, Hanover Inn's top-man genial Big-Jim McFate, who is good for a laugh on himself or any other victim any time of the day or night. Jim is presently President of the Hanover Rotary Club and that podium offers an impressive springboard for Jim's sage observations and causjtic comments. The Inn itself offers a wonderful base of operations and there is scarcely anyone in Hanover who hasn't enjoyed a genial greeting and a verbal slap on the wrist from Jim at one time or another - and often almost simultaneously.

As we leave the town and look toward the gowns the situation is a bit more touchy. Let us proceed with caution and mention two or three good scouts who deserve the accolade of "characters." One thinks of Emeritus Professor John Barker Stearns who with his shock of white hair and his gay waistcoats and ready stories looks like a character and really is one. J. B. loves to waken his neighborhood with rifle fire at daybreak on the Fourth of July. He loves to talk, with anybody and everybody, and tell stories too, at the drop of a hat, and a story with a Maine setting is his special pride and joy. He is equally at home with town and gown with the chapter of Phi Beta Kappa or the local post of the American Legion and his hosting of the latter for its regular meetings is but one illustration of his jovial common touch. And even with his tall silk hat and Prince Albert coat he is very much one of the boys. Happily John is quite likely to respond favorably to any invitation for a public appearance — serious or otherwise - and on these occasions we are thankful indeed for a character who is willing.

A much younger character - but equally genuine — is the Dean of the College, Thaddeus Seymour. Thad is in some respects the eternal boy at heart and his activities and appearances are wide-ranging indeed. One day you may find him leading a street parade in his antique open Packard touring car, the next he may be on the platform with Professor Stearns and other dignitaries, with Thad all decked out handsomely as Uncle Sam. At fair time he loves nothing better than to play the role of barker-spiel man for his carnival ring-the-bell high-striker. Crew is one of Thad's first loves and anything connected with the river is apt to find him in the front ranks. Lincoln-like in build he follows Abe's example of squatting anywhere it is convenient and I have seen him in conference sitting on the stone curbing. His zest and enthusiasm and devil-may-care attitude are the more noticeable and welcome when so many administrators take themselves very seriously.

Surely there are characters in the making among our younger scholars but they are not quite ready for evaluation so I turn to one more old-timer - Professor Emeritus Bancroft Brown. Many will remember the small, dynamic Professor of Mathematics who always seemed to have a new angle on the approach to a mathematical principle, whose exams were both amusing and searching, and who preached and practiced the idea that the main purpose behind an examination should be to promote and test the use of the students' brains. Bancroft is an early riser and was always one of the first of the faculty to check Main Street and the arrival time of the Boston Herald. He enjoys a sense of humor and usually has a story or an amusing personal encounter or experience to brighten the early morning hours of both town and gown. And don't forget that he is our leading expert on the laws of chance and all forms of gambling from crap to racing. We worked hard to have Bancroft appointed a member of the new New Hampshire Sweepstakes Commission but somehow politics messed it up. But even if he can't be on the inside of that racket he is a wonderfully interesting character to have around.

So much for some of our town and gown characters. Long life to them, and may they have worthy successors! I don't know that I can say the same for some of our summer school friends who apparently represented the bearded, barefoot, beatnik school of thought. But then as Brother McFate says, "They're characters all the same."

Dean Thaddeus Seymour barks for high-striker at the College Chest Carnival.