1910
"Some times I think, then, again. I dunno." The many Tenners who elected English 15 and 16, heard Prof. "Clothespins" Richardson give that quotation many times. It comes to mind tonight (two days after Christmas) along with recollections of our first Christmas vacation - freshman year. Although that was 56 years ago, there are some happenings we can recall vividly, such as - the pleasure of being home again - for most of us our first glimpse of home since departing for Hanover in September - the reunion with the old high school crowd at an alumni dance - there are a lot of recollections and "some times we think" we can recall, - "and, then again, we dunno!" Fifty-six years is a long time and now, a little less than half of our original number can answer to the roll call. Entering college was a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Maybe we just took it for granted and did not realize then, how fortunate we were. No experience or event since that September day has been, in any sense, similar.
How much value do we place upon the friendships and the privileges of those days? "Some times I think - and, then again, I dunno" whether some of us have written off all connection with the Class. For many, the fact of belonging to 1910 has been considered a most important reason for going back to Hanover for reunions — to renew and strengthen old ties. There are not going to be a lot more reunions for most of us so why don't a lot of us who haven't make up our minds now, as we peruse this February issue of the MAGAZINE, to make a real effort to be in Hanover next June for our informal reunion? The next formal reunion is over two years away. That's too long to chance our being able to count on. Let's plan now to enjoy the fun of being together again. Maybe you think you do, but, actually, "you dunno" what these reunions will do for you, unless you get to one. If you ask any of the Tenners who have been back you will not be saying, "I dunno." They will assure you that if "some times you think, and then again, you dunno" about the kind of visiting and the recollections of days almost beyond recall you will experience at the informal reunions, they will quite definitely convince you that you do know what it means to belong to 1910.
We have often noted that Tenners may retire but they don't seem to stop being active in something. But here is the case of a Tenner who retired and now others are working to make his name, and his work, into a memorial. During the past fall, a clipping came from Art Lord and a duplicate from Andy Scarlett telling of the ground-breaking ceremonies for a new science building at the Rivers Country Day School in Weston, Mass. This building will be named in honor of Clarence E. (Bucky) Allen, headmaster-emeritus of the school. The one-story brick structure, containing separate biology, physics, chemistry, and general science laboratories, is expected to be completed by mid-1963. A Wah-Hoo-Wah for Bucky. This is high honor for the young Tenner.
Then, again, there is Bert Kent, a retired Tenner who has made his mark in Holyoke, Mass., his headquarters during his business career and still his headquarters for the many community-serving projects he has fathered. He is a past president of Holyoke Rotary Club and is now serving as program chairman. His latest activity resulted in providing the community with a speaker, Col. Lawrence E. Bunker, who could tell the Birch Society side of the Birch Society story. Some years ago, Bert headed up a meeting of some fifteen hundred citizens of his home town, South Hadley, to hear Herbert Philbrick, the undercover agent who spent several years as a member of a Communist group. Since both of these speakers are active workers trying to alert Americans to the growing strength of the Reds in our midst, it is easy to see that Bert Kent is doing his part to push that good work along.
Art Lord, another of our retired but extremely active Tenners, has for some months been engaged in an undertaking which must bring back pleasant memories. He did not tell me much about the work when I talked with him at our Harvard-game dinner in Boston. But Art is a modest guy, you know. The work is gathering historical data of the period when Dr. William Jewett Tucker was president of Dartmouth. It was in the early nineties that Dr. Tucker took over. And it was soon after that Dartmouth began to grow from a college with a student body of something over 300 to well over 1000 when we arrived on the scene. Art, you may recall, was a Hanover boy and it was when he was a youngster that the Tucker period began. So Art knows much of the history of Hanover life of the years before he entered college with 1910. This work was started by another and Art is bringing the matter to its conclusion. We are honored to have Art engaged in this responsibility.
This chapter is reaching the finish line just as all of us in the Northeast are shivering in the below-zero (all day) old-year present from the weather department. A while back, a letter from Mac Kendall told about the fine warmth they were enjoying while we were having our first real touch of winter. Within a few days the big freeze struck Florida. Then we thought, "well Andy andBertha Scarlett probably are feeling they are glad they did not plan on Florida this year." Now, since this Northeast freeze we are not so sure that Andy will not jump into the car and head South. And that is what Mac Kendall is waiting to see. If Andy goes south he will find more Tenners than ever, ready to welcome a visit with him.
Mark your calendars for lune 10-13 for the trip back to Hanover.
Secretary, 501 Cannon PI., Troy, N. Y.
Treasurer, 2144 McKinley St., Clearwater, Fla.
