1933
Bob Fox has already posted you on the appointment by Governor Nelson A. Rockefeller '30 of Hank Smith, our esteemed Class chairman, as Niagara County judge, Family Court judge and surrogate. Since only '33ers see the Newsletter, we want to share our pride with the rest of the alumni who read this MAGAZINE. Many of them may not know that he graduated from Cornell Law School in 1936, the same year he was admitted to the New York State bar and began practice in Ithaca. A year later he married Helen Elliott Belding. In 1941. he established his own law office in North Tonawanda, N.Y., of which, twenty years later, he became mayor and from which post he resigned to accept the judgeship. In the interim, three daughters were born: Susan Choate. Ohio Wesleyan '61; Lucinda Belding and Christiana Long, both students at the Park School in Buffalo. As for civic and church activities, you name it. Hank has done yeoman service in the mall, including service for the Beeman Foundation, a child guidance clinic, which further qualifies him for his new post. Your Honor - Congratulations to you, Helen, and your family. We know you deserve it and we're proud of you.
Another success story comes with the election of F. Fuller Ripley as president of Troy Mills Inc., Troy, N.H., which he joined in 1934, following a year of special study at the Lowell Textile School after graduation from Dartmouth. Originally, the Troy Blanket Mills, dating back to 1865 and including Rip's great-grandfather as one of its founders, this organization has kept pace with the times, unlike so many New England textile mills, and has emphasized new product development, much of it under Rip's guidance since WW II. Like the Judge, he has been and still is knee deep in church and community services. When it comes to daughters, Rip went Hank one better and managed to include a boy, Barrett '64, along with three daughters: Judith, a Smith graduate who now teaches French in Denver; Rachel, a junior at Wheelock College in Boston and Sally, a junior at Monadnock Regional High School. Of course, Betty (Elizabeth Tilden Kingsbury of Keene, N.H.), his good wife, shares equally with the family in our plaudits to Rip on his continuing success.
And more fame for still another classmate — Fred Birmingham - who goes the First Family one better as author of "How to Succeed at Touch Football," recently published by The Macmillan Company. Currently editor of Cavalier Magazine, Fred is the editor and author of Esquire Drink Book (1956) and Esquire Fashion Guide (1957), both published by Harper. In addition, in 1958, he wrote "The Writer's Craft" (Hawthorne) followed by "It Was Fun While It Lasted" (Lippincott). The next year, he apparently took a "sabbatical," but in 1961, Thomas Y. Crowell published his "The Ivy League Today" and last year Harper released his "The Complete Cook Book for Men." Fred has had many newspaper and magazine articles published here and abroad and at one time he wrote and illustrated a syndicated column for Bell Syndicate and North American Newspaper Alliance. This isn't all. He has been: editor of Esquire; editorial director of Apparel Arts; founding editor of Gentleman's Quarterly and senior editor of OWI. He even found time to serve as a Lt. Commander in the Navy during WW II. An accolade for you, too, Fred.
The 1933 table at the annual Boston Alumni Dinner seated the following faithful: Harvey Bloomberg; Sam Gass; Archie Lade; John Scanlon; Sid Stoneman and Jim Walker who brought his son Andy, presently a junior and fullback at Milton Academy. We were joined by Wally Creelman, father of Scott Creelman '64 (another good Melrose boy), captain-elect of football who was at the head table with Coach Blackman (terrific speaker), Billy King '63 and Don McKinnon '63. President Dickey delivered a most fitting and eloquent tribute to Robert Frost whose funeral he had attended that afternoon.
Again, we find that the way to hear from you fellows is to pull a boo-boo. Based on a clipping service release, we reported the call letters of John Bowman's Berlin, N.H., radio stations as WKCB and WKCO. They should be WMOU-AM and FM. The request for a correction from general manager John came in the same mail as did our February copy of the ALUMNI MAGAZINE. But, no news, so we've written to John asking him to bring us up-to-date on his doings. BobFox needs grist for his mill, too, so if you fellows don't want to be the victims of manufactured scandal, you'd better send some news either to Bob at 1 Lyman Road, Northboro, Mass., or to your scribe at the address above.
Wow! That was fast. By return mail, JohnBowman came through with "You have a point - Print or broadcast some misinformation and WOW! Now, as to information about yours truly, have been happily married to the former Elizabeth Mansbeck of Easton, Pa., since 1946 and have one daughter, Barbara 15½ years old, whose one complaint is that Dartmouth is not co-ed." (John, she can go to summer school there, starting this July.) "Have been up here (Berlin, N.H.) after bumming all over the world as newsman and what have you and love it. Incidentally, Betty and I were in Hanover several months ago for the Dartmouth Horizons program which made me feel how horribly uneducated I was. As to reunion - we'll try to make it. In broadcasting, we work from crisis to crisis." Many thanks, John, but no crisis is great enough to cause anyone to miss our Thirtieth. A renewal of friendships alone is reward enough for the return to Hanover but you'll get an extra dividend in viewing the many campus improvements highlighted by the amazingly multi-functional Hopkins Center.
Driving along the other day with the car radio on, we were jolted into becoming more attentive by hearing the announcer quote business prognostications as made by GeorgeRideout, president of Babsons Reports, Inc., the internationally known business service. We had reported earlier on George's return to Babsons as vice-president after having served as special assistant to the president of the National Foundation, Basil O'Connor '12. Bob Fox confirmed it in his most recent Newsletter so we hasten to congratulate George on this promotion that had escaped our attention previously. His kaleidoscopic career has found him first in publishing plays and then as admissions counselor at Tilton Academy; director of admissions and public relations at Babson Institute; business manager at the Clark School and manager of an inn in western Massachusetts before his two most recent connections. As Bob reported, "he is also president of the Gravity Research Foundation and somewhat permanent chairman of the Mass. Crippled Children's Society." In addition, he is the father of four girls and two sons, which may be a class record. Watch us get a correction on that. Hats off to you and Eloise, George.
If you haven't sent your Reunion Questionnaire Card back to Bill Dewey, please do so pronto.
Address changes: Atwood Levensaler, 106 South St., Concord, N.H.; Marshall T. Newmann, Professor of Anthropology, Portland State College, Portland 1, Ore.; Robert G. Sands, Superior Oil Co., Apartado 168, Maracaibo, Venezuela; Mansfield D. Sprague, Vice-president, Business Development. American Machine & Foundry Co., 261 Madison Ave., New York 16, N.Y.; John F. Woodman, Box 36, Meadowbrook, Pa.
Henry P Smith 3rd '33 (center) receives the oath of office as Niagara County(N.Y.) judge, Family Court judge, and surrogate from Supreme Court JusticeFrank Kronenberg. Attending the recent event were his wife Helen (second fromright) and his three daughters (from left to right) Christiana, Susan, and Luanda.
Secretary, 80 Mooreland Rd. Melrose 76, Mass.
Class Agent, 31 Milk St., Boston, Mass.
