1952
Howdy neighbors! Coming your way again from the little house on the corner, set in the rustic beauty of Connecticut, your old '52 scribe with some news and views for showery April. Mostly news. I'll try to keep the views to a simple vilification and excoriation of Mortimer Caplin, the Congress of the United States, and that fallen Dartmouth angel, Nelson Rockefeller, all of whom have conspired to relieve me of more money than I can bear to think of without going a little wild. Which is no advertisement of my affluence but rather the cry of pain of any ordinary Subdued Taxpayer.
Several of us '52 breed of the species took time out from money woes the last day of February to commiserate and lick each other's wounds at a small soiree at the New York Dartmouth Club. Dek Davidson acted as host, and though the invite said to bring wives or dates I didn't see more than two or three ladies among the thirty or so odd party members. (I don't necessarily mean odd in the sense of being peculiar though there was some peculiar activity brought on by the Demon Rum before the last of us folded our tents and headed home.) I couldn't hope to name everyone there, so I'll take the coward's way and not mention anyone other than George Pandaleon who, along with your correspondent, managed to close the party out and defend the good name of '52 in a heated debate with one mightily misled '53.
With the newspaper strike in New York 88 days old there are a lot of things we commuters miss. Among these are the book reviews. Luckily for you I came across a review in Cue Magazine the other day which is quite favorable toward Dick Watt's new book, "Dare Call It Treason." This is a history of the French Army mutinies of 1917 during World War I. Members of the Class who have read it also tell me it is informative and highly stimulating. Read it. I intend to.
One brave and enterprising classmate who's gone in to business for himself out in Detroit is Pete Hoffman. To show you the uncertainty of a class secretary's promises, I met Pete and his partner last summer in a restaurant in Chicago. He gave me his card then and I told him to look for his name in this column. If he is a man of perseverance he will see that it finally paid off. The name of his firm is McHugh and Hoff-man, Inc. Their business is the evaluation of television buys for advertisers and advertising agencies.
A long time entrepeneur of '52 is Louisde Rochemont, who, like his father, has his own film company. Louis specializes in documentary and educational films according to a clipping I received from the Wakefield, Mass., newspaper. A feature article in that paper describes his company's filming of an educational TV show in one of the elementary schools in Wakefield. Most of us wouldn't understand the show, however. Not because Louis' productions are so esoteric but because this one is done mostly in French. The show was filmed for use on a "Parlons Francais" project - the teaching of conversational French to elementary school children.
From the West Coast I learn that PeteZischke, John Bartlett, and Lee Cliff have not lost their passion for bagpipe music. They sponsored a big Bagpipe and Beer party last fall out in San Francisco-land under the guise of raising money for an educational TV station. That's a new wrinkle on reasons for tapping a keg they've learned since Hanover days.
On the insurance front and back in the civilized East (Bagpipes, indeed!) Dick Pratt has been named treasurer of the Earl R. Thomas Insurance Agency, Inc. of Fall River, Mass. And up in Burlington, Vt., Charley Curtis has been named manager of Connecticut General Life Insurance Company's office there.
Closer to home here, in Meriden, Conn., to be precise, Dr. Ely Wagshul has opened an office for the practice of urology after two years with Uncle Sam as chief of urology at the Naval Hospital in Charleston, S. C. Ely says he'd like to hear from anyone in the Meriden area, we assume on a social rather than professional basis.
And we Yankees keep infiltrating Dixie. Latest carpetbagger to move south is JimDonmoyer who recently took over as district sales manager for Westinghouse lamp division in Atlanta, Ga.
Ah, the vicissitudes of scribedom! I'll never hear the end of one recent column on '52 educators. Comes word now from Hanover that I missed Stearns Morse who is assistant professor of geology at Franklin and Marshall College in Lancaster, Pa. If there are any other teachers I missed let me know and I'll make amends. Could keep that one column going for a year or so at this rate.
For those of you in New York who've been looking (as I had) in the phone book for the Rusk Institute, mentioned here last month in connection with Al Reich, I learned just last week that you'll find it under Dr. Howard A. Rusk, 400 East 34th St., Phone Oregon 9-3200. I'm sure Al would welcome visitors, so why not join me. Soon?
And now, as the sun sinks in the West we bid you adieu from this paradise among the pines along the ancient and archaic New Haven tracks.
Coach Bob Blackman with John Clow'52 (l), president of the Northern California Club, and Dave Smith '35, member of the Alumni Council, at Januaryluncheon.
Secretary, 168 Riverside Ave. Riverside, Conn.
Class Agent, 2295 Chatfield Dr., Cleveland Heights, Ohio
