1935
No one can reconcile his emotions to the news that Milburn McCarty died on April ?6 To his friends in '35, and to the wide circle of his other friends in the Dartmouth community, it is inconceivable that the doughty little warrior from Texas conquered New York but was unable finally to conquer his own spirit. His suicide came without warning. It has left us all with remorse that we failed in some way to help him adequately as he, in so many instances, helped others Perhaps Mac helped so many people he couldn't help himself.
Ort Hicks, Vice-president of the College, conveyed these feelings to those who heard him at the Memorial Service in New York far better than I can express: "It is one of life's great tragedies that the happiness Milburn brought others could not be directed toward overriding the depression that gripped him in recent months - a depression all the more unbearable in that he kept it from almost all his friends whose happiness he wanted unclouded."
Mac had the natural desire to serve, to help, said his former commanding officer in the Marine Corps, "... to share all of himself with everyone he knew, was a simple act of being, like the beating of a heart."
Mac's death cast a pall on the '35 contingent which attended the general meeting for Class Officers in Hanover last weekend. It was particularly difficult for me since I represented the class in his place at the gathering of Class Chairmen among whom he had so many friends. I was able to report, however, some of the things our class had been doing, which excited considerable interest among the other classes, particularly the plan for our support as a class memorial project of a Hopkins Center play, concert, or other event each year. As you know, this has replaced the memorial book plan. "J.B.," a play by Archibald MacLeish, currently be- ing put on by the Players, was supported by us in this way. A copy of the program will be sent to all members of the class.
The Hanover meeting was also attended by Dave and Betty Williams, Bus and Nancy Latimer, Reg and Babs Bankart, Tom and Barbara Wilson.
Our projected Hanover meeting on September 27-28 of the Executive Committee, plus all other interested class members, also aroused discussion since it appears we will have a large turn-out. I hope if you have not sent in your card and reservation you will do so quickly. Among other things, the fall meeting will have the task of selecting a new Chairman for the Class. Reg Bankart, a former Class Chairman, has agreed to serve in this capacity until September at which time nominations will be acted upon by the Executive Committee.
Frank Van Kirk has moved to a new house in San Francisco at 50 Maywood Drive. He is still doctoring tired bodies at his office at 49 Post Street in San Francisco, in case you get the colic on the West Coast. Susan and Frank McManus Van Kirk are now twelve and a half and eleven. Phoebe had to move the "white elephants" to the new house. They were her stock in trade as chairman of the local school bazaar. Frank writes that he has heard from Dan Close in Cleveland and from Bill Mumler, of Mumler's Mecca, with whom he was associated in practice at Los Angeles. He also saw DonWaggaman recently at, a Dartmouth luncheon. Don is still running the West Coast office of a group of insurance companies and is president of the California Insurance Company and vice-president of Columbia Casualty Company. These doctors stick together Frank has a patient now who used to depend on Ted O'Brien all the way back in Plainfield, N. J.
News from Naramore includes a clipping that Grant Herman has been made a director of Kable Printing Company. Corinne and Bob are coming home from Hanover this weekend. "We won't get a chance to see 'J.B.,'" says Bob. "Understand it's a 'thinker' and I prefer drinking!" Incidentally, Narrie sent me the article about HerbShuttle-worth, the carpet tycoon, which I wrote up some months ago, saying that he, too, is "descended from a family long identified with weaving, although the tree almost died during the Prohibition era."
Bob McLellan of Needham, Mass., has just been elected assistant secretary of the New England Mutual Life Insurance Company. He was most recently director of fiscal operations for the company, having worked in the agency department as director of agency operations and finance. Bob is a Fellow of the Life Office Management Institute, holds a chartered life underwriter certificate in agency management, is a member of the research committee of the Insurance and Statistical Association, the cost committee of the Life Office Management Association, active in the New York Insurance Accountants Club, director of the Financial Executives Institute and treasurer of the Boston Council of Boy Scouts of America. In between time he takes care of one wife and three children.
Other New England news includes an item about Harold Stanton, vice-president of Bay State Films, who was recently a speaker at the Advertising Club's meeting in Springfield where he demonstrated new techniques in handling film and film strips. He also showed some foreign TV commercials which show advertising "at its most imaginative best." This has become quite a thing, if you are interested in TV commercials. A lot of the best of them are being shot in Europe for presentation in the United States.
Ralph Field, president of Field Machinery Company in Cambridge, Mass., has just been named chairman of a campaign to enroll 400 new members for the Huntington Avenue YMCA.
As usual, Bankart has scooped me on all the other choice items, except one. JerrySpingarn's wife, Natalie, was recently featured in the Washington Post (Fritz Beebe's newspaper) as the author of a new book on the brink of national fame entitled: "To Save Your Life" (Little, Brown and Company, $3.95). It tells how the men and women of the Public Health Service defend the nation's health. It has been selected by the Junior Literary Guild as its selection for June. The book sounds very interesting, having stories about such people as the. doctor who prescribes by radio for persons injured or ill on ships at sea and those who protect the health of Indians in Arizona and Colorado. In less literary moments, Natalie serves as executive assistant to Senator Ribicoff, which is an interesting job in itself.
It has been a rough month. In addition to the news about McCarty I have to report the death of Jim Schoenfelt and Bill Lutz. This news was delayed because of the newspaper strike and I am sorry it has not been relayed to you sooner. I have very few details about the death of these two men and will try to have a proper notice in the next issue of the MAGAZINE.
Secretary, Hog Hill Road Chappaqua, N. Y.
Class Agent, 5 Locust Lane, Wallingford, Pa.
