1912
Our Class has not only one famous O'Connor but two bearing that name. Few in 1912 have kept in touch with JohnsonO'Connor but the Secretary is the fortunate recipient of a letter from Johnny, together with a report on the Research Activities and Research Program of the Johnson O'Connor Research Foundation, Inc., of which he is president and director. This is a tax exempt foundation engaged in various forms of research chiefly pertaining to aptitudes. Johnny has written and published scores of articles and books. To any who think a man old at 73, listen to this. A talk on aptitude testing at Bronx High School one evening, another on the problem of shifting from technical work to supervision before a group of engineers the following evening, and the day in between (his birthday) spent helping to hang the new exhibition of paintings at the Foundation. And now he has just finished another book, "Be Yourself."
Charlie Gately has come across with another of his humorous epistles in reply to one in 1963 from me which he unearthed in the "rubble" of his desk. His suggestion that every one in the Class should name a grandson after me hardly has the appeal, I fear, when he adds that I "have the granite of New Hampshire in the muscles of your brain." Apparently Charlie has no fear of succumbing to lung cancer since he admits smoking three packs of unfiltered Philip Morrises in the face of that "major damnation outburst called a 'Report on Cigarette Smoking.' "
Paul Martin writes from Hot Springs, S. D., that his wife Helen passed away last March. Letters from two sources carry the sad news that Gee Bullard's wife Martha died on January 24 following a stroke for which she was hospitalized. The sympathy of the Class goes out to both Paul and Gee. John Brewster spent the time from December 1962 till October 1963 in the hospital undergoing two operations complicated by an infection slow to clear up. Cliff Sugatt tells me that he had a real hot gall bladder with stones requiring a rest of three weeks before the surgeons could remove it. This was all in January and now he is expecting to be back in the running at least by April. Bess Garrison visited him after his return home and Scott and Allie Rogers phoned him while he was in the hospital, they being en route to Cleveland and then to Florida till May 5.
Jim English, our Who's Who teacher of Romance languages, responds from Clearwater, Fla., to a Christmas gift from DocO'Connor. We should like more news of Jim's doings. Mark Reed and wife are already booked for Europe by air May 1 so no "More and More in '64" for them. This will be their 8th consecutive summer abroad and this year it's Vienna and the Music Festival. I hope some summer the Reeds will wait till after July 1 to go abroad and thus let us have a peep at them. Clif Taylor is enjoying his years of retirement in Easton, Conn Swapping past experiences with him, I found he was Master of Ashlar Masonic Lodge in Bridgeport in 1940. Following this theme Tracy Sanborn informs me that he has received Masonic honors for his brochure "Two Centuries of Freemasonry: The History of Philanthropic Lodge," a commemorative volume published at the 200th anniversary of that third oldest Masonic Lodge in Massachusetts. Among the illustrations is a halftone of the ancient charter signed by Paul Revere, Grand Master of Masons in Massachusetts.
Tommy Thomas had an odd experience last Christmas. He said he hung up his stocking Christmas Eve and in the morning found another grandchild, a boy. He was sure of the identification for when the boy spied him he shouted, "Hello - Hie Walter, Merry Christmas." That makes 11 grandchildren! George Geiser is commending the Secretary for discovering he is a twin of Bowdoin Plumer. After all, it's nothing new, just 74 years old. Trying to fix up a 1912 party at the Dartmouth Club in Chicago when I was in that city in February brought a "Sorry, can't make it" from Elmer Bloom who had a date in the Sunny South at that time and a letter from Shorty Tyler's wife Louise saying that Shorty's activities have been reduced to practically nothing. We are all sorry to hear that. Mark Allen, who by the way just passed his 75th milestone, says he intends to live to be 100. Mark, Ella, son Bob, his wife and two daughters and Ella's brother and wife all drove to Pasadena for the Rose Bowl game only to see Washington lose. Two days a week in the Seattle hardware store seems to keep Mark out of mischief.
Roy Lewis has turned out to be my best heeler. Here's from Roy: Ben Adams is getting set for someone to fix that old hernia of his. Baker and Baker are bidding for 1964 Sundown hosts. Randy Burns is going to Mexico. Dutch Cottrell is on the up and up and planning on Hanover in June. Also coming up in June is Count McCaffrey, another Sundown host, with a special prescription for the party. Other Sundown hosts bid fair to be Chuck Tanger and the Cuttings. Doc and Ginnie Worcester managed to leave home and hospital behind and winter at Cocoa Beach, Fla. The 100th Anniversary Dinner in Boston in January found 1912 represented by Mardi and Syd Clark,Hal Belcher, Gertrude and Eddie Luitwieler, Fletch Clark and Bill Shapleigh. Wish I could 'a been there.
Need I remind you of Pike Child's gift to the College? It was a specific bequest of $2500 "to further the memory and interests of the Class of 1912, my graduating class and I leave to the discretion of the Trustees of said College, the unrestricted use of said money, requesting that they give due regard to my purposes in making this bequest." A fine example set for all of us.
Three of our widows have written me welcome letters. Hazel, Dick Foote's widow, recalls the boyhood friendship of her son Howard and our boy Bob at Tabor Academy. Hazel has five grandchildren, four of them boys and, I hope, Dartmouth bound. Her daughter married Spencer Grey '51, now on the faculty at Loomis School. Cupe Clark's widow Persis says she reads the Billboard and the ALUMNI MAGAZINE "quite thoroughly, and enjoy, and feel I am part of the Class of 1912." She is a loyal contributor to the Alumni Fund. Micky Mitchell's widow Irene is married again to Gerard T. Remsen (no relative of Dick's) and lives in Montclair, N. J. Irene admits being out of touch with the Class since Micky's death in 1947. She accepts "the MAGAZINE and contributes to the Parents' Fund." Her son Alan is Dartmouth 1950.
Secretary, 136 Steele Rd. West Hartford, Conn. 06119
Treasurer, 4 Bank Building, Middleboro, Mass.
