1939
We attended a Dartmouth luncheon for bright young hopefuls awhile ago and saw the films of the '63 football season. Of course, the man with the cutting shears never gives the opposition a chance. Dartmouth always has the ball and is constantly completing passes and making touchdowns. The weather changes rapidly and so do the colors of the jerseys, but by golly, we looked great! You can almost see Endy Smith "making arrangements" at Harvard, and Dick Monahon "organizing" Princeton.
At this same luncheon we sat next to Dr.Paul Guilfoil, recently transferred to the Dayton Veterans Administration Hospital from Wadsworth, Kan. Paul is a chest surgeon, is assistant chief, surgical service, and has been with the VA since the end of WW II. He confided in us the startling information if you want to make money in medicine, become a psychiatrist. As a sometimes observer of TV's "The Breaking Point," we pass on this information to you mid-career direction changers for what it is worth, though, from what we can observe, Dr. Thompson seldom gets paid on Monday night. Paul's hobby seems to be golf, and we've set a tentative post-snow-melting date.
Dr. Robert English, the George Frederick Handel of Green Mountain College, directs the college chorus and teaches musical history and theory. He also is a composer of note, viz- The Boston Music Company has brought out two of his new organ works and four choral works for women's chorus. Last December the St. Michael's College Choir in Rutland sang the world premiere of his newly composed chorale "Little Lamb, Who Made Thee?" based on William Blake's poem which we have just re-read from his "Songs of Innocence" section. We also have noted that our reunion chairman has asked, by broadcast letter, for an organist to volunteer to play at the memorial services on June 21 We are suggesting that Dr. English volunteer and, if creatively possible, compose something suitable for our 25th. And this is a real sneaky way to make the suggestion If it's a chorale, we can select voices and practice in the TENT the night before! Dick Weil can tape record for posterity.
This all comes about because we received, as a gift (we hope; we think) through the mail a one-sided 331/3 RPM record called "Songs of Dartmouth recorded by the Ray Charles Singers Expressly for the Most Distinguished Class of 1939." A subsequent conversation with reunion chairman Bert MacMannis reveals that Rod Albright, TV director of Sullivan, Stauffer, Callwell & Bayless, personally went to Hanover to record the bell music from Baker Tower, then conned Ray Charles into integrating a glee club group to sing the songs we used to sing, only more gloriously, and then had the whole thing pressed in magnificent dynagroove (R). He persuaded Dick Brooks to design the jacket. Then, at great personal expense, had a limited edition of 20 recordings produced. Ten of these were then mailed to a selected group of classmates who, in the opinions of Junie Merriam and Irv Naitove, represented the ten potentially largest donators to the class 25 year Memorial Fund. So, if you received a class Dartmouth recording, you know what the College thinks of you and you'd better live up to the expectation by vulcanizing a suitable check. The other ten records, by the way, were sent to freeloading ribbon clerks such as we for promotional purposes.
Meanwhile, back in Kinderhook, N. Y., James Boswell Vincens is writing your autobiography for you in case you failed to do it yourself. Bob Barvoets is our class Gutenberg in this instance and he has to put the 25 Year Book to bed next week complete with Bill Webster's and Jerry Beatty's editorial extravaganzas which, Bert tells me, are lurid, revealing, and personally approved by the estate of Ma Smalley. It contains an ancient frontispiece from the early revelations of Spud Bray. Dick Jackson, who is ably handling all publicity over his Pittsfield, Mass., radio station at $7.50 per minute, plans to circulate this tome to every classmate regardless of the size of his pledge — maybe. Why wait to test his temperamental wires? Give till it hurts now!
Since we are all wound up on our favorite subject - money - we might as well comment on the 25th Reunion Class Tax. The weekend starts as early as you can get there on Thursday, June 18. It crumbles after lunch on Sunday, June 21. The area is the Gold Coast of yesteryear - Gile, Streeter, Lord and Hitchcock Halls. The College is charging you $3.50 per person per night to bed down. It's possible running water will be included. The corridors have been recently redecorated by Dorothy Draper in hues of beige, brown, and Dartmouth green. The fire hoses will be done in an antique ivory cotton twill with corroded brass fittings. On the spacious grounds will be two tents, the co-axial centers of our social life. The TENTS, as we shall call them out of deference to Bob Field, will be sumptuously stocked with ice, paper cups, beer (if we can find Charlie Gluek), set-ups, and perpetual music arranged by Albright and the Barberry Coast. DickBrooks has arranged for a member of the Tanzi family to be on hand at all times to make empty promises and excuses for the thousand little details that your aging ectoplasm currently dictates necessary but which you didn't have 25 years ago and aren't about to have that weekend. Members of the Green Key will be available to tell you to drop dead when you ask them where your luggage is.
The TENTS will also, from time to time, be mysteriously stocked with food for breakfasts and lunches and catches-as-catch-can under the capable catering administration of gourmet Bill Mason who learned it all years ago in freshman Commons when he invented the soda straw stalactite glued gloriously to the ceiling with warm butter. There will be a class banquet at the Top of the Hop, wherever that is, with Hal MacGilpin as toastmaster. Horton Wainwright, who is chairing the class banquet (this is designed to get us out of the TENT so they can vacuum the grass), has obtained Art Larkin as banquet speaker. Art will tell us what it is like to enter the New Hampshire primary. And, oh, there are a lot of other goodies planned too.
For instance, Sam Thurm is in charge of Ladies' and Children's Programs. This is difficult. But there will be experienced counsellors with happiness programs for all age groups. Put in simple English - Free Baby Sitters! There will be organized tours through Hopkins Center, Bartlett Tower, White Tower, the Nugget, and Campion's basement. We expect at least 200 class members and, including wives and kids, a total of 750. That's why Dusty Rohde is trying so frantically to find Charlie Gluek!
And the Class Tax for all this? A virtually free weekend for only $80.00 per couple; $50.00 single; $20.00 per child. This includes everything but your room rent! All this delicious food, surprise gimmicks, dirty ice, soggy paper cups, free prizes, free sitters, free beer, class pictures, and if you show up for the class meeting chances are you won't get elected to anything!
Furthermore! Because our reunion chairman is a Madison Avenooer, if you pay up before May 1 you get a 5% discount. Where else can you survive in a TENT for four days for so little and still get a discount with stamps!
Think!
Secretary, 1908 Coolidge Drive Dayton, Ohio 45419
Treasurer, 25 Sound View Drive Bay Hills, Long Island, N. Y.
