1961

Got a few nice letters this month, but still not nearly enough to even begin to fill a column. Really now, men, it's not that hard - dictate one to your secretary, have your wife write one for you, send one postage due, telephone, telegram or use a carrier pigeon, it doesn't make any difference, but don't just sit on your heels and wait for Nirvana.

Bill Wood has crossed paths and swizzle sticks with divers of our brotherhood. Bob Brignano has bounced from graduate school at California to a stint in the Army and now is back working with Ford Motor Company in Dearborn. Willy reports that, contrary to all previous information, SteveWillard is not en route to San Francisco to work for a liquor distributor at all but is in fact going to Paris to (presumably) work for a wine factory. Pitts always did have a flair for the niceties of life — and wine is much more suave. Dennis Regan is reported in good mental health at Stanford Graduate School of Psychology. Bob Rentto, still serving his country, has finally succeeded in making up for that horrible period he had to spend on the desolate plains of Okinawa ... this time Bob really lucked out, got one of the really great duty spots ... Chipmonk Forks, South Dakota. Nah, guys, I'm just kidding, Bob is stationed in San Diego and has a pad on the beach and all like that. The word being circulated is that Jim Gilchrist and wife Lou and Diane and Tom Russell are contemplating setting up a law firm in either Tahiti, Zermatt, or the Bahamas. Marsh Ledger and George Bland are both in grad. school at Cal - in English I'm told. All that information was from Mr. Wood, who is now ensconced in the Class Secretaries' Hall of Fame at Chipmonk Forks, South Carolina.

Hoo Ha! Huzzah! et al - got another letter from a '61 wife. I enjoy them most of all, primarily because the girls give out with the real dirt, not the ambiguous claims some of our male colleagues slip into their correspondence. For example, I got a letter from Bill Jensen which offered, "I am currently doing research work in, and developing methodological applications for, various psychological case histories for a branch of the United States Government." That sounds pretty impressive, doesn't it? But listen to what Mrs. Jensen wrote three days later (unbeknownst to hubby, I'm sure) "Bill and I are enjoying our stay at Fort Benning quite a bit, as you know Bill is a clerk in the recruiting office in nearby Chipmonk Forks, Georgia. ..." See! that's why I enjoy letters from the distaff side - they give the real lowdown. The particular letter I received this month was from Mrs. John Willis, and she reports that she and John are counting the days 'til they go back east in July where John will rejoin the world of the civil engineers after serving a hitch in the Public Health Service. The Willises are the proud parents of young Carolyn Grace Willis who is eight months old this month.

Faithful correspondent, "Duck" Eicke heeded my plaintive call to pens of two months ago and whizzed off a fast letter. Duck himself is stationed in Bangkok, Thailand, with his lovely wife and is serving (still!) with the Air Force. Seems that Curtand Marsha Low are also stationed in that far-off land. Duck points out that of the five '61's who were commissioned in the Air Force at graduation, two of them (Duck and Curt) are both in the same duty station and doing the same job (Postal Officer). ... Hmmmm, looks like somebody has a powerful lobby going in Washington. Duck reports that, even more amazingly, the other three '61 AFROTC types are all stationed

together too — in Chipmonk Forks, South Korea! Sure is a small world.

Lt.(j.g.) Bill Blue is currently stationed in Norfolk with the Submarine Force and is doing radio announcing on the side. Bill will be the man at the mike for the All Navy Basketball Tournament and probably for the big Navy Softball Tournament as well; sounds like Mr. Blue is keeping pretty busy down there in corn pone land.

The last letter, received just before press time, was from that outstanding fellow David Haven Blake who has been doing all kinds of interesting things. First off, David Junior appeared on the scene last August and has already started kicking a soccer ball around, I'll bet. Daddy Dave is working toward his Ph.D. in political science with the help of an NDEA Fellowship and a patient wife.

As far as I know, Dave is the only '61 working towards his Ph.D. Any of the rest of you smart guys embarked on that task?

Tha's about it, I've run out of letters and energy, besides my Beatle record just stopped so I'd better flip it.

Secretary, Box 313, Wayzata, Minn.

Class Agent, 6641 Chestnut St., Cincinnati, O. 45227