1921
Bishop Charlie and Dorothy Gilson escaped serious injury and perhaps death on Taiwan in January. They were reading after dinner in an old Japanese house. Suddenly it blacked out and rocked violently back and forth. Dorothy clung to Charlie and Charlie to Dorothy, both prepared to accept with good grace God's violent visitation. Then the heaving stopped. The tile roof had not crashed onto their heads. Fumbling for a flashlight, the Bishop inspected the damage: fallen plaster, bureau drawers gaping open, pictures and books, bowls and chairs — all strewn about. At choir practice in the church Miss Loh had called to the children to hit the floor and crawl outside on their stomachs. In the open air one Chinese child boosted morale by suggesting that they sing "Silent Night." Charlie bedded down his flock in the large church garden and watched fearfully over them all night. They could catnap fitfully without danger, for the fire, though it crept alarmingly near with a strong wind, was checked by courageous fighters in a four-hour struggle. Despite minor tremors, the severe quake scheduled to arrive at 4 a.m. never did.
Disturbances at sea have affected Frankand Barbara Livermore. On their cruise they ran into that hussy Giselle, a hurricane, which led the skipper to give it a polite 500-mile berth and to cancel landing on Mauritius, that British island, formerly He de France, in the Indian Ocean 450 miles east of Madagascar. With Barbara in poor health Frank had to cut out some ports on the cruise, and at last report he was hoping to reach Bombay and fly from Singapore to Bangkok to Hong Kong for a week's visit with another week in Japan.
The good news from Detroit about Fritz Bornman has not always been good. The war raised havoc. Forced to liquidate his business, he found on his return that priorities were still in effect and that replacement machinery was not to be had. Other fields of endeavor proved equally frustrating. And then the Navy in San Diego: that was tough too. Assigned to a civilian activity, Fritz replaced an older, well-grooved-in, higher-bracket man, and the result was no end of political tomfoolery. Now the good news. A passionate radio operator in 1917, he could remember the code in the 1930's and obtained a license. Kept at home in that decade because of his father's heart ailment, he picked up short wave from all over the globe. Now retired, Fritz can hardly find time enough for his hobbies: painting, photography, stamp-collecting, Hi-Fi, gardening, the organ, specialized cooking, reading, and retirement handbooks about climate, local color, and deluxe spots setting themselves up as the "ideal" retirement community. But Detroit still looks like home. Fritz begins again to affirm his Dartmouth loyalties. For decades he lost touch with the College except for some slender threads with local alumni. "Now it all comes back to me," says Fritz. "Good old Phi Psi and 1921! Those were the days! Happy memories!"
The Class of 1921 has a new bride, Kay, Mrs. Kathryn Mary Higgins, and the bridegroom, Charlie Johnson, is showing her off proudly. She is a widow who lost her husband just short of 12 years ago. She and Charlie, a retiring couple with no desire for fanfair, were content Feb. 8 with a quiet ceremony in Quincy with only Charlie's brother and Kay's best friend in attendance.
Do you like to wax eloquent on that perch-like fish of the sub-order of Acanthopterygii? Do you enjoy discriminating between Micropterus Salmoides and Micropterus Dolomieu of the sun-fish family, Centrarchidae? Oh, you are satisfied with black bass? O. K., you are an amateur. But Tom Griffith an expert, can pontificate on the differences between the Anthropophagi and Acanthopterygii. At Lakeside Inn, Mt. Dora, Fla., he celebrated his 64th birthday by catching the biggest. . . well. . . bass in his life, 9 pounds and 5 ounces and the biggest caught in the lake for two years. The weather? "February, un-Floridian; March, seasonal with mercury at 85."
Warm is the news from Lakeland. Powers in the dissemination of news and knowledge, Kent and Marge McKinley have made big headlines in Florida by their recent gifts to Florida Southern College, founded 1885, undergraduate, and coeducational. Marge has presented it with a life-insurance policy of $1,000,000, and with Kent she has given money outright for a music building to bear their names.
Another 1921 man is having a building named for him. The Eastern States Exposition's new $175,000 arena has been dedicated as Mallary, in honor of Ray Mallary, an exposition trustee for the past 22 years and Chairman of the Board. He has also been awarded a bronze plaque by the Future Farmers of America in recognition of his long years of service to the FFA youth activities in the Northeast.
Bill and Elizabeth Floyd celebrated with pleasure the 25th birthday of their son Rete '61 in Vienna last fall and in his company visited Paris and Munich. After 15 days Rete had to return to military duty, and his parents, feeling lonely, went on to Italy and Switzerland.
Looking forward to 1921 men in California, Nels Smith will conduct the regulatory portion of the Stanford University Public Utilities Program in July. His son, Leonard Wayne Smith of Bronxville, a graduate of UNH, who works for the New York Telephone Co., is engaged to Elizabeth Dorsey Ivey, Spence School, Bronxville High, Duke B.S. in Nursing 1960, M.A. Columbia Teachers College 1963, at present Assistant Professor in Nursing at San Jose State College, Calif.
Jim Smead may be seen more often in Hanover than in times past, for his daughter Moppy, wife of Jerry Doolittle, has moved into an old house in Meriden, partially restored, soon to be fully. Jerry works for the Cone Co. in. Windsor; Moppy, in the Research Laboratory at the Dartmouth Medical School for Dr. Lees.
One never knows where Francis Hickman will spend Christmas except that it is not likely to be Memphis. This year it was Mexico. He heads for his English home outside London next month.
Retired, Shorty Bateman has gone back to work. Hilda and he had to quit originally because he could not carry the physical strain of a store too big for one man. After three months of boredom in which they found leisure more exhausting than a job, they have started in Fitzwilliam, N. H., a little business of insurance and real estate.
Art Ross felt the same way in Manhattan Beach, Calif. How tedious just to loaf! He has picked up a job as security officer at the Fairchild Aviation Corp., a small plant making missile parts and employing about 200. Now life has some point again.
Ken Bean is retiring after 5 years as math teacher, 10 as submaster, 21 as principal of Manchester West High School, and 5 as Assistant Secretary of the New Hampshire State Association.
Jack and Doris Campbell are offering another 1921 garden picnic at their West Newton home Wednesday, June 3. Food and drink will be about $4.00 a person. Batchand Jessie Batchelder will give a party after the Dartmouth-UNH football game in Dur-ham Sept. 26 at $3.00 each. Dan Ruggles in the Smoker will give you all the luscious details.
Secretary, 33 East Wheelock St. Hanover, N. H.
Class Agent, Box 764, Hanover, N. H.
