1899's 65th
Seventy persons attended our Sixty-Fifth Reunion. Twenty shared the Family Dinner Friday night, Joe Gannon presiding with gavel and candle and authority. Daughter Genevieve Read and Winter accompanied him. Hawley Chase had daughter Marion Berry with him besides grandson Peter McSpadden '52 and wife Barbara; Miss Gill surprised Hawley with a birthday cake. Rodney Sanborn and Fod Martin also came. Joe Hobbs and K. Beal came Saturday making six of our ten men signing. From Ed Allen, Bert Boston, Paul Osgood, Herb Rogers we had assurances that only necessity detained them. By noon's alumni luncheon, forty Ninety-Niners, by mid-afternoon fifty filled the College Hall lounge for Memorial Service; by evening forty were trekking to the Orford home of Gertrude Warren and Julia and Clifford Fifield for a delicious buffet supper. At Commencement Sunday, however, only K. remained, with him by the marshal's courteous assent walked son George '34. Chance seated them by original sponsors of graduating George Kangthe Waruhiu from Kenya, and a huge camera completing three years' pictorial recording of this young African's American college life for the "CBS Reports."
Among the reuners, four from Plymouth - Eva Speare, Gertrude Silver with friends; another foursome brought Esther Parker and sister Ruth Josephson with Tat Irving and sister Hill Prowse. Then Randolph's Eleanor Dickey Drysdale with children Maurice, Isobel, Ellen, and York's Blanche Hawkes with Ralph Jr. and two grandchildren, Debby and Barbara. The secretary accounted for four by sons Arthur, Bill with Janet, and George shuttling him back and forth from Bradford, "changing the guard" for May, reluctantly left at home. The Hanover Stebbinses scored a solid six - Phoebe and Jack, Ann Louise, Martha, David, and John. Besides Cliff and Julia, indefatigable sponsors of our program, many couples: Roger and Jane Barney, Ted and Laura Allen, Stanley and Gladys Walker, Russell and Evelyn Rowe. Even a fleeting glimpse of Earl Eastman's son Albert, Southern Methodist minister, with wife and children. Five for the Musgroves, Lillia, son Frank and Donna, daughter Louise Pickering and Gail. Ranney Galusha with son Frank (one of seven children) represented Grandmother Isabel, gone only since June 3. Genevieve Benezet Butterfield with Dick also; and finally a group in whom we honored our own Prexy Tucker - Ellie Brown Blanchard and Roy, and Charlotte Brown Went-worth with son John Tucker and young kinsman Ben Dawson.
And there were numerous prized friends. Dr. Hilda Fife who drove Joe Hobbs from Kittery. President Dickey with his usual timely, cordial greeting just after the Memorial Service. Vice-President Grton Hicks '21 honored our gathering, and Professor Frank Smallwood '51, one of Joel Benezet's teachers, and Charlotte Ford Morrison, friend of all '99ers, and rather specially of Warrenand Helen Kendall. Mrs. Katherine Wood spoke for her Lebanon neighbor, Sam Stevens, lifetime crony of Warren. Everett Good-hue, secretary of 1900, came, but an 1898 delegation was detained.
The success of this climactic reunion was due to the unselfish efforts of many, besides some already mentioned. Vases and sprays of white, red, and vari-colored carnations were provided by Rodney. Roger Barney '37 and Ralph (or "Bob") Hawkes conducted the simple but impressive memorial service. Flowers were carried to Joel's grave (token recognition of all our losses) by David Stebbins, grandson of Dave Storrs, and by Michael Pugh '66, recipient of the first George Gallup Clark Plymouth scholarship. Joel's other classmate, Charlie Donahue, grandson of'99's original "Donny," was unable to leave his vacation job. Dave Orr '57, reunion chairman for the College, gave friendly and understanding guidance, and Nick Feakins '65, with car provided by the College, did much skillful and cheerful ferrying of stray reuners.
Telegrams too and letters of regret or greeting from many: Carl Miller's daughter Mary-Louise Spang from Connecticut; the Chester McSpadens from New Jersey; Virgil Rounds from Michigan, and son George and daughter Helen Rowan; and all the Western Tribe of Ashes by Alice and Roy Smith from California.
A folder listing '99's losses since 1959, both of older and of younger men and women, was distributed to all those present on June 13, and has since been sent to all others on our mailing list. Thus we of '99 close our book of formal records. We leave our places to our children and to their children, and - to the Dartmouth classes that shall follow us. We have tried to keep the faith. Do you the same.
The six members of 1899 who were back for their 65th Reunion were (l to r) K. Beal,Fod Martin, Hawley Chase, Joe Gannon, Rodney Sanborn, and Joe Hobbs.
