1912

Syd Clark fell afoul of a pothole in the road, his first evening on the island of Corsica, tearing ligaments in his right thigh and landing him in the hospital. His experiences in a French hospital with one leg in a cast and no one with whom to converse in English will doubtless be published some day in true Sydlian style. The upshot of it all was that Syd did come home for Christmas, which wasn't in the plans, and gave himself and his lower extremity a rest in order to resume in January where he left off in November. Watch you step, old man, for it's later than you think!

Honors recently have come to two of the Class. Doc O'Connor was the guest speaker in Hanover on November 30 when the Expansion Fund Program for the Mary Hitchcock Memorial Hospital was officially launched at a Citizens' Committee dinner. Doc, as you know, is the recipient of the Medal of Merit from the U.S. government and well deserves the honor bestowed on him by the Hospital Board of Trustees. Our other man of fame is Henry Bailey Stevens, retired director of the Cooperative Extension Service. His distinguished countenance appeared with six others in the frontispiece of an illustrated population report issued by the New Hampshire State Planning Project. The frontispiece featured four prominent New Hampshire citizens and two Quincy, Mass., youngsters, grandchildren of the director of the State Graphic Arts Division who illustrated the pamphlet, arranged around a drawing of the Old Man of the Mountain in the State Emblem.

Tom French comes forth from years of silence to explain why he has been unable to travel from Exeter to Hanover in June to join us. This time it has been a cataract in the left eye which curtails his driving but does permit him to mow the grass and operate a sizable vegetable garden in summer. Chief Wheeler reports he has sold Bakers Review "so now I have nothing on my mind, not even a hat." Chief tried to drop in on me in June '63 on his way north but I had departed for other parts, probably Maine. One of his flying mates in Italy in World War I, Ken Collins of West Hartford, recently passed away. Ev Gammons sent me a nostalgic letter on learning of the death of his baseball roomy, Jogger Elcock. Gam says these last nine years (of retirement) have been quite wonderful, "possibly not because of what I have been doing but rather because of the things which I didn't have to do." He gardens and boats and gets a lot of fun in the doing. How about in winter, Gain?

As I was roaming up and down the line at the Columbia game trying to find a familiar face, right under my nose sat GuySwanson of Concord, N. H. He's a real fan, taking in the Princeton, Brown, Harvard, and Columbia games along with his daughter to keep him out of trouble. A recent checkup at the Mass. General was necessitated by weakness in one leg. We sincerely hope the report was good. It must have been for Guy is now planning a trip to England in June. Dud Redfield reports he has a son Dave living in New Jersey, recently returned from Japan and now a pilot for United Airlines. Alma and Lee White are again settled in Pinehurst, N. C., for the winter. Lee can rejoice in the fact that he has had a good year, out of and not in the hospital.

My sympathy, and I know yours also, goes out to Eddie and Gertrude Luitwieler who experienced the same tragic ransacking of their home with the loss of many things cherished for years. As Eddie says, "this (world) is certainly a mess." Gertrude and Eddie planned to take their youngest and her husband to Jamaica in January to help him recuperate from a recent severe heart attack. You all probably received one of Warren Bruner's Christmas rundowns on the family doings. That feller is sure some traveler. Boundless energy! Never will grow old! And then along came a three page epistle from John J. McCarthy of Silver Spring, Md., whose chief occupation seems to be golf, trying to keep up with his wife who has a handicap of 16. Mac's children apparently have arrived. Jack, a trial attorney, has received an award for sustained excellent performance. His wife has a degree in nursing from Georgetown. Bob is an engineer with Douglas Aircraft Corp. in California where he has been since he was picked from the campus at Catholic University. The McCarthys boast five grandchildren.

Hap Warner reports his only Dartmouth game this fall was the Penn contest where he sat next to Jim Steen. Hap is still a top flight golfer, winning the Seniors tournament at his club in Old Virginia last September. Both he and his wife Billie are in the real estate business in Sterling and Reston. Randy Burns reports a visit from Roy andFloppie Lewis on their trek to Venice, Fla. Randy lost a brother from cancer in December. A hospital checkup in Hanover in January and then Florida in February for his annual fishing trip was as far ahead as his furnished schedule went. Lyme Armes reports a safe arrival in San Antonio, as you all are aware from the Billboard ere now. He delayed his takeoff to attend the service for Frances Weld on Chebeague Island, spent two nights with Chuck Tanger in Lancaster, Pa., as well as visiting unnumbered other friends, and covered 2,213 miles in eight days on the road. The journey included Thanksgiving and as far as I can make out there was no turkey dinner on his menu. Irv Goss writes that he and Grace are both keeping out of hospitals and doing pretty well. Doc Worcester, feeling fit again, planned to head for Florida in January.

Irene Drake seems to be keeping busy. She journeyed to Valley Forge in October to attend a seminar given by the Univ. of Pa. and sponsored by the Sears Roebuck Foundation. From there she visited Freedom Foundation and the new grave to be dedicated to the brave Congressional Honor men toward which the women's clubs have pledged $150,000. A friendly note from Bess Garrison reports plans for Christmas and New Year's in Dallas, Texas.

For all those letters of sympathy and for the lovely Christmas cards which have come my way as your Secretary, I am deeply grateful. These are days when friends, old friends, mean much.

Winter addresses: Benjamin F. Adams, Box 618, Nautilus Road, Venice, Fla.; Alfred L. Smith, 17011 Dolphin Drive, St. Petersburg, Fla.; W. Lee White, Everett Road, Pinehurst, N. C. 28374.

Secretary, 136 Steele Rd. West Hartford, Conn.

Treasurer, 4 Bank Building, Middleboro, Mass.