1935
Now that 50th birthdays are memories of an increasingly distant past, a slight but unmistakable trend is causing confirmed suburbanites to look more kindly on the city. Ted Steele, who says Geritol is replacing alcohol, is the most recent defector, having quit Darien for the less salubrious but more convenient purlieus of East 52nd Street. Ted still has his wonderful place, Potato Hill, in Vermont, to which he retreats every available weekend. This is the other half of the trend-at least it is if you can afford it. "Ritorno Sorrento," but keep an aerie in the mountains.
The growth of 'New York apartments to house this influx of affluent refugees from the country is apparently doing great things for the brick business and, therefore, for Bon McAvoy, whose bricks have been used for the Lincoln Towers Apartments and many other new buildings in New York, including the apartment development which now rises on the hallowed site of Ebbets Field. The brick business is getting quite a Play in New York this week, with overtones of Churchillian activity in this regard. A crew of master masons is raising a collection of miscellaneous walls right in the middle of the lower level of Grand Central Station. This intriguing exhibit, sponsored by the Metropolitan Brick Masonry Council. is making every commuter a sidewalk superintendent. Pity the poor bricklayer who goofs on striking a joint.
Don, like most of us, is finding the ranks of children at home thinning rather rapidly. Two girls have already graduated from Swarthmore, one of them having married a Swarthmore-trained civil engineer who is with him in the brick business. Jule and Don are left at home with three younger boys, including the twins. Roily, the eldest son, is attending the Museum College of Art in Philadelphia. As a result, Don tells me that for quite a while they had "a big nude over the fireplace." It isn't clear whether this was was a life class at home, pop art, or a Rubens.
Looking very unlike the Geritol set, a goodly bunch of 35'ers showed up for the monthly class lunch (first Monday each month) at the Dartmouth Club in New York. Jerry Spingarn was up from Washington, D. C., representing the Great Society. Merc Curtis came down from Cape Cod, fully recovered from his harrowing experience on Nauset Beach last winter and selling Evans slippers like crazy. Al Sherwood, Uncle Reg, Dero Saunders, Frank Corn-well, Lou Bookheim, Sid Diamond, Art Bamford, and Charlie Haussermann were also there. You really should make an effort to get to these monthly and informal gatherings of the clan, particularly if you come in from out of town. Schedule your time to include the first Monday in the month. No reservation or notice is required and you do not have to be a member of the Dartmouth Club, although it wouldn't hurt if you joined. The dues, particularly for out-of-town members, are very low and the Club makes a good headquarters while you are visiting the city.
Charlie Haussermann's company, the Van Iderstine Company, recently figured in the news rather prominently as a result of a disastrous fire which broke out in their old buildings just as they were moving to new quarters nearby. Van Iderstine renders inedible oils. In consequence, the fire produced vast quantities of smoke which attracted the attention of a helicopter pilot who happened to be flying from the city out to Long Island. He saw two men trapped on the roof of the burning building. He had only a small 'copter and, landing nearby, stripped the machine of excess weight so that he could pick up at least one man at a time. With great courage and skill he rescued both men. Telling the story, Charlie said the pilot was less concerned about the smoke and fire than the danger of panic on the part of the one man who had to be left behind temporarily. Charlie, widely known as "Torch" Haussermann, can speak lightly of the situation now (his insurance was in good shape) but at the time it was pretty grim.
Incidentally, quite a number of those present at the class luncheon wanted extra sets of the reunion glasses. At $4.00 for eight they are going pretty fast and there won't be any more. If you want a set drop me a line, with check please.
Without Haussermann we couldn't burn out the Harvard Club, but you might be interested to know that a few of us injected a strong green tinge to the festivities scheduled there a few weeks ago when Dartmouth Down-the-Danube put on a show for the Harvards. The Harvard Club has an enormous hall which was completely filled, showing either that the members were interested in Dartmouth or are all frustrated explorers. I believe the Dartmouth Club will sponsor a similar affair some time in April. The presentation was made by Dick Durrance '65 and Chris Knight '65, whose fathers hark back to our generation, but not to our class. Their pictures were wonderful and well worth seeing. Keep your eye peeled for the July issue of the National Geographic.
Class Chairman Bobb Chaney has now completed the appointment of nine regional chairmen for the class, as follows: Art Bamford, N. Y.; John Wallace, Boston; Al Dodd, Philadelphia; Lou Weitz, Cleveland; DickMontgomery, Chicago; Dud Russell, Minneapolis; Neil Roberts, Denver; Dave Smith, San Francisco, and Ed Ramsey, Los Angeles. These men, each in his own area, are to provide the nuclei for class activities throughout the country. They are an interesting bunch, including bankers, lawyers, a publisher, investment broker, advertising and insurance men, as well as that miller I told you about last month. Bobb has also announced the appointment of Hank Haw-kins as the chairman for our 30th reunion (June 1966). Hank is a banker in Claremont, N. H. Heading up the reunion he will have the support of the regional chairmen and the executive committee of the class. It is none too soon for you to start thinking about your plans to come up to Hanver for the occasion.
Secretary, Room 703, 521 Fifth Ave. New York, N. Y. 10017
Treasurer, 305 Grosse Pointe Blvd. Grosse Pointe Farms, Mich.
