1930
The quiet season of the year — March; by far the longest month of the year, when every one north of the Mason-Dixon is just waiting another day for spring to arrive, and then another day and then another day and then another day. Also the season when class news is at its skimpiest, but luckily, skimpy though it may be, Thirtynews is always conceded to be completely vital.
I have been browsing through "The College on the Hill," a new chronicle of Dartmouth, reviewed by Al Dickerson in the February MAGAZINE. My son John '64 has just received a copy of this beautifully published volume, a gift from the Class of 1914. Last June at Commencement the 50-year class speaker announced that it intended to present a copy of the volume to each member of '64, and it is indeed a very handsome gift. John has just gone into the Naval Air Reserve, after working for Boeing at its NASA plant in New Orleans since he graduated, so he won't be home to read the volume for a while. Louise and I spent a few days with him in New Orleans at the end of February, a welcome respite from our southern New England style winter.
As an addendum to last month's review of Fran Horn's safari to Africa, he wrote from Nairobi of some of his travel to faraway places. In Western Uganda the party's intrepidity rose to its greatest height — the border of the Congo had been closed, but just to be able to say they had been there, they crossed the "water curtain" by swimming an unnamed river and back safely. Re- turning some 700 miles to Kenya, the trucks were charged a few times by rhinos and elephants, and numerous other places were visited. To trace them taxes my African atlas beyond its capacity, until later mention is made of visiting Addis Ababa, and then he journeyed home through more conventional channels of travel. Fran says it is good to get away for a couple of months, but for most of us that is easier said than done.
The first word of John Newcomb in years; appointed general manager of the San Francisco office of Earle V. Maynard & Co., insurance brokerage firm. For the previous 16 years he had been with American International Underwriters in the post of casualty manager. He has also brought to light another professional designation, CPCU, having in 1954 passed all the examinations for Chartered Property and Casualty Under-writer. He is a past president of the Insurance Forum and a member of the Casualty Insurance Association of California.
Another promotion received by HarryCondon, highly deserving of congratulations: elected vice president and a director of Massachusetts Investors Growth Stock Fund, companion fund to Massachusetts Investors Trust.
Without elaboration, Ed Frost has written that he is now with Benson Printing Company, 136 Fourth Avenue North, Nashville, Tenn. Horace Weston, whose career we reviewed several issues ago, has been promoted again, to vice president of the Plymouth-Home National Bank. Congratulations to both these gentlemen.
Dr. George Lord has been elected chairman of the Board of Trustees of Nasson College, Sanford, Maine. He has been a member of its board for three years, and has participated in many civic activities in Sanford since moving there from Hanover in 1961.
Ed Sprankle, one of our few retired classmates, reports he enjoys retirement thoroughly, keeps busy learning to play a Hammond organ, and enjoys golf and bowling. Ed and Jean's son is living in Berkeley, Calif., and their daughter in New York, a circumstance that gives them considerable scope for travel to see their children.
Sandy McCullouch wrote, as if for Western Union transmittal, "Our routine the same. Produced 'My Fair Lady' for Arlington Friends of Drama. Believe we were first non-professional group. Highly successful."
Bob Bottome's wife, Dona Margot Boulton de Bottome, is a member of Venezuela's delegation to the current session of the United Nations General Assembly, an assignment culminating a career of extensive public service. She has promoted the "good neighbor" policy for 25 years, having been responsible for the establishment of a center in Caracas offering courses in Spanish for Americans, and vice versa, having been a radio commentator on Latin American political affairs as well as a Caracas daily newspaper columnist, and president of the Caracas Municipal Council. Bob, too, has been busy and is an independent businessman of varied interests in Caracas.
A recent issue of Real Estate Forum devoted a lengthy article to the history, the updating policies, and a discussion of maintenance problems of Rockefeller Center, with frequent references to Vic Borella, executive vice president. It printed several shots of the handsome gentleman in action in various reaches of the complex. Also reprinted was a picture of the 1939 rivet-driving ceremonies for the final building of the original center; the speaker was Fiorello La Guardia - and in the picture one can see Nelson Rockefeller sitting right behind the Little Flower.
And speaking of the Governor, I ought to complain to him that he really loaded us accountants when he had the New York State corporate income tax filing date moved ahead to be identical with the Federal. An answer to that, of course, is that we should prepare earlier, but I think Dick Tilt would agree with me that too much is concentrated on the one date.
Dick and Gwen Bowlen reported they made the grand tour in January, meaning exactly what, I don't know, because the only news deriving from their communication is that while in Aspen, they saw HenryStein who avers he is completely happy there, running a ski ranch, raising Morgan horses, raising steers on a second ranch, and operating in real estate. Both Dick and Henry are willing to vote to have a reunion in Aspen, and if it weren't for the problems of raising funds for a trip to the Rocky Mountains, about 200 others would too.
One of my non-Dartmouth friends learned I did not have a 1930-D Lincoln cent, and gave me one. That D should stand for Dear Old, but actually means the Denver mint. This impelled me to check up on 1930-D coinage to find out what other coins would make a full set, and it was surprising to discover no other D coins were minted that year. The other mints were stamping out nickels, dimes and quarters in 1930, but not Denver —it was really preparing for the depression.
Tempus fugit, amigos — barely two months hence to reunion (tempus ludendi).
Secretary, 30 Boxwood Dr., Stamford, Conn.
Class Agent, New York Life Ins. Co., 51 Madison Ave. New York 10, N. Y.
