1924
This is written the day after the spring (?!) term started on April Fool's Day; returning from, two weeks in Colombia and its lovely 85's to Boston and Hanover's spring snowstorm and below 30° cold. Several '24s have been and are down south and on cruises: Ken and Ina Foley and Les andMildred Sycamore were in Florida; Margaret and I took off for Bogota, Colombia (where we were delighted to see the JamieYolanda Pradillas ('54 please note) but missed other Dartmouths) ... and then on to visit with Quecha and Bevo Beers amid their banana-palm oil-cattle empire in tiny Saville out from Santa Marta quite a way, for several days of fun and education; my hardest lesson-to-learn was how to ride the back seat of a jeep over incredible mountain roads.
Other travel notes: Larry Fishbein and wife are back again in Bermuda (address is "Walford," Pomander Road, Paget); soon off to France and the Channel Islands, and return to Bermuda — "a way of life we enjoy." ... Harriet and Butts Lamson cancelled their projected trip to Europe until another time because of home pressures ... more of this later if space permits.
Welcome home department: George (and presumably Virginia) Avery will be in Hanover in mid-April; as part of the spring program on Japanese culture (in which the DonBartletts are, and have been, involved deeply) George will lecture on "Gardens of Japan: Ancient in the East, Modern in the West." He is described in the local press as "... a distinguished professional botanist and interpreter of science and ornamental horticulture for the gardening public. He has been since 1944 the Director of the Brooklyn Botanical Garden and is particularly well known for his enthusiastic presentation of the techniques and traditions of Japanese gardening. ... One of Dr. Avery's most ambitious projects was completed last year. the construction in Brooklyn of a replica of the famous 500-year-old Ryoanji Stone Garden." Welcome home, George.
By association of ideas (Bartlett's above) we are pleased to note that Dr. Donald Bartlett Jr. '56, and Dartmouth Medical School before his M.D. at Harvard, is engaged to marry Catherine LaPointe, of Westbrooke, Me. She had her B.A. degree from St. Joseph's College, then an M.T. at our local school of Medical Technology and has practiced her profession back home in Portland, Me., in Nijmagen (Netherlands), and in Rochester, N. Y. Don Jr. is interning at the Strong Memorial Hospital in Rochester, N. Y. Plans are for a summer wedding.
I described the new plant Ken Foley is building for his Dartmouth Printing Company; know ye that he might continue my lessons in jeep-riding as I see a picture of him at the wheel of a bulldozer that broke grounds in March for the new plant out on Lyme Road. Probably less skiing this year for exercise on the steel monster.
This time of year we begin to get well into the Alumni Fund campaign, and DougCraig has received some good folding-money to start the ball rolling for '24. Thanks now, and later, to Doug and to his many helpers in regional jobs, for the hard work that goes into this annual expression of appreciation from us all who have received from the College so much more than we ever return - most of us, at least. My check is in; how about YOURS? Today, yet.
Another well-earned "Award of Merit": to our Bill DuBois, from the Dartmouth Club of Bergen County (N. J.) in its annual citation to "an outstanding Dartmouth Alumnus of Bergen County ... in recognition of notable contributions to one's community, outstanding business leadership, and loyalty to Dartmouth College." Does all this ring bells in your mind, gentle reader? It should, for Phil Van Huyck received this same award for 1963. So cheers to both Bill and Phil - and to '24.
On a sadder note: We have brief mention of the sudden death of Ralph Stuart, officially '25 but counted himself as one of our own although he graduated a year late. Details are lacking at this time and so obituary will follow next month. Meanwhile we send our sympathy to his wife, Priscilla, a son and daughter, a brother and a sister. (Incidental observation: In my file-book, the following classmates have left us as their pages in alphabetical order indicate: Bob Strong,Ralph Stuart (skip a page), Ruddie Stutzman,Ed Sullivan (skip a page), Ed Swan, and Herm Swoboda... an ominous quirk of chance association of names and death.)
Correction (lowers batting average 5 points): The grandson named Jonathan, born Jan. 27 to Butts and Harriet Lamson's daughter Ellie (and John) was grandson #2; I slipped and had forgotten daughter Nancy's son George who was #1. My apologies for the slip; and best wishes to all - will be seeing you before this appears in print, Butts - for Class Officers' Day in May. (The Lamsons have five grandchildren in all.)
Further travel news: The Larry Kugelmans relax in February on the beaches of the Bahamas Out Islands, which are reported to be "particularly relaxing." (I'll bet you'll get some arguments as to the best area for same.) In writing a birthday card today to Thurston Ritter, last known to me as in Miami, I now find he is in Barranquilla, Colombia ... and that's where we just came from (among other cities thereabouts). Sorry I did not know this in time to say hello, at least.
Incidental information: Fred (and Mary?)Qiehl will be in the Alumni College program this summer ... ought to have more of you for this very successful refresher. ... Thanks, very much, to Joe Burleigh for a thoughtful chore; he came upon more records than our class book gives on Bill Wilson, who died of a sudden heart attack in 1960 after retirement in 1950 on a 150-acre retirement farm. We very much appreciate this addition to our file.
Now to remind you that the fall reunion reservations are coming in, and that accommodations are reserved on a first-come, firstserved basis. Preferred procedure: Write me your wishes and enclose a carbon copy which I'll use in my dealings at Bonnie Oaks; $25 deposit any time but not later than August 15, please. It's going to be an even better party this year. (It always is, each year.)
Secretary, 2 Brewster Rd., Hanover, N. H.
Class Agent, 5 Deerhill Drive, Ho-Ho-Kus, N. J. 07423
