1951

The supply of news this month is at what I hope is its nadir, at least it's the lowest I've faced in over five years as Class Secretary. I trust that there is no direct tie-in with the Dow-Jones average, at least as long as it continues to tumble.

I hope to do something about this by launching a news solicitation campaign before I have to head West again. To avoid a glut and to keep the news relatively current, I plan to spread my solicitation over several months, rather than hitting everybody at once. But such a campaign, which will be aimed primarily at people whose names haven't appeared in this column for some years, should not deter you from sending in such news as you create or come by.

The college clipping service came up with exactly one item this month. Dick Pugh has left the groves of Academe at the Columbia Law School to become first assistant to the Assistant Attorney General in charge of the Tax Division of the U.S. Department of Justice. (I thought Dick's field was international law. Maybe he became bored or, more likely, frustrated.)

In any event, Dick, wife Nanette, sons Richard and Andrew, and a third child I didn't know about, have moved from Riverside, Conn., to the D. C. After Dartmouth, Dick was a Rhodes Scholar at Oxford and served three years as a naval officer before receiving his law degree from Columbia in 1958. He was associated with a well known New York City law firm before joining the Columbia Law faculty.

My other two news items come, courtesy of Jim Bovaird, from the Chicago papers and, interestingly enough, concern non-Chicagoans. University of Illinois law professor Jeff O'Connell was invited by LBJ to witness the signing of the highway and auto safety bills. We recently reported Jeff's authorships in the automobile accident field.

Dick Woolworth got a big feature story, with his pix, in the Chicago Tribune for inventing "Old Pal Reel-Lectric," an electric spinning reel (for use in fishing, for the information of the uninitiated like myself). According to the article, he was inspired by the electric toothbrush.

Dick was apparently in Chicago for a fishing tackle show, where he told the Trib's reporter: "It took 3 Vt years to develop the reel you're holding, and I hope you're holding it gingerly because it retails for $150. We made 102 modifications before settling on this model. We've tested it in Canada, Bermuda, and Florida. We've had experts try to fault it. There's nothing except enthusiasm, and we have a large backlog of orders." My only question is whether it is guaranteed against backlashes.

In any event, Old Pal is a subsidiary of Woodstream, described by the Trib as "a Pennsylvania Dutch outfit headquartered in Lititz, Pa." I can vouch for the fact that Lititz is in the heart of the Pennsylvania Dutch country; but I can't vouch for the "Dutchness" of the name Woolworth, even though one of Dick's ancestors invented the steel claw game trap, which used to be the mainstay of the company's business.

Two weekends ago as of the time of writing, I was in Hanover for the Club Officers Weekend and to see the UMass game. Most notable change on the scene was a gaping hole where the old part of the Hanover Inn used to be. During reconstruction, its a walk-up to a fourth floor room (since the elevator was in the old part), the lobby is located in the east end of the dining room, and the Spirits Room is located in the downstairs Tavern, along with the commodes.

In the eyes of a non-expert, the team looked both good and bad against UMass. (John Higley, up from Worcester, Mass., with his wife, was the only classmate I encountered other than our Hanover residents.) You all know by now what happened against Holy Cross, which may have been a blessing in disguise.

I sincerely hope that all goes well in Hanover this Saturday against Princeton, otherwise I'll have a rough time in the office next week. In case you hadn't heard, the reserved seats (except for reunion classes) were exhausted in the middle of the Class of 1928.

All of this is a very sneaky way of getting around to inviting you down to my home town to view the season's closer against Penn on November 19. Putting on another one of my alumnus hats as President of the Dartmouth Club of Philadelphia, I'm inviting you to attend a cocktail party after the game in the "mummy" room of the University of Pennsylvania Museum, just across South Street from Franklin Field, all for the benefit of our local scholarship fund. I hope to see you there.

Secretary, 2107 Fidelity-Phila. Trust Bldg. Philadelphia, Penna. 19109

Treasurer, 24 Cherrybrook Dr., R.D. 4 Princeton, N. J. 08540