1916
Graces Nies Fletcher, widow of our classmate, Vive Fletcher, has written a book entitled "What's RIGHT with Our Young People," which Morrow published in the middle of January. The Hall newspaper syndicate has arranged publication in newspapers all over the country in a condensed version. Among other papers it appeared in the Detroit News, Chicago Sun Times, Miami Herald, Boston Globe and New York Journal. Grace writes, "I am pleased, for, to my mind, we have, on the whole, a great bunch of kids. I interviewed 400 of them from coast to coast, ranging from junior high to college graduates and undergraduates, as well as Spanish Americans in the Southwest, negroes North and South, and Japanese Americans on the West Coast, so I know what I am talking about. . . . My son, Rick, is taking his Master's in California and his wife, Sylvia, who is an artist in her twenties, designed the cover for the Youth Book." Grace spent six weeks in New Mexico over the holidays and in March plans to take off for Japan to write a book for Dutton about a Japanese woman, former member of the Emperor's household, who married an American. Came the War and he was interned, but after we won he acted as liaison between the Emperor and General MacArthur. It should prove an interesting story. She will be gone three months and is sorry to miss our Fiftieth. She sends best wishes to the Class for a glorious time.
Bill Caldwell and Joe Newmark represented '16 at the shindig of the North Shore Dartmouth Club held at the Hotel Hawthorne, Salem, the first of the year. DuffyLewis was expected but couldn't make it. Joe Newmark's brother, Abe 'l4 was cheered as the oldest class representative. . . . From Ev Parker from Las Vegas: "Beat the one-armed bandit and now have dough to make the Fiftieth. Don't come here unless you are 21—they won't let you in." . . . Word from Jake Mensel at Christmas time as he and Anita were about to take off from Woodbridge, Conn., for Fort Myers Beach, Fla., that the New England winters aren't as appealing as they used to be.... And speaking of winter weather Burt Lowe and I experienced some of the genuine article the first week in January when we attended a meeting of the head class agents and newsletter editors in Hanover. That Saturday it started snowing in late morning, by mid-afternoon it was coming down hard, and when we came out from the hockey game with Yale and the basketball game with Cornell it was a young blizzard and the thermometer at the corner of the Inn registered seven above. My nephew had had a black fur hat given him at Christmas and he dared me to wear it to Hanover. I tried it on and looked like Doctor Zhivago's grandfather. Nevertheless I put it in my bag, and was glad I did, as I might have frozen my ears otherwise.
Cliff Bean wrote me later that the weekend must have taken me back to our sophomore year when the glass dropped to forty-one below and did not cross zero for three days, and if they think winters have changed I could tell them of my latest safari into the North Country. He had thought of me Saturday night when the Northerly was howling and whipping the white flakes into waist-high drifts.
The class officers, including the executive committee, presented Dick and KayParkhurst with a gift at Christmas time - a handsome Christmas commemorative plate of Royal Copenhagen porcelain — of the year 1916. It was in a careful wrapping and labeled "Do not open until Christmas" - all engineered by Ed Craver. Needless to say Dick and Kay were mightily pleased with the gift.
A letter from Don O'Leary '17, who lives in Damariscotta, Me., giving some of the background of our late Classmate, Neil Brush, of Brushton, N. Y. The town was named after Neil's father or grandfather. Don grew up with Neil and had many fine things to say about him and his family. The thanks of the Class to you, Don, for your considerate letter, which will be set forth in full in the next Newsletter. . . . Kay English was flying out to California in mid-January to visit with her family. Your Secretary knows that she will be right royally entertained by the West Coast Sixteeners. . . . Dan and Jean Dinsmoor were back home in Los Angeles before Christmas after an interesting visit East. They saw the gang at the Harvard game dinner and the game next day, and then went up to New Hampshire to inspect their new summer cottage, known to some of their friends as "The Palace," and to others as "Dinsmoors' Folly." According to Dan it looked pretty good as far as it went. Thence to New York where a dinner date with the Chan Whites couldn't be kept because Gertrude came down with the flu. However, they had a pleasant luncheon with Burt and Sally Lowe next day, before boarding ship for a cruise to the small islands of the West Indies. Dan commented: "It was a pleasant vacation, but I must say I think these islands have been oversold by the boys who write the travel folders."
Are you undecided about coming back to our FIFTIETH in June? Then read the following received from Luke Ollis, of Lancaster, Mass., from whom your Secretary seldom hears. The Rover Boys, mentioned by Luke, were a group of 24 .young men, all unmarried in the early 1920s and drawn together by that magnet a "desire for wholesome fun." They were in debt socially — having accepted the hospitality of good friends in the friendliest city in America — Fairmont, W. Va. So they discharged their social debts by annual New Year's parties at the Country Club. Two orchestras - one from Baltimore and one from Pittsburgh. Formal dress and breakfast at six. The city loved these parties and the Rover Boys organization took concrete form, with considerable prestige as a result. Then the erosion of time scattered the members over the land until one day, not too long ago, they awoke to realize that it was getting late. A reunion was in order - a reunion was had.
Luke wrote: "I just returned from a Rover Boy reunion in Fairmont, W. Va. Forty years ago there were 24 members - ten have already departed this life. Fourteen of us sat down to a banquet - only one surviving member was lost. We had a gala time of it for five days. Some came from Texas, two of us from Massachusetts, and all agreed that nostalgia is a heady, rare, not-to-be-missed beatitude in the evening of life. If there was any doubt about attending my Fiftieth Reunion in June (I admit I was undecided) that doubt was eliminated by this reunion. Count me in - absence is unthinkable!"
1916 Class ReunionHanover - June 10-12,1966
Secretary, 7 Swarthmore Place Swarthmore, Pa.
Treasurer, Staples Point, Freeport, Maine
Bequest Chairman,
