1914
April (and Duck-Boards) again!
Oh, to be in Hanover, Now it's April there, And those clumping duck-boards greet you On cross-walks everywhere.
You can hear them creaking, thumping through the night To tell you spring's a-coming — And everything's all right!
Theophilus Thaw E. Pitchfork, N. H. cum Mr. Browning
And a hearty "Happy Birthday" to these Aprilacs: Dearing, Emerson, Fordham, Grant, Gregg, Higgins, Holway, Phelps, Richardson, Richmond, Rutherford, Stratton, Voorhees, White, R. J.
Overheard in the Parker House restaurant: "I don't care what the February ALUMNI MAGAZINE said. Clyde Buckley does not live in Westwood or Westfield, but lives in Medfield, Mass." And the other fellow at the table for two said, "I suppose it's a mistake of the semi-moron who writes the 1914 column." So I left the money for my lunch on the table, jammed my hat down over my eyes, pulled up my coat collar and sneaked out the back door.
You may remember the colored photograph published by LIFE Magazine last year showing a beauteous, shapely, lissome lass emerging from the water at Sea Island, Ga. Well, Mart Remsen claims that he goes down there for the golf and I suppose we'll have to take him at his word because one of our neighbors says he's very regular on the golf links. He and Kath are down there again this year - with binoculars!
Forrest Blood, our good professor in Lincoln, Neb., writes, among other interesting items, that he has 11 grandchildren and one very cute, very little great-grandchild. One of his grandchildren is a sophomore at the University of Nebraska where "Forrie" was a teacher for many years. His youngest child, Dorothy, married to Delbert Johnson, teaches mathematics at Lincoln Junior High. She must understand the multiplication table very well because she has four children.
And now a delightful letter from PhilSmith in West Hartford, Conn.! Let's let Phil himself take us back more than a few years to a man we all remember. "Possibly you, too, can remember Math I with Professor (Hippo) Haskins and the way he would give his desk a kick and glide all around the room in his chair. And, also, how, as he explained what to us was an abstruse point, he would break his chalk into little bits and toss the pieces out through the open window. His aim was unerring. The computer is a marvelous contraption and I'm all for it, but it does seem to lack some of the color of those old timers such as Haskins and Tute Worthen."
Our faithful Pen Aborn was among the loyal ones at the annual dinner early in February in Boston. Among the 1914 spirits there he found Newmark, Saltmarsh and Derby Hall. It is reported that Abe Newmark has sold his swank apparel shop in Salem and can now thumb his nose at the alarm clock and take off for Florida or fishing whenever he wants to. It doesn't sound too difficult.
When you ask Dud Colby out in Omaha to help with an item in the class news, you always get a prompt reply. Dud retired in 1957 as secretary-treasurer of the Northwestern Bell Telephone Company. His son Norman '51 is a newspaper man in Concord, Calif. - married and the father of three children. Dud's daughter Elizabeth lives in Omaha and has given him eight grandchildren so that when he is not too occupied with the Omaha Playhouse, he cannot lack interests. And, by the way, that Omaha Playhouse is one of the most outstanding and successful theatrical ventures of its kind in the country!
The next time you are sued for breach of promise, try to have the trial held in Denver, Colo. You will there find two loyal 'l4ers engaged in the practice of law and tenants of the same building. That should make it more convenient for you and the young lady. Freddie Cranston and Gil Mc-Donough are both highly respected tenants of the Equitable Building. We cannot guarantee that either one of these distinguished barristers would be willing to handle the grimy details of your suit, but they probably would be sure to have you well represented. Freddie Cranston has five children and sixteen grandchildren and two of his boys are lawyers, one in Billings, Mont., and one in Shasta, Calif. "Nature drew to her bias."
And a good letter from Mrs. Winthrop Wilcox. You knew him as "Bunny." Gertrude is another loyal worker for good civic causes with her help extending in various worthwhile directions. Her interest in Dartmouth continues and we'll let you guess the number of her house on Chatfield Road. Yes, it's 1914. You can't beat that for class loyalty!
Under the heading of "What Makes Wrentham Tick," the Holly Club of Wrentham held a series of meetings on municipal government and the chief speaker at one meeting was our own John Warren who is Chairman of the Board of Assessors at Wrentham. John is a long-time public servant in Wrentham having served on the school committee for 18 years and on the Board of Assessors for 15 years. In connection with this tax work, it should be noted that John is a wellknown authority in this intricate field. The Warrens have three children - one in California, one in New Jersey, one in North Carolina and ten grandchildren. A useful and happy life!
Lay and Ruth Little have just returned from, a month's stay in Puerto Rico. They came back to Cornish just in time to oil up the snow-thrower and see if it would start in a 12° below New Hampshire temperature. We hope it did, because it's a great big drive to Lay's front door.
And now for the Dartmouth Quiz.
1. Name one town other than Concord, N. H., which was temporarily the capital of the state.
2. Was any president of Dartmouth ever tried for heresy?
3. What president of Dartmouth insisted that students uncover their heads within 6 yards of him, speak with deference, and never contradict him?
4. Was any Negro ever denied admission to Dartmouth on the basis of his color? What finally happened?
Word has just arrived that 1914 and Dartmouth have suffered another loss. John Peppard died suddenly February 21 in Sullivan, Me., where, for many years, he had been a resident of the Maple Crest Nursing Home.
An obituary notice will soon appear in the ALUMNI MAGAZINE. But, detailed as this may be, it cannot carry the true picture of John as we knew him in college, in his happy and devoted family, his successful business career, and then through the cruel years of his incapacity and blindness.
But John never gave up, never lost his quiet humor and broadly philosophical point of view. And through all the years of suffering John never was out of touch with Dartmouth - every aspect of the college to which he gave so much in so many ways. We are all richer in John's friendship, and in the has left to all of us.
That's all for this time, but I am reminded of Benjamin Franklin's remark in his Pennsylvania Gazette of January 4, 1732, "We have no entries this week, the river being full of ice." We are not quite that badly off in material for the column, but we would certainly appreciate your help with news of you and your family, Dartmouth men you have seen, and any even small items to keep this column going. Thank you very much. See you next time.
Secretary, Farwell Lane, New London, N. H. 03257
Class Agent, 9 Keogh Lane, New Rochelle, N. Y. 10805
