1928
Dick Schmelzer, former assistant to the president of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, has been appointed Secretary of the Institute. In addition he was named assistant secretary of the Board of Trustees. Dick has been at Rensselaer for 37 years - from 1929 to 1947 he taught English and coached tennis and soccer - since then has held administrative positions.
Jack and Peg Zellers just flew back from Lisbon after a three-week vacation motoring around southern Spain and Portugal. Jack is assistant vice president of the People's Savings Bank of Bridgeport, Conn., and manager of the Southport branch.
Herb and Mimi Sensenig spent the first two days of Dartmouth's spring recess with us in Troy, en route to Ft. Campbell, Ky., to visit their son, Bill, his wife Holly, and their two grandchildren.
They were surprised when I pulled out of my pocket a clipping from the Burlington, Vt., paper which Barney Norton had just sent, containing a large picture of Army Chief Warrant Officer William Sensenig who had recently received the 12th through the 21st Oak Leaf Clusters to the Air Medal in ceremonies at Ft. Campbell. He was cited for meritorious achievement in drawing enemy fire purposely on his little plane to enable helicopters to pick up wounded men during his recent assignment in Vietnam. Bill also has a Purple Heart medal and a picture of General Wesfmoreland shaking hands with him at the award ceremonv.
Barney Norton's son, Lt. John Norton, is with the Infantry stationed north of Inchon, Korea. As for grandchildren, Barney says he is about average with three.
Bortdy and Clara Bond say they look forward to weekly (almost, anyway) letters from their son John who is a Captain and Senior Advisor to a Vietnamese battalion. He went over last August and is in Phu My, 35 miles southeast of Saigon. He has just had a five-day vacation in Hong Kong and hopes to get to Bangkok later on. Bondy, who is a civil engineer in Adams, Mass., managed to get in a lot of skiing last winter.
Dartmouth's official representative at the inauguration of a new chancellor at Texas Christian University was Chet Haltom of Fort Worth.
Elliott Donnelley was down in Eleuthera in late February and early March trying out their winter weather. For the last ten days of his stay it rained, blew, and was cold. Nevertheless he did play golf every day and did a little swimming until he made the mistake of falling into the cockpit of a fishing boat and bruised his shoulder and wrenched a knee.
Bill and Margaret Kimball's son, Dave, died at Mary Hitchcock Memorial Hospital, Hanover, last month following a long illness. He attended Montana State University, the University of Madrid, and Arizona State College from which he graduated last June. At both American institutions he was on the ski team. He was awarded a Fellowship for graduate study at the American Institute for Foreign Trade, Phoenix, Ariz., but was unable to accept it due to illness. On June 12, 1965 he and Maria Urquijo were married in Douglas, Ariz.
George Bell, who retired five years ago as China Area Manager for Standard Vacuum Oil Co. in Hong Kong, has a hankering to go back. He writes: "If we can get our various complicated affairs in some sort of shape we will take off for a visit to that fun place in September by slow boat so might not get to the football reunion next fall."
Rupe Thompson, Chairman of the Alumni Fund, and President Dickey have been on a speaking tour starting with a Class Agents' meeting in Chicago March 18 and then similar meetings in St. Louis, Minneapolis, Cleveland, Pittsburgh, Boston, Philadelphia, and New York. We hope to have reports from our faithful (?) correspondents in those cities.
Wat Dickerman, Associate Professor of Education at the University of California at Los Angeles, writes:
"I hope to retire in June. I'm 60, and think that's long enough to work. We won't live as high off the hog but I have the crazy notion that a man ought to be willing to reduce his standard of living for the privilege of not working, and my wife is a good enough sport to be willing to go along with such nonsense.
"Anyway, except for travel, our tastes and activities are not expensive. Also we prefer freighter travel, which cuts costs appreciably. We hope to be in the Greek Islands a year from now and are now trying to learn Greek from phonograph records. This is sort of a hobby of ours, and after the Greek trip we will try Japanese with a similar aim in mind.
"I still enjoy playing jazz. We have a jug band that plays a benefit of some kind about once a month, and in between I sit in with friends who are playing in scabrous taverns and dives in L. A."
Mary and I have just announced the engagement of our daughter, Catherine, to David McDowell of Glens Falls. "Catchy" graduated from Madeira, Bradford Junior College, and in June will get her degree from the University of California at Berkeley. Dave graduated from Bowdoin in 1964, was an ensign in the Navy and is teaching at St. Peter's School, Peekskill, N. Y.
Secretary, Van Dyne Oil Co., Troy, Pa.
Class Agent, Cove Circle, Piney Point, Marion, Mass. 02738
