1926

Still catching up chronologically - last spring a special City Transfer Company mock edition of the San Francisco Daily Commercial News headlined in green ink "Sixty-Nine Years Of Growing With San Francisco." It pictured Richie Smith "whose effective work in the field of public relations has done much to establish the Company as one of the strongest members of Allied Van Lines, and to develop an effective rapport with San Francisco's commercial and industrial firms."

Also in the spring, Al Louer reported Dick Mandel whom your reporter saw in Hanover last October attending the board meeting of the Friends of Baker Library, joined with Tubber Weymouth, Hank Parker, Ollie Kobisk and himself at the regular Dartmouth-Chicago Monday lunch. (Sure wish somebody would appoint himself a committee of one to report to your Secretary '26 items of interest from those regular meetings regularly. Ditto for other meetings of other Dartmouth Clubs in other places whether such meetings are regular or spasmodic.)

Last summer, Dean Chamberlain wrote from his U.S.I.A. office, Washington, D. C., "Some one of these days I'll send you my recipe for stone soup, of which we keep a pot continually on the back burner. I'm impressed with the 1926 culinary experts. Maybe, Julia Child could use our help. (Ed. Note, Can't wait to see that recipe. If the stones are cleaned before reaching the back burner I'll be disappointed.)

"Never a dull moment in this business. In March, I went to Chile on a U.S.I.A. inspection team, and got as far southward as Orsono. Everything backwards of course, schools opening, people coming back from the beaches, complaints about the coming cold weather in April, etc. In August I am scheduled to make an official trip into Eastern Europe, Belgrade, Sofia, Bucharest, Prague and will take Enid along this time. My job with U.S.I.A. is on the Eastern European desks - much of the time is occupied with exhibits, Voice of America Programs, etc., but I still find time to chase after a few more books for the 1926 Collection - during the noon hours."

To make a quick switch to the present, genial Jim McFate, factum factotum and wit extraordinaire of the Hanover Inn, has come up with "Hospitality Weeks" at the "new" Inn when it is completed in January. I quote briefly " 'Hospitality Weeks' will be miniature reunions extending from Monday evening through Friday breakfast. A prearranged program (which alumni may love or leave alone) will include events at Hopkins Center, Leverone Field House, several academic forums and an informal reception on the first evening at the Inn." The tentative schedule of "Hospitality Weeks" by classes shows dates for classes '25 through '29 to be April 15-19. This may have appeal particularly for those who could neither make the 40th or recent annual '26 August informals or want to join with pals in other classes '25 through '29. So, let your Secretary know promptly what the '26 Vox Populi on the idea is specifically if you are interested in making it yourself, in order that if there is sufficient interest planning can go ahead for April 15th to 19th "Hospitality Week."

And now to catch up with some more back Escoffier Contest reply forms. Bob Carr's - despite his Dixeland Banjo Music fame, favorite indoor is checkers - Dick Husband's - celestial navigation, which has been his chief avocation evenings for several years "by sextant positions and knowledge of great circle sailing I am confident I could navigate a ship around the world." Their respective outdoor sports are golf and fishing and their most recent memorable experience in each was a hole in one in Florida February 8, 1967 by Bob and Dick's catching a 7' 10" sailfish off LaGuira, Venezuela, August, 1966. Dick's recipe is Tallahassee Fish Chowder a la Husband. Bob's, his own shrimp recipe. "If you don't believe in recipes ask Jack Roberts." The great milk man Bob Cleary, as he reports it, has no favorite indoor or outdoor sports so naturally no proficiency or happy or outstanding memories or mishaps of any sort. (Ed. note: Do you believe no hits, no runs, no errors) on the positive side, he says." "Jake Jacobus has one masterpiece for which he is famous - grilled swordfish steak. And Bill Hughes is no slouch with some of his creations." (Ed. note: Jacobus and Hughes, please respond.) Finally winding up back Escoffier reply forms is a culinary masterpiece, at least it so reads to me, of GiselaCampbell's "Beef a la Venison."

Closing out returned back questionnaires accompanying Hub's early Smoke Signals are two, one from Cities Service Oil Company's Operations for Production Division Manager, Jack Straight. The other from Class Treasurer and National City Bank's Commodity Financing Expert, Jack Roberts. To the anything interesting happening during the past year query the former replies "Life itself continues to be interesting but you wouldn't be interested. (Ed. Note: The devil we wouldn't.) My first visit to Hanover in 40 years was an experience." The latter says "Dot and I returned recently from a three-week trip to Brazil visiting FNCB branches in Santos, Rio, Sao Paulo, and Bahia and returning via Lima, Peru, and Panama where we did a little sightseeing. Jack Bickford flew around the world with his brother and sister-in-law visiting Egypt, India, Siam, Cambodia, and Japan. He is now back across the road living the life of a country squire weekends but still very active in business and politics.

Kermit S. (Nick) Nickerson, Chief Deputy and twice acting Commissioner of Education for the State of Maine, is not retiring but his friends thought Oct. 11 was the time to honor him for his 40 years in the field of education. "The Kennebec Journal" reports at about the same time the New York Times reports George Champion's election to the Board of the Kellogg Company that October 11 was also the publication date by Harper and Row of Dick Lattimore's "The Odyssey of Homer." Paul Engle, himself a major American poet, says, of this translation "The most eloquent, persuasive and imaginative I have ever seen" and reviewers universally since publication have vied with one another in praising it. (Ed. Note: We Lang Leaf and Meyer Homer readers had better treat ourselves to Lattimore.)

Finally I am indebted to Ed Hanlon for a fascinating article from the Sept. 9 issue of "Business Week" describing the work of the Jackson Laboratory of Bar Harbor, Me., and of its renowned scientist Dr. George (Snelly) Snell, the "father of transplantation immunology" whose work won him the Mendel prize this year. Snelly's work and the article are so interesting I have passed it on to Hub for fuller treatment in Smoke Signal. (Ed. Note: Snelly, please give us more news of your mice, and you your laboratory's work. Article referred to just whets the appetite.)

Now that the back log is caught up let's hear from the so far silent '26ers. If you don't like the questionnaire or Escoffier Contest reply form, a letter, a note or a scrawl on the back of an old envelope will do. Start the New York right and write to your old Secretary. A Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to one and all.

Secretary, 8 Old Farm Rd. Darien, Conn. 06820

Treasurer, Washington Valley Rd., R.D. 1 Morristown, N. J. 07960

Bequest Chairman,