1930
There's nothing fresher than a breath of spring air unless it be a breeze from the great state of Texas as only Kewp Burns can shoot it, to wit: "Your note does serve as a reminder that I haven't been writing much in recent years. On the receiving end, however, it has been interesting to read of the various and sundry activities of the Class in all parts of the world. Mine have been more or less confined to Texas - which of course, just about equalizes things.
"Retired in 1964 but it lasted one year only, when an opportunity showed up to get back into flour milling and grain business. This landed us in New Braunfels, Texas, where Flour Mills of America operates what you Yankees would call a 'complex' composed of a flour mill, feed mill, corn mill, plus some twelve warehouses and 125 trucks, operating in south Texas.
"This town of New Braunfels was at one time the second largest city in Texas. Yes, larger than Houston or Dallas, and second only to San Antonio which is 35 miles away. It was founded by German immigrants whose descendants still live here and thrive mightily. After a good start, New Braunfels went into a deep sleep (something like Brigadoon) and is just now waking up. Of recent years folks from the North have discovered this area so that now it is turning into a popular spot for retirement and resorts — partly due to pleasant climate and no smog. LBJ's Texas White House is fifty miles to the north of us. It is truly very picturesque country and just wish we had discovered it sooner.
"Our three daughters have graduated from the University of Oklahoma. Two of them are married - resulting in five grandchildren, to date. Our one son is in his next to last year at South West Texas College. His college's one bid to fame is that it happened to be LBJ's Alma Mater. It is located in nearby San Marcos, Texas. Unfortunately, Dundine and I haven't been able to get back in your direction as much as we used to. But we do manage an occasional trip to California and Las Vegas and have just returned from a week in Mexico City. The latter was accomplished by train, which is an experience never to be forgotten. Mexican trains do not follow schedules and seldom the right tracks — so that we missed one connection by 24 hours.
"It seems that none of our Class ever strays down this direction, but you can depend on it, the door is always open, and this Hill Country is somewhat different, if not spectacular. We have a family of pet deer in our back yard - which incidentally is still larger than your Rhode Island - Texas talk."
The 1930 Boston meeting was a great success as we honored those who have devoted their lives to secondary education. On hand to receive certificates at the Harvard Club dinner were Bill Bragner, Jim Clark, Ed Downey, Henry Hillson, Mel King,Merle Kimball, Bart McDonough and PaulPoehler. John Dickey '29 was our special guest and his remarks gave us cause to be proud of our Class. Fred Scribner was outstanding in his salutation to our honored classmates to which Henry Hillson responded. Business matters occupied the Executive Committee on Friday afternoon and again on Saturday morning after a mixed group of about 50 breakfasted at the RitzCarlton as guests of Carl and Carol Haffenreffer. This was a delightful plus for the weekend and served as a display case for some seldom seen early morning faces. Fran Horn will report later on various actions taken at the meetings and Fred Scribner is planning a letter to all to summarize the direction of his administration during the past two years and to explain plans for a 40th reunion publication which the Executive Committee has voted to undertake. Important dates that developed from committee action are October 13 and 14 when an informal reunion will be held with the Woodstock Inn as the central point. Executive Committee meeting at 3 P.M., Bema lunch, Penn football, and Woodstock Inn dinner are on the agenda. The 1968 spring meeting of the Class will be held in Hartford in late April or May with Meade Alcorn and Charlie Rauch as co-chairmen. This will be an interesting change from the New York-Boston routine and we are looking forward to visiting the new Hartford. Lee and Florence Sturman recently convened a group in Rochester including Al and Ethel Marsters, Joe Golan, Gene andSally Magenau, and Bob and Rena Kerr to discuss a program for women of the Class. The program was accepted by the Executive Committee and details will be reported in the newsletter. Gene Magenau is serving as coordinating architect for the erection of the new Rochester Institute of Technology campus.
Red Gould has been elected to the Lacrosse Hall of Fame located in Homewood, Maryland. Twice an Ail-American in 1929 and 1930, Red continued to play for many years with the Crescent Club of New York. We remember also that he was intercollegiate tumbling champion and captain of the gym team in his senior year. Ed Conklin has been named vice president of Suburban Trust Company in Hyattsville, Maryland. Charlie Widmayer was elected president of Editorial Projects for Education, Inc., at the recent annual meeting of the trustees in Baltimore. This nonprofit corporation publishes the biweekly Chronicle of Higher Education and a weekly newsletter for college and university trustees. Charlie received EPE's first distinguished service award in 1962. Don Hight has been elected a trustee of the Worcester County Institution for Savings. Don is staff surgeon at Memorial Hospital and director of the cancer clinic. Buck Steers has been appointed to the post of chairman of the policy committee of Needham, Harper & Steers and will be charged with long range planning, finances, personnel, and new business. Bob Geisinger publishes the Geisinger Indicator in Troy, Ohio, a research and investment service. Bill Stearns and Bud French crossed paths in Las Vegas recently. Bill's whole trip was from New York to San Francisco, then to the tip of Baja Calif., back to Las Vegas, and then home via Memphis, which required 54 hours of flying his own plane, at last report described as a Piper Twin Comanche. He has been flying for 35 years and hopes to end up as New Hampshire's oldest pilot. Pat Weaver is one of the newly elected directors of the board of Muscular Dystrophy Associations of America along with Joan Crawford and George Meany. His interest is in new communications techniques designed to broaden the educational horizons of the physically handicapped. Jeffrey Dresser Kelley was born in Boston on March 2. His mother Mary and grandparents Walt and Betty are doing fine.
Susan Browning Reed has a son born in Amherst last June of whom Art and Martha are maternal grandparents. Ray andConnie Olsen have daughters Elizabeth and Debbie in Sharon High and son William working at Foxboro Company after schooling at Franklin Institute. David French will marry Bonnie Owens at Westfield, New Jersey in July and has been assigned to a Brussels tour of duty by the American Foreign Insurance Association. Charles Scribner is a freshman at Nathaniel Hawthorne College in Antrim, New Hampshire. Kirt Meyer's son is assistant in the Dartmouth News Service in Hanover. Joe Hancourt is a Gilbert and Sullivan buff, and has played in dozens of productions in the Boston area, a demanding but nonetheless highly rewarding hobby.
A report on the Connecticut regional meeting arranged by Meade Alcorn will have to wait until next time.
1930 men in secondary-school education were honored at a class dinner at the Harvard Club, Boston, on March 31. Shown with President John Sloan Dickey '29 andClass President Fred Scribner are eight men who received citations: (seated) BuckleDowney, Henry Hillson, Jim Clark, Merle Kimball; (standing) Paul Poehler, Scribner,President Dickey, Bill Bragner, Mel King, and Bart McDonough. Also honored butnot present were Merrill Bush, Tom Donovan, Malcolm Gallagher, Howard Graham,Ed Hazen, Bob Kimball, and John McNamara.
Secretary, 56 Jennys Lane, Barrington, R. I. 02806
Class Agent, 99 Hudson St., New York, N. Y. 10013
