1927's 40th
Sunday afternoon, June 11, saw '27'ers pouring into Hanover —so many in fact, that Sunday night dinner had to be transferred by your hard working chairman, Ken Murray, from the Outing Club to Thayer. A good dinner, after a happy hour, led to a few amateur piano movers getting a grand in from the lounge, so your Music Man Morey could warm his digits for a three-day run.
Monday's big event was the clambake at Storrs Pond —by then we had more than a quorum - they came from all over. I expect the West Coast got the man mileage award with Ross Guyot and wife, Sonia, and Duke Coulter from L.A. - San Fran had Bruce and Phyrne McKennan via Honolulu . and Bill and Jean Abbott via the Caribbean and Bed Williams, but the long distance prize goes to Sam and Ellen Martin of Portland, Ore., via Scotland, Ireland, and England. (Sam's first trip abroad - a successful and happy sale made by Ellen who was building it up last summer when we were in Portland.) The balance of the Portland delegation - George Friede, had not scheduled a trip to Patagonia or New Zealand prior to reunion time.
Monday night after dinner at Leverone Field House, we visited President Dickey's beautiful garden. Most of '27 showed up at "Cox and Box" by The Players. Very stylistically well done - Arthur Sullivan's first opus.
Tuesday was '27's Pine Tree Day. Morning sessions for all classes with Deans Seymour and Tribus getting a big play and hand. At 12:30 the area near the Bema filled with the class and guests. Bill North led off the Pine Tree dedication with the same fine touch he gave so ably to "The Old Pine And The New." Bob Stevens esfablished a new chain of Pine Tree tradition HI his presentation to the College with the class of '67 as temporary custodian until their 40th. Bill North removed the pine boughs which covered the granite boulder and its bronze plaque with the words - "The Dartmouth Pine - Gift of the class of 1927, June 13, 1967." Frank C. Smith Jr. '67 accepted the torch and John Dickey, the responsibility of the College.
At a call from Bill North - down out of the Bema came that old drum beater DoaneArnold in Indian costume - his thumps followed by his Indian brother Phil Fowler pushing a wheelbarrow really heavily laden with a keg of New England rum (small airline bottles but 2 oz. - 100 proof)! With Bible, scroll, knee pants, wig, and tricorn, came your scribe as Eleazar Wheelock - from now on known, I am afraid, by his classmates, as Eleazar. Doane, as Sachem, with a flash of fire and a cloud of smoke, summoned the Great Spirit and gave our graduation Sachem address with Cliff Randall's original scroll. Eleazar summoned all '27 braves to light their clay pipes, pledge a return, as they broke them over the marking boulder. Whereupon Eleazar announced he had a little left of the 500 gallons he had toted up the valley and invited all to toast "The College on the hill and the New Pine above her." Bob Mix led us in "Men of Dartmouth" and the College Pine Tree tradition was reborn around a new focal point.
After lunch at the Bema, to Dick's House for the class picture followed by the memorial service led by Nick Carter with a reading so fine and appropriate that we hope to bring it to all of you via the Speak.
Tuesday night class dinner - SykesHardy, M.C., and Prof. Al Foley '20 doing his great job - telling us of a growing Dartmouth and lacing his remarks with the spice of Vermont humor.
Wednesday morning, the class meeting saw the election of Howie Mullin as your new president and who else but Gus Cummings as treasurer. You are stuck for the next five years with the same scribe, All of this while your Mike Choukas really got the girls on the edge of their seats with a session on "Rumor," a factual documentary - Ruth Murray's idea for substance and a right one.
Ken Murray rightfully carried off honors for the best attendance of assembled reunions — with 119 classmates and enough wives and daughters to make total count 227. He won the cup just long enough for us to have a beer loving cup to all of you whom we missed so much.
Note: Tape recordings (sound only, no living color unfortunately) of Pine Tree Ceremony are available from Leon Loeb, Sound Studios, 306 6th Street, N.W., Washington, D.C. 20001. Bob Funkhouser still needs your contribution to keep the new tree fed and watered.
Reunion highspot for '42 gourmets wasthe clambake at Storrs Pond.
CLASS SECRETARY
