1918

Appreciate, please, the time-lag that haunts this green class secretary as he writes - the time-lag between composition and publication. What you now read in December I'm grinding out - no, I ground out - I must be "reader conscious" and watch my tenses, see? - I ground out during the week of Gladys in Florida, of Jacqueline in Greece, of Apollo 7 in space, of General Le May in Viet Nam, of the final sprinting in the Humphrey-Nixon-Wallace race (runners named alphabetically!), of Olympic Games at last in full swing, of Dartmouth's preparing for Harvard In short, as I write, the college year is only well begun. The young men of '72 are just limbering up their new texts, so strikingly portrayed in "Freshman Still Life" on our October cover. Where, by the way, did you note the well-polished apple? The '72 hat has been stored, or sent home, or given some Smithie, or thrown away, since after orientation week sophomores no longer require the freshmen to wear them. Another sign of decadence? I'd hardly say that. But I know it disappoints some of the starry-eyed frosh. Occasionally one of them writes to "The Dartmouth" saying so. And it must retard the making acquaintance of class-ates. Suppose we hadn't had to wear our beanies - till Wet-Down, too!

Yesterday, 20 October, a 'phone call from E. Ferguson brought word that on the day previous, after illness in a Jamaica Plain hospital, Ruth Armstrong (Mrs. Adolf F.)Youngstrom had died. Worn by years devoted to care of Swede, she survived him only ten weeks. Her memory we sadly salute.

All at our Golden Round-Up Dinner recall being moved when our M.C. read a telegram from Jim Duffy, who had expected to be with us. "All my plans have gone astray. Am tucked away in Bryn Mawr Hospital, thinking of you all always. My best to the gang." The following October 2 we sadly report, Jim died. Those of us who knew him well cherish warm memories of him, and the sympathy of all goes to his wife Margaret, his sons and daughters, and his grandchildren. An obituary appears in this or a subsequent issue.

Reported in the 10 October "Roar" by Steve Mahoney was what he called a "dinner" on 26 September at the N. Y. Dartmouth Club honoring a celebrated traveler from California, Bob Fish. Presumably the same function is that of which Syl Morey writes us, since he specifies the same club as its locale, and the same date, though he, the sophisticate, terms the three-hour affair merely a "lunch"! Guest lists by our two reporters nearly match, but not quite. In addition to old Mr. Chips, whose lectures in G.A.R. Hall coached us all through Eccy 1 and 2, one reporter (never mind which) names himself plus 5 assembled classmates, the other lists himself plus 6. The fuller list: Cook, Hulbert, Mahoney, Morey, Johnston, Ross, Sargent, and Fish. The reporters' reports agree in reporting that Fish talked almost steadily, always to his hearers' delight.

Amos and Alberta Blandin spent July in training on the Maine coast to get in condition for a visit in Idaho with their daughter Dale and her family. Their three grandchildren they found well disciplined ("thank God," says Amos) but lively withal and so noisy that Amos's animadversions on certain politicians Alberta could not hear. She avers that this was serendipity pure and joyous. Setting records is an American specialty, but our own Admiral Paul Mather would gladly have missed the record he set last summer by developing the worst case of shingles ever seen or treated or suffered at the Bethesda Naval Hospital. "Pain was and still is vicious," he wrote on 3 October. But he closes with cheerful courage: "We may be able to attend the Florida Pow Wow. If we can, there'll be the two of us, Mary and I, in our party."

Over the Princeton weekend, as happy a surprise as we experienced was finding Hortand Elizabeth Chandler at our pre-game luncheon in the Norwich Inn. From his cerebral hemorrhage of last March, that put Hort in the Massachusetts General for six weeks and then required his remaining at home all spring and summer, his recovery is now well-nigh complete. We are passing on to Bingham for its reproduction in whole or in part Hort's fine, full letter, in which he tells most interestingly about it.

We ourselves were unable to join in the Bonnie Oaks festivities staged by our Class at the time of the Princeton game. Echoes thereof were clearly audible and musical and gay, but we'll have to await detailed account of it all in the forthcoming "Roar." Therein will surely appear merited tribute to Huntoon and Barr for having promoted, convened, and managed that Bonnie Oakes show. For history, though, we mention them gratefully on the record here.

Nor did we get to the Harvard game. A classmate already mentioned in this column and therefore not to be named again - but he's a Justice in the N. H. Supreme Court, and he's proud of his well-disciplined Idaho grandchildren - this classmate tells me that on the morning of October 26 he watched the Dartmouth freshman team roundly trounce their Harvard counterparts. Next fall's prospects, then, look bright.

We hear that 47 lucky Eighteeners and their wives were guests of the Harvey Hoods and the Edwin Fergusons at a pre-game luncheon at the Brae Burn Country Club, whence a chartered bus transported most of the party to the Stadium and after the game back again for cocktails and a dinner-dance. We must repeat the name of Huntoon, for he it was who effected bestowal that evening upon a well-loved Eighteen lady of a unique gift - a painting that Louie had acquired on behalf of the assembled gallants, and he presented it with eloquent expression of its donors' esteem and affection to Mrs. TomShirley, known to us all by her given name, Priscilla. A name, said Louie, bestowed upon her at her grandfather's request because it had earlier been borne by the S.S. Priscilla of the old Fall River Line, of which Grandfather was president. Priscilla's surprise gift - surprise to her - was a choice portrait of the S.S. "Priscilla."

In closing, we comply with a directive dated 17 October from our Class President that we publish in the DARTMOUTH ALUMNI MAGAZINE the following:

Dear Classmates:

Ed Felt sent me the cards returned to him from his recent mailing. A surprising 150, or 57.7% of the Class, voted; while 110, or 42.3%, did not vote. Of the 150 who voted, 94, or 62.6%, voted for a Class Resolution; and 56, or 37.4%, voted against a Class Resolution.

As you remember, Felt said if Classmates did not return their cards, they would be recorded as voting "No." Of the 260 members of the Class, 94, or 36.2%. voted "Yes"; 56, or 21.5%, voted "No, and 110, or 42.3%, did not return their cards. Thus the "No" vote was 63.8%.

I sent the results of Felt's poll as quoted above to all our class officers and our executive committee members, asking if they wished to change their vote as to whether the Class should send a resolution to the college administration condemning the Newton affair. Seven of the eight officers still voted "No." The other officer is in Europe. Of the twelve members of the executive committee one voted "Yes," eight voted "No," and three did not reply.

In view of the 63.8% "No" vote of the Class and the only one "Yes" vote from the class officers and executive committee members, we do not think it appropriate to continue the discussion of a Class Resolution to the administration further, (signed) Thomas E. Shirley, President, Class of 1918.

Meeting at the Sandoes' home in Acworth, N. H., the 1919 50th reunioncommittee stopped working for one minute to pose: (I to r) Nick Sandoe, chairman; Stu Russell, co-chairman; GeorgeRand; Jim Davis; and Cotty Larmon.

Secretary, Elm St., Norwich, Vt. 05055

T reasurer, 45 Rip Rd., Hanover, N. H. 03755

Bequest Chairman, RICHARD P. WHITE