1943
The Fall Reunion festivities started on Friday evening with a cocktail party and dinner at the Drake Room in Hopkins Center. Attendees were Andy and Clare Caffrey, Charlie and Ruth Donovan, Tony and Kitt Farrell, Tuss and Carol Hand, Joe and Betty Jane Koci, Dick and Terry Lansburgh, Ed and Dotty Lider, Don and Louise McCorkindale, Jack and Lil Meleney, Bus and Pat Mosbacher, Cal and June Osberg, Jack and Marguerite Troster, and your secretary.
Jack Meleney, who had been unavoidably absent from the 25th in June, received personal congratulations on the discussion panel he had arranged for the reunion, and indeed at times during the weekend, some of the discussions appeared to take up where they had left off four months before.
After a reasonable - but not too reasonable - period of socializing over cocktails, dinner was served. After dinner Bus Mosbacher told us a bit about the response he is getting on the Third Century Fund - let's keep behind him in this massive and worthy project.
Since by this time the bar had closed, the party broke up. From here on until morning we were joined by Bob and ThirsaFuicks, George and Nora Graham, HerbMarx and Don and Connie Reich.
Although I neglected to mention it, Friday was an ideal fall day. The drive up the Connecticut River valley was indescribably beautiful with the trees at an absolute peak of color. All of this, of course, augured well for the game, so sure enough Saturday turned up raining. The fates were kind, however, and the rain was only very light - that is until game time when it poured on and off. But, back to class activities.
The regular annual meeting of the executive committee was held - rather, scheduled — at 10:00 A.M. at 101 Parkhurst Hall. Various members of the committee straggled in from time to time, the excuse for being late being (a) "I overslept," (b) "I couldn't remember where Parkhurst was," and (c) "You've never had it here before." Be that as it may, here follow the minutes of the meeting:
President Donovan called the meeting to order at 10:10 (only ten minutes late, you notice) and unilaterally declared a quorum in accordance with the normal democratic processes of the Class. A reading of the minutes of the prior meeting was dispensed with since the retiring secretary never kept minutes anyway. The meeting was attended by all class members earlier identified, plus June Osberg, as a representative of the wives. This, we later learned, was to ensure that the meeting did not break up before the wives had finished their pre-game shopping spree on Main Street. In an unexpectedly serious vein, President Donovan (1) invited all class members to return for the informal fall reunions and thereby become members of the executive committee, (2) noted that Connie Young and GeorgeMunroe are now '43 representatives on the Alumni Council, and (3) compared a recent article on the Harvard '43 25th reunion with ours - a less than complimentary comparison for Harvard!
Other business included an affirmative vote for a short pictorial supplement to the 25th yearbook (although the call had earlier gone out to send me reunion pictures, only Jim Adams in California and Mort Pechter in New York has responded to date!). Cal Osberg reported on the state of our finances and the apparent lack of response to his class dues notices. For those of you who are not acquainted with the use to which the dues are put, they pay the expenses of the Class (postage, stationery, etc.) during the year, and even more importantly, cover the expense of sending the ALUMNI MAGAZINE to you throughout the year. Everyone should be getting the MAGAZINE, so those who do not pay class dues are getting a "free ride" at the expense of the rest of the Class. How about helping Cal out and getting your dues in now.
President Donovan declared Jack Troster the winner (without trophy) of the competition for traveling the longest distance to attend the reunion (Jack lives in Atherton, Calif.) and the next-to-the-largest-city-in-the-world, Yonkers, N. Y., was the winning "city of the year" having produced the following reunees (none of whom still live there): Jack Troster, Don Reich, BobFuicks and wife Thirsa, and Bob Gray. The only Yonkersite not in attendance was Bill Burr, now residing in Louisville, Ky. Bill, where were you? Your biography alleges you get up to New Hampshire in the fall.
After liquid fortification, all hands then turned out for the Brown game and the hardy ones even stayed to the end. By this time the ranks had swelled to include Ed and Lorraine O'Brien, Jug and Phyllis O'Connor, Jim and Elizabeth Gilfillan, Bob Clarke, Roger Thomas, Bill Maeck, and Ray Colby. We were seated in the new stands right on the 50-yard line and the viewing was excellent. These stands, as you know, are a part of the new Third Century program. Despite the rain and the score, the game was exciting since it was the first time of the season that the team really seemed to click. A 38-yard touchdown play with two seconds to go at the end of the first half would have done any pro team in the country proud.
The evening's events consisted of a cash bar and buffet dinner dance in Alumni Hall (Hopkins Center) with a couple of other classes also participating and sharing the expenses. It was an enjoyable and fitting climax to the latest of the ever more popular fall reunions. Missing from the scene, however, were Paul and Ruth Young (who had Freshman Parents Weekend at Colby College in Maine) and George and Ellie Munroe (who were unable to make it back in time from a business meeting out on the west coast). Also missing, but without excuse, were old faithfuls such as Jim Elleman, Bud Hall, Phil Jackson, Bud Silverstein, Ken Sorlien, Fred Stockwell and their respective wives. We owe our usual debt of gratitude to Paul Young, however, since it was he who made all the arrangements for the planned festivities.
Next month we'll fill you in on the Harvard game and, hopefully, on the Yale game. What is Harvard Square really like? Are the students (male) hippier than those at Hanover? Should you let your daughter date a Harvard man? Read next month's column and find out.
Secretary, 1001 Conn. Ave., N.W. Washington, D. C. 20036
Treasurer, 530 Lowell St. Lynnfield Center, Mass. 01940
Bequest Chairman, JAMES D. ELLEMAN
