1949
ODE TO THE NEW YEAR
It's New Year's Day noon, and Oh! What a head.
To compound it all the kids won't stay in bed.
I've screamed and cajoled, Warned their toys would be sold, But it's just as effective as a balloon made of lead.
Anthropology courses held little for me, But I know that these kids belong in a tree.
So I'm out on a limb Which my old prof will trim, But they all swing on vines, and they all disagree.
I've ducked under the pillow. I've spun my cocoon, And my wife's up and about in a house that's in ruin.
She's called them for juice And stopped their abuse.
I'll remember her birthday. I think it's in June.
So strangely quiet and in my reverie I'm on the Hanover Plain looking up for that tree.
But the Old Pine came down When a wind swept the town.
I believe that it happened in '73.
Next I dream I'm at Green Key with a beast of a date, And my bottle reminds me it's never too late.
Yes, I'm out on my search For that queen on a perch Who'll come in by air but not by air freight.
When I finally arise to face the New Year I swear to myself that I'll be of good cheer, For now I can say That the thorns of today Are not those of tomorrow if we just persevere.
My wife says it's horrendous and didn't think I'd have the nerve to send it in, but I love a dare and further decided on this New Year's day that misery loves company. If any of the petty problems described have also been shared at one time or another by you, dear reader, color yourself blue.
The old year limped off after leaving us with a nice pile of holiday greetings from many of you for which we would like to express our gratitude. The new one naturally carries with it all our hopes for a brighter and peaceful tomorrow and for Dartmouth a successful launching of its bi-centennial capital gifts program as well as a resurgence in hockey and basketball. Incidentally, our new Director of Sports Information, Dick Baldwin, is really doing a bang-up job. The weekly football news letter through the fall was well worth the nominal cost, and this year for the first time we are receiving additional material on the status of other sports. A very well written folder was just sent out to subscribers on the personnel and prospects of the hockey and basketball teams.
I enjoyed hearing from Bob "Rocket"Reed, as I seriously doubted if he'd write again after all my good natured needling in this column. As vice president and general manager of marketing for Cities Service Oil Company, Bob is kept pretty much on the go. A recent clipping from the "Baltimore Sun" listed him as a speaker at the Maryland Petroleum Association's annual convention. The Reeds just completed their third year in Tulsa and point out how much they enjoy the more relaxed way of life from that of living in a large metropolitan area such as they have known in the East. Bob keeps in touch with Jim Huntington,Charlie Eaton, and Bill Lynn via collect phone calls one way or the other. How well I remember such calls in our early graduate years when he was living in Boston and neither of us thought twice about making a collect call to the other in the small hours of the morning after the last beer glasses had been rinsed.
A news story complete with a handsome photo of Zeke Straw informs us that as the recently elected president of the Manchester Savings Bank of New Hampshire he was asked to deliver the keynote address at the kickoff dinner for the local community chest drive. Zeke has been in the banking business since graduation. He has served the Manchester Boys' Club in an active role and is a member of its board of directors as well as a director of the State of New Hampshire Industrial Park Authority.
One of the great human interest stories to come along in a good while involves artist Peter "Mike" Gish of Greenwich, Conn. Because of a personal desire as an American and a Marine reservist to know exactly what was going on in Vietnam, Gish made a trip there not only to see for himself but also to paint Marine combat scenes at the request of the Marine Corps Headquarters. The work he did will become part of the Marine Corps new combat art collection, eventually to be displayed in the Marine Corps Museum after completion of tours through the United States. Apparently Mike had freedom to paint whatever he felt was most suitable to tell the Marines' story in Vietnam, and as a reserve aviator for many years he even found himself flying co-pilot on helicopter combat missions.
From the academic world we learn of the advancement of two more of our classmates. Dr. Robert Fitch has recently been appointed an associate professor at the University of Connecticut. Fitch received his master's and doctor's degrees from the University of Michigan and taught at North Dakota State University. He will also serve as assistant head of the Department of Chemistry and is the author of numerous technical articles in his special field of study which is polymers.
Dr. Charles H. Russell, vice president for academic affairs at Bryant College since 1963, has just become the associate director of the National Commission for the Study of Nursing Education at the University of Rochester. The commission will make a comprehensive study of nursing education in the entire country. Russell received his master's and doctor s degrees from the Teachers College at Columbia University and is the author of "Liberal Education and Nursing," an independent study published in 1958.
The 1968 Gold Pick Axe Award Committee is officially set up for business. Chairman Dean Cameron lives at 568 Cherry Street, Winnetka, Ill. He and his committee members, Dick O'Riley and Carter Hoyt, are all waiting for us to send along a few gold nugget nominations from our class ranks to make their task more challenging.
Secretary, 15 Twin Oak Rd. Short Hills, N.J. 07078
Treasurer, 530 East 86th St., New York, N.Y. 10028
