1918's 50th

Our Golden Roundup was indeed golden in every figurative sense of that word. You can "Read all about it," as the newsboys used to cry, in an extra "Roar" — soon to appear — wherein a vivid, detailed story of our Fiftieth will be told by Al Gottschaldt, a star reporter I'd not even try to scoop. (After all, both he and I in freshman year heeled "The Dartmouth." He made the board, and I was cut from the competition.) For history, then, The Reunion — I capitalize advisedly, and for emphasis repeat — The Reunion will be recorded in the style and completeness it deserves. The names of all who made it Al will tell. Their number I can testify was 118, which gained for us two trophies: the '94 Cup for our having the highest percentage of members present that weekend; and the '30 Cup for the greatest number back. The latter prize we could hardly miss, since we were the youngest class then returning, and we had entered college as a larger class than had '13 or '08 or '03 or '98. But for the '94 Cup our achieving 60% is evidence not only of Eighteen's cohesiveness as a class but also of an indefinable, close-to-unique something in the feeling of our Class for the College. Recall that many an Eighteener was never a Dartmouth senior, volunteered in '17 for war service after only three years or less on the campus. Those holders of war degrees were well represented at our reunion. I'll not soon forget Tom Shirley's and Dwight Sargent's smiling pride as they stepped forward to receive those cups. In the years I've lived hereabouts, I've often seen and politely applauded that act on the commencement-reunion program, heard and snickered at the chairman's inevitable jest about returning the cups soon "because next week we award them again." But this time as I watched I confess that for a moment my vision got misty. I'm not sure even now just why. Maybe it was because suddenly I realized what it meant to Tom and Dwight.

That day was Eighteen's and Sixty-eight's. On this the eve of the latter Class's becoming alumni, its president. Peter D. Hofman, spoke exceptionally well and concluded by thanking Eighteen for its share in the gift of a copy of "The College on the Hill" to him and to each of his classmates. Next came the Fifty-year Address, traditional feature of this' traditional meeting. As I am in a confessing mood, I'll admit that a lot of them I've slept through. But not this one. Among the best, it was. And delivered by retired Senior Trustee of the College, our own Harvey Hood. His full text you may read, if you didn't hear it, in this issue of the Alumni Magazine. Fail not to do so even if you did hear it, and perhaps you'll see why I rate it high. Ponder well the aptness of his quotation from Ralph Waldo Emerson: "There are two laws discrete,/Not reconciled:/law for man, and law for thing;/ The last builds town and fleet,/But it runs wild,/And doth the man unking."

Mr. Dickey spoke felicitously, and then the 115th annual meeting of the General Association of Alumni was adjourned. Eighteen, sans wives, proceeded to its class meeting in the Hartman Room, Hopkins Center.

The grave matters there discussed and with decorous dignity decided will be reported to you later by Gottschaldt or Bingham, or Booth — if not all three! Here we pause to insert a reminding word spoken by Louie Huntoon: That our autumn assembly to watch football will find us attending not as heretofore the season's opener but the big one with Princeton on October 12. Presently being briskly booked for that weekend are rooms in all hotels and motels within a fifty-mile radius. Huntoon says there still remain held for reservation by Eighteeners rooms at Bonnie Oaks, Lake Morey, Fairlee, Vt. If you are not yet fixed up. he urges your writing immediately to its manager, Mr. Allen Avery. Offered is a two-day package for the weekend of October 11-13: lodging and three meals per day at $18 per person, not including tax and tips. A deposit of $25 per person in your party will secure a confirmed reservation so long as space holds out. Refund of deposit is guaranteed if notice of cancellation is given by October 4. On the day of the game, by the way, luncheon will be served us not at Bonnie Oaks but at Avery's Norwich Inn, a bit nearer the side-lines. End of — No! Hold on a minute. Says Barr, the local voice of Huntoon, "Act now! The longer you wait, the less your prospects of getting reservations. It's going to be quite a do!" There. End of commercial. But it does qualify better than most as "This important message."

Back to June 15. That evening, following cocktails in the Top of the Hop - where briefly appeared Mr. Dickey to greet us and be cheered — the Golden Round-Up Dinner in Alumni Hall. A delightful affair, MC'd by N. H. Supreme Court Justice AmosBlandin, one of us. On the speeches and the stories and the distribution of gift platters — engraved silver trays, I guess they were - I'll let Gottschaldt expatiate. But Tom Bryant's receiving a special testimonial award must .be mentioned in despatches because of the gasping genuineness of his surprise over it, the sincerity of his near-tearful protest that his achievements as class agent were absolutely not above and beyond the call of duty. ... Oh yes, there was entertainment besides. Undergraduate "Injunaires" vocalized better than acceptably. And in another act Gene Markey's new patter song entitled "'18 UP" was just corny enough to be good. The four stanzas their author spoke; the chorus was mumbled I fear inaudibly by an octet of vintage '18 Glee Clubbers'— who just had not done their homework. But accompanist Sig Judd, composer of the music. had done his, and he bravely carried us through.

Next morning, Sunday, outdoor Commencement. This pleasant but less-than-usually placid event was memorable for its fervid Valedictory, delivered by eloquent James Newton '68, to which a wise — in its opening, extemporaneous — Commencement Address, by Senator Javits, was a kindly, enlarging reply. (The texts of both speeches are in this issue of the ALUMNI MAGAZINE.) As we filed out from the exercises, a friend of mine, not a Dartmouth graduate, indeed foreign-born, said to me, "You can be proud of your College for giving that Vale-dictorian freedom to speak." "You may be sure," said I, "that I am."

I was also tired and hungry, as were all of us, and thankful that up at the Outing Club luncheon awaited. There we hied us by bus and private car, and after pause on the shady lawn for hip-borne pre-prandial potations, indulged in with, of course, fitting restraint, we entered the Clubhouse and consumed a bounteous luncheon that happily extended our finale well into mid-afternoon. Our consensus — no, it's unanimous — the Golden Roundup, 1918's Fiftieth, was the best reunion ever.

Reunion chairman Dwight Sargent andSecretary Tom Shirley display attendancecups won by the 50-year class of 1918.

1918 turned out 118 men strong for their Golden Roundup and with 60% had the highest percentage of graduates back.

Good fellowship and varied activities made '28's 40th reunion "Fun-Tas-Tix."

CLASS SECRETARY