1926
If a thumbnail sketch were permitted at the head of this column,, we'd suggest a sleepy little boy, long nightgowned, lit candle in hand .. . you've guessed it.. . Fisk Rubber's once-famous "Time to Re-tire"! Just as our lives once revolved around marriage and babies, jobs and careers, today our key subject is retirement. Since 1904 was our Class' peak birth-year, it all adds up. It adds up convincingly in the replies to a questionnaire we used (mostly in Chicagoland) as a news-gatherer for this column.
RETIRED is Class Chairman TubberWeymouth, now in Spain with Mary, visiting son Ted '56, a v.p. with Arthur Anderson in Madrid. And Tom Murdough, who still serves American Hospital Supply as a consultant and lifetime director, and who divides the year between Evanston, Ill., and his new home in Squam Lake, N. H. WesFord, retired in 1966 after 40 years with Illinois Bell Telephone, has his two sons and five grandchildren living nearby (Lombard, Ill.), including the first girl child born into the Ford family in 87 years. Wes writes that Hal Lewis, also retired after an Illinois Bell career, is now living in Cape Coral, Fla. New Haven papers report the retirement of Ken Foster as vice president of the New Haven Savings Bank, after a 43-year career with that bank.
Retired from the business world but still very active otherwise is Hub Harwood. As vice-chairman of the Board of Trustees of Emerson College in Boston, he presided at the Founder's Day Convocation Exercises on November 2. He also had the honor of presenting an honorary degree to the principal speaker, Col. Thomas P. Stafford, flight commander of Apollo 10 and flight crew director of Apollo 12.
N-O-T RETIRED is Dick Gunthorp, who writes: "I can't quite convince myself that complete retirement is the big thing for this old goat, yet. We have a second home in Scottsdale, Ariz., where Josie resides six months of the year, and I visit her two weeks of each month. Believe it or not, we have a small hot combo there, and I still play the sax. The rest of the year, my time is pretty well taken up with the printing business, and the various trade associations in which I have been active for many years." Gordon Jenkins writes that he isn't nearly ready to retire from Radio Corning, where he is general manager and president, even though a new home in Harpswell, Me., is now completed. Ted Parker, v.p. of Blair & Co., Chicago, is still in the brokerage business, as are his twin sons, in Denver and Tucson. Howie Kolb writes that "the insurance business is more challenging today than in the previous 43 years I've been in it." John Blair is a livestock farmer, and banker, in Francesville (don't tell us you haven't heard of it), Ind. If any of you think you'd like to drop-in on John to rope your own fresh steak, or your own fresh foldingmoney, you'll find his farm near highway 21, halfway between Monon (Pop. 1417) and Medaryville (Pop. 758). The financial papers report that Les Talbot, "veteran New York Stock Exchange floor broker, a member of the Exchange for more than 40 years, has joined the investment firm of Thomson & McKinnon as a vice president and voting stockholder." Least retired of all, we'd say, is Wad Woods, now in his 39th year of teaching, his 21st at Rippowam School, Bedford Village, N. Y. During the school year, Wad teaches French and History, coaches football and girls' (nice work if you can get it) Softball. Each summer, Wad gives tennis lessons at Wentworth-by-the-Sea, N. H. - on the courts from 9 to 5 daily. He's looking forward to playing in the U.S.L.T.A.'s tournament for players of 65 and over; perhaps Wad and Kier Boyd will meet in the finals!
NOT Q-U-I-T-E R E TI R E D is NomeWilliamson, who's given up active management in Connecticut Mutual, but still serves the company as general agent emeritus, and pursues the hobbies of flying a Cessna Skymaster, woodworking, and restoring Bugatti cars. Worthy Walters writes: "Have been with Melville Confections, specialists in jelly beans, for the last 25 years. Three years ago Standard Brands bought us, and since then I have been president of this division for them. However, our 65-year retirement gets me the end of this year, so I'll be through here. I intend to continue to work, probably going back to LaSalle St., where I originally started." Merciless questioning (and a strong computer) brought forth the confession that Worthy had been responsible for the juvenile consumption of 28,875,000,000 jelly beans . . . laid end-to-end, sufficient to circle the Earth at the Equator no less than 14 times! Your scribe-of-the-month, Bob May, retires from Montgomery Ward next August, after being with that firm since 1936 . . . with a 1951-58 time-out to ride Rudolph. When Rudy slowed down, in '58, Bob recalled that "Wards will take anything back" . . . and returned. Bob's pleased the Vegas odds-makers are laying 5-to-1 that daughter Betsy's claim to "Youngest '26 Baby" will stand up. (Birth date, 12-2-'58.)
MISCELLANY: - "Sports Illustrated's" "100 Years of Football" issue picked an All-American team for the 1869-1919 period, and one for each of the five decades since. The only Dartmouth man to be named on any of these six teams was '26's DutchDiehl. Indomitable Ed Hanlon wrote the magazine a long, strong letter proving conclusively that the All '20's Team should also have included Jim Oberlander. Bill Farnsworth writes that Bob Stopford, recovered from surgery, is building himself up for his rugged duties as 1970 president of the Fort Lauderdale Men's Garden Club. Our Chicagoland questionnaire brought the sad tidings of the sudden (Oct. 6) death of RegThompson ... to be reported further in the In memoriam columns. Reg's passing is our 161st... 30% of our freshman (Green Book) total... a figure that can't help but give us pause. Last but not least... a reminder of our lune 15-16-17 Reunion. DonNorstrand and his committee are working hard on a program to make it a great three days. And any connection between this reminder and the sad figures just above is strictly coincidental.
Secretary, 16 R East Trail Darien, Conn. 06820
Treasurer, Washington Valley Rd., R.D. 1 Morristown, N. J. 07960
