1916
Last blast: If you are to be in Florida after this magazine reaches you and you have not received but wish to receive details or guidance about the Sixteeners on your route, get in touch with one of the following: Bradenton 33505, Fred W. Davis, Apt. 4-A, 5919-17th Street; Boca Raton 33432, Alexander Jardine, 711 No. Harbour Terrace; DeLand 32720, Russell Leavitt, 128 No. Adelle St.
Whoever did not get the copy which by mistake went to Charlie Cressy, New York (it would have been him), please do the same and accept the apology of your secretary. You can rest assured that the latter was duly and promptly bawled out by long-distance phone with the resourcefulness and invective that only "Old Poison Ivy" commands.
The 24 listed were: Couples (18): Mr. and Mrs. Abraham, Baker, Bates, Fred Davis, Drury, Durgin, Gioiosa, Goward, Gumbart, Lapierre, Russell, Leavitt, Lindman, Lowe, McKenzie, Mensel, Nickerson, Shanahan, Streeter; Widowers (3): Messrs. George, Jardine, and Winchell; Widows (3): Mmes. Bettes, Murchie, Wilson. Since Jan. 19 we've heard that Parker Hayden is visiting Sarasota friends to Feb. 10.
Will you-all please report to this desk, so your Florida goings-on can be shared via this column vicariously with your comrades in the snow?
Interim Reunion at Hanover Inn, Sept. 4-6: Under date of Jan. 25, Jim Coffin wrote that 25 had already returned postcards confirming their attendance, many more expected, and that details including program will shortly be announced, of course, via BALMACAAN. If you haven't confirmed yet, better get aboard pronto. Someone has to do some planning.
Gold stars to the first three to report from Florida: Chuck Durgin from Ormond Beach hoped that the list would yield some visits and news, meantime sent a clipping from the "Havana Post" of December 15, 1957 reporting his retirement as vice-president of the First National Bank of Boston. He still stayed to carry on as president the considerable activities of the Anglo American Association and of the Anglo American Hospital Association. Got out just pre-Castro.
Honey Abraham acknowledged the list and planned to see as many classmates as possible. He and Mil Streeter were getting regularly to the local monthly luncheons of alumni in Fort Lauderdale. He and Connie are planning to be at our September reunion in Hanover. With natural pride he reported: their oldest son Lewis II (unmarried) and their son-in-law Irwin Abrams (husband of Esther with two sons) take care of the business in Burlington so Connie and Honey are able to avoid much of the cold weather. Youngest son Ralph earned all his degrees in Education at Michigan. His field is topology; he already has spent a total of eight years on staff between Berkeley, Columbia, and Princeton, mainly on research, and currently is back at U of C's Santa Cruz campus. In the last two years, he has published nine texts in his field for graduate or undergraduate use, lectured in Europe and this year goes to England for conferences. Their middle son Fred '56 got his Ph.D. at Indiana University, spent one year at San Diego State and since has been at UCLA in the Brain Research Institute. "40 years behind and 50 years ahead of his father" says Honey. Ralph has two boys; Fred, one boy and a little girl. Our congratulations to Honey and Connie.
Paul Goward from Winter Park was in first but just qualified by promising to see the Russ Leavitts. He also reported a Stetson University recital by your secretary's eminent namesake, president of the American Guild of Organists.
Hollis and Carol Nickerson, Dick Parkhurst reports, have bought a little house (temporary address Box 69, Ponte Vedra Beach, Fla. 32082) thus enabling them to winter near their daughter Laurania O'Connell, whose permanent home is there. The Nickersons are noted for their good planning. As you know, all three young couples have companion summer homes on a delightful little knoll overlooking the bay at Wellfleet, close by the family's old summer place.
A most welcome letter from Al Lawton supplements his fine record with highlights of his sixth to twelfth years of retirement: 1962: elected to Vt. House of Representatives to represent the Town of Essex, he served thus during the regular session of 1963 and special session of 1964. Main achievement of Committee of Education on which Al naturally served, was development of a new formula for distribution of state aid to local school districts, and both houses enacted. Only activation of a coronary condition kept Al from seeking re-election. 2) In May 1964 Al helped organize and for four years since has served as Director of the Essex Chapter of the National Scholarship Fund. During that period it made awards on basis of need to 70 local high school graduates who otherwise could not have continued their education. 3) Oct. 1965 to June 1968, he worked as appraisal Clerk for the Essex Tax Department reappraising all real estate in town and establishing new records; urgent because of boom resulting from IBM locating a large industrial plant and research center in Essex. 4) Since Jan. 1965 he has also served as State Director of the National Retired Teachers Association, of which and the related American Association of Retired Persons the eminent late Dr. Ethel Percy Andrus was founder. Then Al quotes Dr. Andrus: "Albert Lawton should be a happy man. His activity reminds me of General Booth's one-word Christmas cable sent to his Salvation Army leaders all over the world in World War I. That one word was 'others.' " How much better this democracy would work if more of us were Al Lawtons.
An August 24, 1968, thanks to the conniving of some Essex Junction friends, the celebration of Al's and Myrle's 50th weddine anniversary "became quite a gala event. One of the pleasantest features of this occasion was the presence (from Pennsylvania and Massachusetts) of our two sons, their wives and our five grandchildren - the first time in several years that all the families could be here at the same time." Congratulations, Al and Myrle, and many happy returns!
The many friends of Beans Sully will be saddened to hear that his wife Emilie passed on last summer.
This month also have regretfully to report the deaths of our two classmates from Maine - Rod Soule and Ken Stowell, and of Karl Shedd in Georgia. Prompt invocation of our lifeline is so helpful. Barbara Stowell and Dick Carpenter 1910 both thoughtfully wrote your secretary the next day; in lieu of flowers, contributions in Ken's memory may be made to the Dartmouth Alumni Fund, 1916. Don Shedd phoned me from Georgia and the usual sixteen roses awaited Polly on her return from Staunton. Audrey Soule's wire to John Stearns was kindly relayed by phone; and 1916 was represented at the services in South Freeport by your red roses, and by old friends Duffy and Betty Lewis who drove up from Swampscott. All wish you to know how much your remembrance has meant. In Memoriam notices will appear in that section of this or a later issue of the ALUMNI MAGAZINE.
This choice paragraph from Ruby McFalls was about Ken Stowell, but shouldn't it help all of us who carry on? "Well, old Indians never die - they just go on to happier hunting grounds, and we shall all meet around the campfire, pass the pipe and bowl around and talk about the time we stormed the theater at the Junction. 'A WAH HOO WAH for Ken Stowell!!!"
Secretary, Box E, Swarthmore, Pa. 19081
Treasurer, Singletary Ave., Sutton, Mass. 01527
Bequest Chairman,
