1918

Dropping in on Professor Childs the other evening - I write this in late January - I found him chuckling over a cartoon in which a bewildered father sputters to a friend, "Confused? Of course I'm confused! My son's been accepted at Vassar and my daughter's entering Yale!" Said F.L.C., "Well, coeducation is on its way, sure as you're born." For the fact that we two old crocks had been born when we were, we shook hands in solemn gratitude.

Recently by the way of experiment, scores and scores of lovelies from Smith, Holyoke, Wellesley, et al. were registered and enrolled pro tem in Dartmouth courses. But concurrently with this more or less serious test of coeducation our campus was, to coin a phrase, invaded by more numerous scores of nonregistering lovelies from Smith, Holyoke, Wellesley, et al. — the real coeds' roommates and their sisters and their cousins to the tune of many dozens - who as visiting observers, shall we say, came along for the ride! A gay time and festive ensued. And now genuine Winter Carnival is almost upon us! To which will come, we hope, only invited lovelies from Smith, Holyoke, Wellesley, et al. The mid-campus snow statue is a-building. Apparently it hasn't yet decided whether to become a dragon or a whale or a wolf.

But back to my call on Mr. Childs. He glowed happily as he told me of the pleasure he'd lately enjoyed chatting at the Inn with a recent Tuck School lecturer, 1918's own Chuck Palmer of Atlanta. Though with us only a year - owing not to scholastic difficulties but to his then limited finances - Chuck has, Childs is convinced, as deep an interest in the College and as warm and wise a loyalty to it as does the most fervid Eighteener. Of his book, "Adventures of a Slum Fighter" (1955) he had presented to Mr. Childs an inscribed copy, which I was proudly shown. On its dust-cover a blurb by Beardsley Ruml '15. Chuck Palmer pioneered, I gather, the now nation-wide, indeed world-wide urban renewal movement. I have to say "I gather" because as yet I've not read "Adventures." Childs has nearly finished it. I'm next.

Another '18 author I thought had been and perhaps has been spotted by thoughtful Roger Evans '16, who forwarded to me an announcement of the January publication of what I take to be another book I'd like to read, "High Water Over the Road" by one Ted Booth. The surname is, you'll agree, distinguished, and the given, or adopted, nickname is the one by which during freshman year we knew our popular Deke classmate Edmund Myler Booth. But that middle name's the rub. "High Water" is authored by an Edmund W. Booth Jr., who signs himself "Ted." Is he our Ted? Seems as if he might not be. Hold on, though. The announcement blurb states Edmund W. was born 2 November, 1893. And that, classmates, is the birthdate inscribed in Alumni Records as the birthdate of our Edmund M.! Moreover, the place of EW's birth on that date is the same as EM's Albany, N. Y. And from the author came his book as an inscribed gift to Roger Evans, like our Ted, a Deke. Genial, generous, knowledgeable Roger should know. Let's face it gladly. We have this month. a second author to claim for '18. We welcome him and congratulate him and ourselves. We're 99 and 44/100 percent purely convinced that Edmund W. Jr. and our Edmund M. are one and the same. "But why," Rollo asks, "why not write our Ted '18 and ask him?" Well, it's a procedure that sounds good and obvious. But a few years back our Ted with entire geniality requested that Crosby Hall cease and desist from sending him alumni mailings. He was sure, he declared modestly, the Dartmouth friends of his brief undergraduate days had forgotten him. . . . Not so, Ted! Certainly not I, who inherited and gaily bore your nickname for several years. Recall, too, that Ernie Earley or his secretary? once confused us, or our wives! But that's another story. . . . You're to have this alumni mailing from a classmate who hopes your report of your uninterest in Dartmouth or of Dartmouth's in you may prove exaggerated.

Here let me insert apology to good Donald Barr, whose friendship I cherish and whose judgement I respect about the College and all other matters we've discussed through the years. My apology to Don is for my failure in the February column to label clearly as pure fiction - which it was - the episode of his calling me on the carpet to tell me my "inexperience was showing" and to upbraid me for featuring in the January issue the new College directory, and the annual turnover in Dartmouth's expanding and steadily improving faculty. Lest anyone infer from my clumsy effort at humorous fiction that Don misunderstands or disapproves of these symptoms of the College's healthy growth, which it was my sole purpose to stress, and which Don does understand and regards as good, I insert this statement, heartsick that inadvertently I have hurt Don, only glad I learned of it in time to make whatever restitution this my belated apology may effect.

Miss Nancy Elliott, Director of Alumni Records, writes me of six Eighteeners "who have not been heard from in over thirty years, and the little information we do have about them seems to indicate that they are no longer living. . . . If you . . . have no objection, we would be willing to consider them deceased. Please check your records and let me know."

Here are the names of the six. (Where each roomed in freshman year, and the town or city whence he came, I've spotted in the '14-'15 catalogue. A quick rundown of their college addresses seems to indicate that none had a roommate in freshman year. Our Aegis neither pictures nor lists the six.) William R. Bowie, Washington, D. C., 12 Reed; Culver H. Cook, Omaha, Nebr., 7 Wheeler; Philip J. Faherty, Chicago, 18 Hitchcock; Gerald V. Hartnett, no data whatever, but I've not examined a '15-'16 catalogue-directory. Could he have come in our sophomore year and then dropped out? Cornelius A. Lynch, Lawrence, Mass., 9 West South Street; Lawrence E. Weingold, Mansfield, Mass., 6 Thornton. Communicate directly with me, please, if you know or turn up anything that might help Alumni Records in the search.

Just at this point the telephone brought sad word of the death on Friday 24 January of Rebecca Gottschaldt, affectionately known to all of us as "Becky." Services were on Sunday the 26th in Hollywood, Fla., where Al and she made their home. In a note subsequently received, Tom Jones told us that he and his wife Martha and Cliff andAdeline Daniels represented our Class at the funeral, which was attended, Tom says, by numerous Dartmouth men from other classes. Interment was to be in Kensico, N. Y. The Gottschaldts were a devoted couple, and for Al in his bereavement the Class has heartfelt sympathy.

I am asked whose initials - H.C.D. - are those in the February issue appended to Chaunce Wales' obituary. It was written by our classmate, Chaunce's college roommate, the Reverend Harold C. Day.

Under In Memoriam this month or next will appear an obituary for Gilman Davis, whose illness I mentioned in the November MAGAZINE. On December 13 he died. Doris his wife wrote me, quoting their minister at his funeral service, "Gilman has gone Home for Christmas."

Secretary, Elm St. Norwich, Vt. 05055

Treasurer, 45 Rip Rd., Hanover, N. H. 03755

Bequest Chairman,