1919's 50th
On Friday the thirteenth in the month of June, the Class of 1919 gathered on the Hanover Plain for its Fiftieth Reunion. And nothing could have been luckier for those who could come. They were 215 in number; 105 men, 84 wives, 10 widows and assorted children, grandchildren and guests. They came from near and far, with Charlie Biddle from Barcelona coming the farthest unless his wife Catalina sleeps on the far side of the bed. All enjoyed themselves immensely as '19ers do whenever they get together.
The afternoon was Hades-hot as we assembled in the 1919 tent across from Massachusetts Hall. As everyone squinted bifocally at name-plates a polite tentative murmur of conversation was barely heard behind a stirring of cracked ice, but gradually the conversation pitch rose confidently from the floor, and all felt a genial camaraderie as we sauntered off to Thayer Hall for a gay, light-hearted dinner. After dinner the President's garden was cooler, and its assortment of wonderful flowers at their June-blooming best. We were greeted graciously by Mr. Dickey and greeted in various ways by each other. Old associations renewed themselves, and all was well. Later those with sufficient stamina made their way to Spaulding Auditorium to hear the Glee Club. It was at its best and more than adequately demonstrated why, on its spring tour, it won national acclaim. And so, weary, to bed.
Saturday morning we all attended the Class of 1919 Memorial Services in the old Chapel. These were arranged by HowieCole and both the words and music were perfection. Professor Fred Berthold Jr. '45 presided and Professor Robin J. Scroggs the organist. The group sat through a quiet hour of remembering times, hundreds 0f times, in the past; feeling a renewed strength of friendship for those gone and for each other; a truly heart-warming experience After the services the class picture Was taken. This, I'm afraid, will speak for itself
The Bicentennial Convocation luncheon' ably conducted by Mike McGean '49, and honored by the Earl of Dartmouth and his Countess as well as by President Dickey was a memorable affair. Dr. Robert Stecher (Bob to you) was the speaker. He spoke of Dartmouth in our day, of Dartmouth as he sees it now, and he gave us an educated guess as to what it might be like fifty years from now. He spoke with wit and charm, with ease and with comfortable warmth. What he heard and saw and felt of our time led us to hear and see and feel it all over again. It was great. And Max Norton who, throughout the existence of the Class has been so everlastingly a part of its leadership, who has done a thousand things for every single soul of us, was given the Dartmouth Alumni Award - the highest award the alumni can give a Dartmouth man. None could be more deserving, and the Class, the College, and the Community were delighted. President Dickey spoke on the "Significance of Our Being Here," and with his great gift for brevity gave us in very few words much to think about. At this time the Class was awarded the Class of 1930 Cup for the largest number of men at its reunion.
After the luncheon we hurried across to the Hopkins Center Theater for our Class meeting. President Larmon called on the class officers for their reports. Everything seemed to be in good order. President Larmon expressed his appreciation and that of the Class for this and that to these and those. Then Spider Martin, chairman of the nominating committee, made his report. A frustrated electorate decided there was no use fighting city hall and elected Nick Sandoe, president; Stu Russell, vice president; Ray Adams, treasurer and a guy named Davis, secretary. Your new secretary was swept into office on the coattails of the ever-popular Nick Sandoe by a landslide, but he was nominated by the slimmest of margins; one to one but with Martin counting the votes. I have worn this hair shirt before and really know better. In frank recrimination I appointed Martin assistant secretary in charge of birthdays, obituaries and complaints. Russell, now v.p. in urbe, will handle all parties - Woodstock, Hanover or herever And with Rand and Batchelder meeting in wooing the widows, I might get all the things George used to do done live through it.
Our newly elected president, with no loss of time sot off on the wrong foot when, in muddle of mock modesty, he spoke of his concern in following such an illustrious line of presidents. He then made the mistake of naming them and left off three of the better ones, namely Stecher, Davis, and McCrillis. By dinner time, however, he could sense a rising tide of resentment and revolt Lone his classmates and apologized. This satisfied everyone except Stecher who maintained to the bitter end that he never was president. Maybe nobody ever told him; things were nice and simple like that in the old days.
Thc class gathered next for pre-prandial restoratives in Alumni Hall. Then the class dinner and Martin again. This time Spider wore his toastmaster hat and started things off by thanking everyone for everything and givin" out an ill-chosen assortment of awards. First off, Larmon, Jackson, Rand,Adams, Daley, Batchelder, and Cole were summoned to the center of the hall and each presented with a wine-taster the bottom of which was a 1919 half-dollar (all obtained from the Mafia by Dorothy Sandoe, I understand). Stu filled each of these with some dark brown liquid which did not look like wine to these old eyes - and they all drank to their satisfaction with each other and with their environment. A less likely looking bunch of wine-tasters I never saw. Next a beautiful electric typewriter was presented to our retiring secretary. I ask you, no matter how deserving, what is the use of giving a typewriter to a guy who is never again going to hold forefinger in air looking for the semi-colon key? But the pay-off was when Jeavons slightly disguised as a caddy came stumbling in with a big bag full of bright shiny golf clubs for our retiring president, Larmon. I am aware that hope springs eternal but it has to be obvious that if Larmon can't, by now, play golf with those beautiful 1928 sticks of his there can't be too much optimism about improvement. Incidentally, George has written me to say that he was so overcome by his gift that he forgot to say thank you . .. and will I tell you how very much he appreciates his typewriter. After all this Cotty, generous as al- ways, shared with us some intimate recollections of his years of association with Mr. Hopkins. His remarks were a joy to listen to and the telling added to the image we have of this great man. As I listened I felt sure he, himself, would have been pleased and would have chuckled at the ones Cotty chose. With this the formal business ended, we all sat back and sang a collection of songs popular in our heyday with JohnChipman at the piano and Jack Clark leading us. Our thanks to them for arranging the program and carrying it out.
The next day at the Commencement Exercises with the men sitting as a group and the ladies sitting elsewhere, the rains came down moving the exercises to Leverone and starting such a game of musical chairs as you have never seen. For hours husbands and wives went around in circles trying to find each other. Sooner or later, however, most got together and arrived at the Outing Club for our last cocktail party and luncheon. It was like everything else a great success. And so we went off home.
Elsewhere in this issue you will find details of the Bicentennial beginnings. Batch, in his next Smoke Signal, will have more details and stories of personalities. In addition he has arranged for a number of classmates to give their impressions of different aspects of the Reunion. And all there is left for me to say is that the Class is grateful to the many who worked so hard to make every little thing just right. They did a wonderful piece of work. And thank you all for coming.
Our fall get-together will be September 19-20. Please make your reservations now at the Hanover Inn.
Twenty-five men from 1909 returned for their 60th reunion,
The Class of 1914 and their families gathered at Webster Hall for their 55th reunion picture.
Secretary Michael McGean '49 (l) presents Nichol Sandoe, reunion chairman for1919, with the 1930 Cup for the attendance record during their reunion period.
CLASS SECRETARY
