1921
After many moons of silence we have news of Ralph Baker, who has been living in the West Hartford, Conn., area for many years. Like many other classmates he is in a retired status, has thought of doing some traveling, but finds that his routine schedule of golf, bridge, and pinochle keeps him happily at home. Wife Armella busies herself with ceramics, and enamel painting on copper jewelry. Three grandchildren, ages five to nine, require short- and long-term baby sitting, for which the grandparents make no service charge.
Caroline Steiner, who happens to be Ralph's wife, is doing research in Rome, Italy, for her third novel, which will be entitled "Wolves in the Forum." Her second novel, the title of which Ralph did not divulge, is to be published in May of this year by Scribner. Ralph is going his separate way to the Dominican Republic and St. Kitts "to shoot film on light pouring through, and on, things." With tongue in cheek he wishes sympathy for his misfortune.
Bob Burroughs sends along a letter from Ted Spalding '51, operator of the Spalding Inn Club, stating that all is in readiness for the appearance at the Club of members of 1921 who wish to celebrate part of their Fiftieth Reunion in Whitefield, starting on June 13, 1971.
Bill Embree has finally made the decision to retire completely from the firm of Rittenhouse and Embree, with which he claims to have spent "forty-eight years of arduous toil." Bill III will carry on for the family, and will be the third generation to support the tradition. The fourth generation is coming along fast, with the oldest son now at Deerfield Academy - and after his graduation from that institution will hopefully join the College on the Hill.
Em Corbin's secretary, wife Olive, sends along an up-to-date report on the family activities which seem to center around theatrical projects. Early in the past winter Olive played the female lead in "Halfway Up The Tree" by Ustinov, while Em was stage manager. Almost simultaneously son Albert was performing with the Hartford (Conn.) Stage Company in Moliere's "Farce of Scapin." Albert has since moved on to play in the Repertory Theater in Milwaukee. Between stage appearances Em and Olive have managed to dash off on trips to Europe, the British Isles, and the Caribbean. In England's Winchester Cathedral (not the recording) Olive sought out the graves of some of her father's family who are buried there. As an interesting genealogical statistic Em and Olive were born on the same day - only twelve hours apart. As another coincidence they will celebrate their Fiftieth College Reunions at the same time, but on different campuses. They are arranging a shuttle service so that appearances can be made in both New Hampshire and Connecticut.
Sam Plumb has no particular news to offer about himself, but reports having made a successful contact with Speedy Fleet after many years, and has accepted an invitation from George Harris to be his guest at any time, but particularly for the big Fiftieth. This will be Sam's first appearance on the Hanover scene since 1928. He may bring his alto horn with him, so as to be able to play duets with Russ Goodnow on his French horn.
Bob Burroughs has completed work with Sherm Adams '20 on the New Hampshire Citizens Task Force Committee, with the chief assignment of selecting and supervising eleven sub-committees who have been studying the present operation of the state government and its departments. With the Task Force work behind, Bob and Martha visited the popular Bahamas, where they joined Bob's brother - a retired admiral from Coronado, Calif., in a golf competition, through which Bob says he was lucky to last into the second round. Then to Mexico, where he joined Ort Hicks at the end of February to participate in a Dartmouth alumni dinner. After a brief pause to regain his breath, Bob will be off once again to the Far East, along with other directors of a Defense Department organization - as the guest of Japanese manufacturers. "This is not a boon-doggle" says Bob, "we pay our own expenses."
To honor the memory of Hilton Campbell, John Hurd has presented the Dartmouth College Library with "The Eighteenth Century, Europe in the Age of Enlightenment," a volume of 360 pages with 589 illustrations, 173 in color, a selected bibliography, and 416 photographs, engravings, drawings and maps. The eighteenth century constituted the most sophisticated and attractive era in European history, and the great courts of Versailles, Potsdam, Vienna, St. Petersburg, Turin, and London are given elaborate treatment. Architects concentrated on providing perfect settings for church and state. The range of paintings is wide: the biting satire of Hogarth, the nostalgic poetry of Watteau, and the dawning romanticism of David. The nine British authorities who have provided the text attempt to show how many problems facing the eighteenth century (poverty, slums, ecology, financial corruption, war) are similar in scope and intensity to those facing the world today.
In 1922 Ralph Steiner published an album of photographs of campus scenes, with a foreword by Homer Eaton Keyes '00. It is probable that not many of our classmates were given the opportunity to obtain this volume, with its valued pictorial history and photographic artistry. Ralph reports that sometime in the 1930's he turned all of his negatives of Dartmouth scenes over to then Secretary of the College, Eugene Clark '01, but by now they are either "in the archives or somebody's coal cellar." Ralph has identified some of the people which show up in this collection, which serves to make the volume very personal. Chi Frost shows up striding into College Hall with a hungry look, headed for Commons. Cape Payson, with back to the camera, is slowly skiing toward Dartmouth Hall around noon-time (judging by the shadows), attired in S.A.T.C. khaki "trou." Tracy Higgins, with pack on back, and on skis, is looking across the Connecticut toward the Vermont hills, at a point opposite the Vale of Tempe. Ralph Steiner comments that Tracy is probably "wondering about the chances of turning the river into 'Iggin's Best Black Drawing Ink." Other less personal shots include the horse-drawn coach pulling away from the Hanover Inn, after depositing its passengers who have been picked up at the Lewiston station after the arrival of the afternoon train from Springfield, Mass. Then there is the dump cart emerging from covered Ledyard Bridge on its way to the coal yard to load fuel for the Power House fires. (Do you remember the annual rumor that the college was about to shut down because of a coal shortage - but never did?) Fog on campus, and surrounding Reed Hall. Ice breaking up underneath old Ledyard Bridge, jamming up against the sturdy stone masonry of the abutments. A one-hoss buck-board wending its way up unpaved West Wheelock Street. The Old White Church, as seen through an upper window of Butterfield Hall.
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