1940

Ledyard Bridge with the lazy Connecticut River flowing beneath - Tuck Drive with its heavy lining of beautiful shade trees - The College Green with a "pick-up" Softball game creating noise and excitement - Baker Library's bells ringing every quarter hour - Shirtless students lying in the sun in front of their dorms - dogs - dogs - dogs! These are the familiar sights which greeted me in Hanover when I arrived a couple of hours ago for the annual class officers' weekend. It's the first of May, the temperature in Hanover is in the low 80's where spring has arrived ahead of schedule. This honestly takes me back a full thirty years. It was just that long ago (as you read this) that several hundred of us walked through an equally hot sun to receive our parchments making us "alumni." Regrettably some of this group is no longer with us - and unhappily some who started in September of 1936 didn't make the march with us to the Bema, but nonetheless they are still actively members in good standing of our class.

Frequently news in this column is several months behind the actual news and, honestly, this is because I hoard news clippings and letters from classmates 'til there is a month with virtually nothing newsworthy. Now, however, I wish to tell you of a celebration which took place only last month - namely a special church service and luncheon honoring the Reverend Lawrence L. Durgin on the occasion of the twenty-fifth anniversary of Larry's ordination to the Ministry. The scene of the celebration was a special service in his church in New York followed by a luncheon at a nearby hotel where Larry and Eunice received the plaudits of his flock. Diz de Sieyes reports that "the service was one of the most impressive I have ever attended and a fitting tribute to a man who is so much with the time. I wish the whole class had been there."

A news release from the College reports that carefully tucked away in a vault in the rare book section of Baker Library is an irreplaceable volume of poetry by Words-worth donated by Jack Little. Jack found the book with Wordsworth's own handwritten notations of corrections on several pages, in a little bookshop on Long Island and says it "was a tremendous thrill for this old English major." Anyone else got a rare literary find they'd like to donate?

Another news release - but this time from the Mobil Oil Corp. - advises that Raymond J. Hotaling has been promoted from being general manager of the advertising and merchandising department at Mobil headquarters (since 1965) to general manager of the entire New York state marketing division. Ray's been with them since graduation either in Buffalo, Rochester, Dallas or N.Y.C. On the other side of the country, in San Francisco, Mel Wax has won the top award of the broadcasting business, the George Foster Peabody Award. Mel won this coveted honor for the program he produces and stars in called "Newsroom" on station KQED. This summer Mel contemplates hiking through the Sierra Nevada Mountains climaxed by a climb up 14,000 foot Mt. Whitney. Our daily Dartmouth sports editor is still a sport.

Jack Fitzgerald Jr. checks in from Boston with news that his son attends Suffolk Law School in his home town. Alice and Jack spend a great deal of time enjoying their almost year-old granddaughter who resides in nearby Hingham. Jack also informs us that there is an excellent picture of Ed Halsey's father (he was secretary of the U.S. Senate for a number of years) in the latest book on Al Smith entitled "Hero of the Cities."

A newsy letter from AT&T's vice-president in charge of personnel Bill Mercer reports that son Bob is at Ohio Wesley an and is most enthusiastic about the Mid-Western environment. He's the first of their four boys to move out of New England for an education. Lee '65 is studying law at B.U., John '68 is in the Navy and Tay (Colgate '67), a Wall Streeter. Bill writes, "Having gone to an all-male (how much longer?) school and raised only boys, I don't know why, but I was appointed to a Presidential task force last fall which studied and reported to Pres. Nixon on the Rights and Responsibilities of Women." Although Bill is still commuting on the New Haven and then uses the N.Y.C. subway to get to and from work he has been smart enough to buy a "get away" home in New Boston, N. H., which is about forty miles south of Hanover where he vacations and weekends when he can.

News of the other New Hampshirites includes word that John D. O'Shea has faith in urban redevelopment as evidenced by his opening of a new O'Shea Department Store in downtown Laconia. Not too far away Kneeland Swenson of Concord has been active as vice-president of the N. H. Arthritis Foundation and was in Laconia on Palm Sunday where he received a contribution check from the proceeds of a special concert at the Congregational Church.

With spring very much at hand I hope you all have a most enjoyable summer. If you get a chance while loafing in the sun drop me a note so that next fall this space will be full of news. Plan on the weekend of Oct. 16-18 in Hanover and let Bob MacMillen know you'll be with us - 'til then, Happy vacation!

Secretary, 200 5th Ave. New York, N. Y. 10010

Class Agent, 268 Briscoe Rd., New Canaan, Conn. 06840