1950

The foliage season failed. The touch of yellow and flash of red, the promise that burgeoned in the Ramapo Mountains of New Jersey, remained constant through Connecticut and into Massachusetts. As we passed Brattleboro it became clear that the promise would not be fulfilled. A few heightened colors caused us to exclaim, more to fill the void in anticipation than to realize it.

Our first visit to the remodeled Woodstock Inn allayed our every concern. For years the old inn dominating the green had been an old favorite for my family and me. We had feared that the rebuilt version would be cold and aloof, a feeble attempt to copy the style of its rambling, outmoded precursor. We were charmed, immediately relegating the old to the relics of memory, as soon as we entered the lobby. The new inn exudes a quality of its own, perhaps because it avoids the error of trying to recapture the spirit of the past by mimicry. The new version of the Hanover Inn fails, for example, because it did not avoid that error.

The local Vermonters in the inn ventured various explanations for the disappointing foliage. Spring had been late (you may recall my June column's comment about the snows still lingering in Hanover in May). The summer had been unusually wet, thus preventing any tendency for the leaves to dry out permaturely. Finally, there had been no frost, that magic touch in transforming northern New England into an artist's pallette for a few brief autumn days.

There was still no frost the next morning but it was cold, grey, and misty along the banks of the Connecticut as your executive committee gathered at the Ledyard Canoe Club for its annual meeting. All five officers and 14 other members attended, slightly fewer than last year's record. Bill Embree, who had been visiting Sandy and DottyMcCulloch with his delightful new bride Mary, took the long-distance prize this year. Last year that honor had been shared by Ken Clark and Bob Waterman. Joel Leavitt appeared and stayed long enough to wonder if Dartmouth would even beat Penn, since the score was tied at half-time. Jim Birney and Dick Echikson overcame the odds that detained them last year and claimed that wild horses could not have deterred them. And Newc Eldredge was available to confirm the news that he had lost the race for the legislature last spring. Imagine that, even though he ran as a Republican in a staunchly conservative New Hampshire district. The quorum was filled out by Ed Tuck, John Dwyer,Frank Harrington, Scott Olin (a new neighbor in New Jersey), Nev Chamberlain, Jack Harned, Paul Canada, GerrySarno, and Tom Ruggles.

The weather boded nothing but ill as our wives gathered for tailgate lunches. Scudding clouds tossed sprinkles of rain as threats, and the festive pre-game chatter was often interrupted by cautious glances at the menacing skies. The thought of watching the game through a deluge was unpleasant. The ranks were swelled by other classmates. Bill Cross and his family came up from Westchester County. As promised, Bill Carpenter arrived from Illinois in hopes of seeing son Bill play. Pierce Udall dropped by and soon had Ed Gulick in tow. Ed runs his own trucking business, which is now evidently headquartered in Maine. With a son as a frosh Dave Pittenger had a secondary excuse to return. And my roster was rounded out with Dick Putney. Later we spotted Jim Harms and Prank Dickinson in the stands.

The game was anticlimactic. The big D was supposed to win. The spectators waited patiently and without enthusiasm for the expected. The only flash of brilliance came early in the second half; it was soon over as the game plodded on. In the end Penn was defeated, and consecutive win No. 12 was in the bag. Had any of us realized that we were witnessing the prelude to the squeakers against Brown, Harvard, and Yale, the suspense would surely have been far keener.

The mini-reunion then adjourned to a cocktail party, dinner, and song far into the night. The Class was in good voice, ably led by Embree and Canada, prompted by Sarno, and accompanied by Ruggles on his banjo. The piano player in the lounge had a night off!

If you were in Hanover for the game or the weekend and" not noted, my apologies Please let me know. Whether you were or not, start your plans for the mini-reunion next year. It will be the weekend of the Princeton game, and the Woodstock Inn is planned as the rallying point. See you there? A typical foliage season is guaranteed to enhance your trip.

Eric Miller relayed two notes after our meeting. One was from Doug Mann, who claims that he has never had any news to write in 20 years. Why is it that lawyers pretend to lead such a reclusive life? His encapsulated biography: practicing law, married to Jeannette, raising kids (without stating how many), getting fat. bald and gray, and at last skiing again. Really, typical; and not so bad. Doug would like to hear from Male Riley and Jim Moulton. The other note was dashed off as Tor and Jean Arneberg were preparing to leave for Norway to celebrate Tor's mother's birthday. Tor is now Xerox's general manager for the Northeast Region.

The Medical Center Hospital in Burlington, Vt., recently elected Herluf (Dan) Olsen as president. The position was created to modernize and simplify the organizational structure of the hospital, and the logical candidate was their executive director. Dan, who received a degree in hospital administration from the University of Minnesota, had been director of Shands Teaching Hospital and Clinics in Gainesville, Fla., before returning to the North Country in 1967. He and Beverly Ann are in an enviable location when the ski season arrives.

Miles Mills has been appointed Associate Director of Development at Drake University in Des Moines. He has been an executive in oil distribution concerns in that city for the past 20 years. New primary responsibilities for Miles will be the university's Centennial Development Program which seeks to raise $36,500,000 by 1981. Some of his other activities have been as chairman of the business membership drive for the Des Moines Art Center and Iowa chairman of the United Negro College Fund. Wife Clare is coordinator of public affairs for the Department of Adult Education for Des Moines Public Schools.

Conglomerates aggregate and large companies fragment. When GE formed its Audio Electronics Products Department, Paul Van Orden was appointed manager of marketing. Paul joined GE in 1955, several years after obtaining a marketing degree from Northwestern, and has applied his skill to the marketing of several Barhara product lines. His home base with Barbarn is New Hartford, N. Y., in the environs of Syracuse.

Pete and Virginia Shaffer have left the New York area for Middletown, Ohio. Pete had been the eastern sales manager for the Raymond Bag Co., a division of Hoerner Waldorf. Their product is multi-wall paper bags, presumably for some type of heavy duty use—call Pete. The motivation for the move, by the way, was his promotion to vice president and general manager. Their family includes Virginia's two children and their three-year-old, Mike. The children and a little tennis are the extent of Pete's relaxation.

Tidbits here and there: Gordie Hood, a member of a multi-name law firm, including his, has been reelected to the chairmanship of the Kentucky Council on Public Higher Education. Bob Shnayerson runs four miles through Riverside Park in Manhattan each morning; want to try for five! Finally caught up to Dick Arnold in the middle of a tough metropolitan league tennis match at our club in Ridgewood. Young Dick, who went to the Juniors in Kalamazoo, played a fine game of doubles, losing only to guile and experience. The last note from Parton Keese came from Barnegat Light—heading East. The suspense list includes news from Jackson Hole, Vienna, and Hicksville—McConaughy,Williams, and Rubins. Mixed reviews appear to sum up the reaction to FrankGilroy's first venture into films. A surprise promotion to vice president of American Actuaries, Inc. awaited Frank Treadway after a five-day stay in Hanover this summer. The cure is not guaranteed!

Some letters are simply newsy. Others, even when short, capture a whimsy or mood and cast a spell. They compel rereading. Dan Featherston's, mixing sadness and hope with elan, caught me so. Dan is a successful Boston trial lawyer specializing in criminal defense work. The nature of his work leads to interesting days, long nights, and gray hair. So, with a divorce pending, and thus the sadness, he has established a bachelor's den in town. His words excel mine: "Vox clamantis indeserto re-echoes often, but I've learned to know the difference between the windmills and the stars, and like to believe I've moved the world ahead a millimeter. My Dartmouth days have helped."

Early November fades with the days into the holiday season. Joy. And for the coming year, peace and happiness.

Mark Helfer '51, longtime expatriate, with his wife and English-born children in front of their farmhouse at Corfe Castle, Dorset, England. From left, in front, are Rebecca13. Felicity 6. and Martin 8. In the back row are Alan 10. Rachel. Mark, and Emily14. Mark farms 180 acres.

Secretary, 510 Hillcrest Rd. Ridgewood, N. J. 07450

Treasurer, .. 281 Pondfield Rd., Bronxville, N. Y. 10708