1954

Here we are back at the "city desk" preparing for the April issue of your favorite column. You really better like it because there isn't too much not to like what with the paucity of news from youse guys out there. I'd hoped winter would have afforded the time by the fire to dash off notes of your doings. Now it will take a healthy thaw and early planting to assure a stocked larder for the months ahead. News, man. The name of the game is NEWS. Got that? Okay!

Of course, some folks are fortunate enough to have things written about them in all forms, shapes, and varieties. Out at the University of Montana, for example, the fall issue of "The Book" (a guide to student ratings of the UM faculty re- searched and written entirely by students) listed the school's top thirty teachers. Included in this august body was Dr.Samuel B. Chase who earned the respect of his students in one of the less esoteric subjects—economics. When you come to think of it there can probably be no greater gratification than to have one's students express their appreciation and respect in so nice a way. More than 25,000 evaluation forms were distributed to come up with the selection, the overall faculty comprising about 400 teachers. And finally, a computer was used to tally the results with the entire project taking two years to complete. I think that warrants some kind of wah-hoo-wah.

Education continues to produce some noteworthy news from and for members of our class. Just this past fall Roger E. Cole assumed the task of director of personnel at Andover. In this post he will be in charge of the interviewing and recruitment of all school employees other than faculty members, and will manage all benefit funds such as pensions and group insurance. Roger earned an MBA from Harvard in 1961 and since 1963 had been employed as assistant to the Director of Personnel at Boston University.

Dr. George Brooks Jr., associate professor of History at Indiana University, recently was awarded a faculty research travel grant for study of the economic and social history of Portuguese Guinea. George is something of a pioneer in the study of African history and is the author of a number of works on early American trade with West Africa. He spent three of the past ten years doing research in the Senegal and his new book, "Yankee Traders, Old Coasters, and African Middlemen," is due to be released shortly by Boston University Press. A member of the Indiana faculty since 1962, he received his Ph.D. from B.U.

Every once in a while a story reaches me about a year late and although I can't account for the delay I can try to get it in print before it becomes really ancient history. Last January a Buffalo bank holding company was formed (they own the Manufacturers & Traders Trust Co.) and among the new officers was one KevinI. Sullivan who will serve the holding company as vice president and secretary. The holding company is known as First Empire and they expect to get involved in Canadian Financial institutions and a "new kind of business to help finance expensive new aircraft by the airlines." While this may appear to have been a high flying idea in the light of this year's airlines' financial reports I'm sure Kevin used more than dead reckoning in setting the plans up properly.

About the same time, or maybe a month later, Lewis H. Milkey was named a vice president-marketing by Paine, Webber, Jackson & Curtis. Lew manages the company's office in the new Prudential Center, Boston, Mass., having entered the securities business in 1961. He joined Paine, Webber in 1965 and lives in Wellesley Hills with his wife Nacy Lee, two sons and two daughters.

Now if any of you have any ideas about taking a cruise I've got just the guy for you: J. J. Greene who in July was appointed vice president of General Steamship Corporation, Ltd. He had previously been assistant to the president and had held positions as manager of the Great Eastern Line Department and manager of the documentation and EDP departments. J. J. and his wife Sally make their home in Piedmont, Calif., with their two children, John and Elizabeth.

Well, that's about it for this month, but I'll remind you all that Dave Metz will soon be mobilizing his team of agents for this year's assault on the elusive Green Derby. This is the year to bring it home, so, to paraphrase an old saying, "give early and often."

Secretary, 58 Birchwood Lane Hartsdale, N. Y. 10530

Class Agent, Reader's Digest Assoc., Inc. 200 Park Ave., New York, N. Y. 10017