1950
The snows came early this year. Too early. Skiing was excellent for Thanksgiving when two feet of cover blanketed the North Country. The first weeks of December continued the promise of a long season. Then the temperature rose.
Christmas was not white. In this area the colored lights twinkled dimly through mists and fog. Only the bowl, traditionally warm in its appeal, continued to charm and enliven our wassails. And the slopes, if not awash, turned to slush and then to ice when the temperature dropped again. The old year crept out and 1972 arrived with a whimper.
Joe Medlicott's Newsletter arrived just before the holidays to tender his news and views along with season greetings. His letter is always anticipated with enthusiasm and warmth. The memories evoked by the pictures of Dartmouth Row and a snow laden scape are keen. His insights are fresh. The news comes with craftily turned phrases. But his Newsletter thrives on news, and lately there has been nothing, just nothing. Pen that Minute Message you have been meaning to dash off for so many months now.
There was one unexpected item, though, in Joe's latest. His view of the Penn and Cornell games was natural. The surprise was that he' deferred to me to report on the principal agenda items at the meeting of the Class Executive Committee.
First, a general comment related to Bob Kilmarx's review of the 1971 Alumni Fund drive and his plans for 1972. The news today often comments about the fiscal squeeze being faced by many colleges and universities. They are like the pensioners, widows, and orphans limited by relatively fixed incomes during inflationary periods. In recent years even the venerable and well endowed institutions, including several in the Ivy group, have suffered.
Dartmouth differs. Oh, she, too, has been faced with persistently rising costs. Until twp years ago the average increase was eleven percent per year. But our new President has insisted upon fiscal responsibility and, consequently, limited the increase to about six percent per year over the last two years. John Kemeny has often stated that in the future any capable business executive will be well versed in computer techniques and that he will probably have a time-sharing terminal in his office. There is evidently some correlation between Dartmouth's budget controls and the fact that Dr. Kemeny keeps a time-sharing terminal in his office.
The tree program continues. If you have seen them, you know why the Class can be proud. Our trees replace the elms that left the campus so barren when they died. Already the young maples are asserting themselves. More remain to be planted, but none in such an obvious setting.
The commitment to the tree program has been completed. Our chairman, SandyMeCulloch posed the question: what next? There are limits, since a class program is restricted to the relatively small amount generated by dues. Special appeals or campaigns are not sanctioned for the obvious reason that they would compete with the College's general fund raising activities.
A number of ideas were bandied about. One was the one-shot gift such as a hockey scoreboard; another, the on-going or continuing gift. Joel Leavitt proposed that any program should focus on the human factor as compared to the physical, and this idea brought general enthusiasm from various committee members. Proposals included a general class scholarship, a scholarship for Indian students, sponsoring an internship program, or furnishing Dr. Kemeny with funds to explore new or unique ideas in higher education.
Your executive committee reached no conclusions, although we were all rather excited about the prospects. We do want to canvass you for your thoughts. Your ideas will be welcomed by Joe, Sandy, or me. We shall compile them for discussion at the next meeting in October. So, let's hear from you.
An official communique from the Department of the Air Force, subject: Dartmouth Class of 1950, reports the reassignment of Col. Dr. Henry Meijer to the regional hospital at Minot Air Force Base, North Dakota. Stories about the climate, especially in mid-winter, leave Hank with less confidence about his ability to face the weather than in accepting the challenges of a significantly new job. In the interval between assignments Hank took some postgraduate courses in Boston and paid a visit to Hanover. It was a pleasure visiting the Mary Hitchcock, seeing old friends, and witnessing profound developments in New England's medicine. Hank expressed excitement over seeing some of the programs at the Hitchcock in action. Incidentally, his daughter attends U-Conn and majors in English, Joe Medlicott's realm.
On most of our skiing trips we pass through Saratoga Springs, the home of Paul Rouillard. Nominally vice president and secretary of the Adirondack Trust Co., Paul is active this year as chairman of the business committee of the United Community Fund. These activities are related to his other concerns for the community as a member of the board of managers of Saratoga Hospital, vp of the Hawley Foundation, and treasurer of the board of trustees of the Home of the Good Shepherd. Occasionally, Paul finds a spare moment to wander out to the Saratoga golf club with Dot and their three daughters for a moment or two of relaxation.
A note from Graham Bailey in St. Louis indicates a move from one house to another with almost everything else remaining equal. Although Graham demurs that it is not their "dream house," he admits that at least the surroundings have improved. The family remains stable for him and Norrine, although their oldest son Bruce, who was born in Hanover, is nearly ready to try his wings in new surroundings. As teenagers, their two daughters remain close to the nest. Graham is marketing manager for the Federal Paper Stock Co., brokers in waste paper, wood pulp, and paper board.
The Brown Brokerage Co. headed by Donald O. Brown deals generally in produce and specifically, whether actually or facetiously is hard to tell, in pickles. Don indicates that he has hoed a hard row for the past 18 months but that he is now relatively at ease. One reason is his recent marriage, his second, to Ina Pruitt Savage. Don reports seeing Park Taylor, DickFrey, and Jay Buck upon occasion in and around the Windy City (the one on the shores of Lake Michigan, not Erie).
Tidbits here and there: Wes Carr in Memphis is responding to WB4TNY. If you are a ham, you know what Wes means; if not forget it. The suspense list is getting thinner but includes Ed Sawyer, BillKane, Dick Sitzer, and John Craver. My mail basket also needs replenishing. BillHawkins lives in La Jolla, has a son at Stanford, and is vp of marketing for Spectral Dynamics. After 80 years of stately independence the Wm. Turino Co. was acquired by the Gardian Development Co. and Bill Turino was retained as exec, vp and director. D. K. (Bud) Mac Donald corrects a previously suspect commentary by reporting that he has not played golf at Bel-Air in LA, does not play torrid golf anyhow, and limits his forays to one per year in Marin County (450 miles north of Bel-Air). We try to check our news sources, but an errant item sometimes slips through.
It is no longer news. Dartmouth will be coeducational. Some of us were pro, some con; probably more pro than con. But even those who had espoused the idea were caught short for a moment when the decision was announced. Adapting to change is difficult under any circumstances, even if you do have a daughter who wants to attend Dartmouth. The contrary position is more difficult to change, yet Tom Braden, '40, phrased an eloquent plea for your acceptance: "My own vote is in favor of a tradition even older than Dartmouth but which Dartmouth, as always, upheld. It is that the best way to right wrongs, improve and advance is through education. If educated men can't make responsible change, what's the point of Dartmouth?"
The winter season lingers. If skiing remains abysmal, how about a bout at squash? Or a sojourn to the Caribbean. Here's to your relaxing.
Secretary, 510 Hillcrest Rd. Ridgewood, N. J. 07450
Treasurer, 281 Pondfield Rd., Bronxville, N. Y. 10708
