1953

John Mitchell, vice president of business affairs of Tufts University, has been appointed a member of the Tufts Steering Committee, a body formed recently to make some basic decisions about the university's future. The group is composed of trustees, administrators, faculty, students, and alumni. Prior to John's vice presidential appointment, he was assistant comptroller, comptroller, and business officer of the university. He has also been director of the Harvard Apparatus Company and secretary of the Massachusetts Association of Nonprofit Schools and Colleges as well as being a member of the Winchester (Mass.) finance committee. John, Jean, and the boys live at 15 Windemere Road in Winchester.

A nifty letter from Jim Decker who, in his senior capacity at Wilbur Smith & Associates, Inc., international transportation consulting engineers, has been responsible for unsnarling traffic all over the world, reports from his new Greek locale: "I got wind of this move last year when I agreed to be nominated as project manager. The consulting contract with the Greek Ministry of Public Works was signed on New Year's Eve and Mary Bern and I left London three weeks later. The project is a complete re-do of the transportation studies we did in '62 and '65—coupled with a new master plan calling for decentralization of Athens. In addition, we are looking at the general traffic chaos and trying to recommend some improved controls. This will be difficult as a primary problem is the lack of discipline in the drivers (which is a real understatement!). We'll be here about two years on the project and the Greek sunshine looks great after England's clouds. However, we miss the activity and excitement of London. We've settled in a suburb north of Athens (3, Kolokotronis St., Kifissia) which is some 300 meters high and somewhat cooler in the summer. This is where Mary Bern and I stayed in 1962. Allen is plowing his way through 2nd grade and John, now 21, is tearing up the domestic scene."

A long phone conversation with DaveBerry the other evening certainly made me feel better about our nation's youth. Dave, who ought to know since he's been active in high school education practically since graduation, finds his students basically well-adjusted, reasonably hard-working, and normally responsible. He thinks the drug scene has passed its peak, which is heartening news indeed. Dave and Susie have a daughter, Barbara, in college, plus five other children at home, ranging from Dave Jr. in high school, all the way to Tom in second grade. In their spare time, the family gives elementary training to German shepherds for later service as seeing-eye dogs. All the Berrys, including the puppies, live in Sparta, N.J., at 111 Summit Road.

Tom Davidson reports on the birth of his second son and fifth child, James Benjamin, on February 21, who joins MyraLea (18), Melinda (16), Tad (15), and Sarah (9). As Tom comments, the new arrival is causing some drastic changes in mom and pop's life style. Tom is vice president at Oxtoby-Smith Inc., a marketing research and consulting firm headquartered in New York. Somehow he makes all other Gotham commutes seem easy since he, Nancy, and the children live in Hampton Falls, New Hampshire!

Brock Brower's new novel, "The Late Great Creature." has met enthusiastic critical acclaim. This short quote from Time Magazine is typical: "... one of the funniest tours de force of the past few years. With few illusions of ever returning to the great days of Saturday matinee catharsis, Brower illustrates the salutary nature of terror—its ability to exorcise fears of evil and death. He also toys gracefully with the paradox that fiction is capable of more truth than journalism. The truth about Brock Brower, an experienced freelance journalist, is that he must now be reckoned with as an extraordinarily capable novelist."

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