1935

It was magnificent! No other description does justice to the Class of 1935 Memorial Concert of Verdi's sadly beautiful RequiemMass, performed during Class Officers' weekend in Hanover, May 6. An overflow crowd paid tribute in a seven-minute standing ovation.

Sung by the combined glee clubs and choirs of Dartmouth, Smith and Harvard, the chorus of 250 voices rang crystal clear in the perfect acoustics of Spaulding Auditorium. Solo roles were sung superbly by operatic stars Patricia Wells, Anita Terzian, Frederick Schoepflin, and Willard White, and the Dartmouth Symphony Orchestra provided superb accompaniment. The entire program was given brilliant direction by Mario di Bonaventura, professor of music and associated with the Hopkins Center since its inception.

It is regrettable that more of the Class could not have heard this extraordinary production. The privileged few were Helenand John Wallace, Babs and RegBankart, Bea and Dero Saunders, Ruthand George Colton, Henrietta and BobHage, Holly and Ernie Draper, Betty and me—all returning for class officers meetings or 'resident in the Hanover area.

Plans to record the concert on professional equipment, as proposed in our class meeting at fall reunion, and then produce an album for sale did not materialize. It would have cost us $3,500 "seed" money. The performance was recorded by the regular Hopkins Center staff, however, and hopefully there will be tapes available for classmates to hear during our next fall gettogether, September 29-30. Incidentally, if you haven't made your reservations yet, send a $20 check to George Colton immediately. Rooms will be at a premium that weekend without an advance reservation.

By all odds, the Verdi Requiem was the climactic moment of Class Officers weekend. A record 230 class officers attended in hopeful anticipation of learning more precise details of the upcoming programs for coeducation and year-round operation. Details were sparingly few, yet the impression is that these two revolutionary steps in Dartmouth Life are being given the most thoughtful possible planning.

In a Saturday morning discussion of housing problems, Professor Marilyn Baldwin, assistant provost of the college, paid tribute to the key role played in these discussions by our own George Colton. It is with the wisdom of Solomon and the patience of Job that George has wrestled with such thorny issues as what priorities do displaced men get when their dormitory floor is vacated for women, etc. etc. As you can imagine, the housing issue alone can be debated for weeks!

Our biggest disappointment of the weekend was the weather. Hanover, like much of northern U.S.A., has had a rotten spring, the worst ever. Two weeks prior to our arrival there was a major snowstorm. The following weekend, two balmy spring days (the only ones so far!) created Lake Dartmouth, stretching from Baker Library to the Inn. While the on-campus tides had receded when we arrived, trees were barely starting to bud (on May 6), rivers and streams everywhere were over their banks, and spring was more a promise than a reality.

The weather, however, had not interfered with plans to erect the Class of 1935 Memorial Kiosk (a modernistic announcement board) outside Hopkins Center. After months of delays, while zoning problems, were resolved, it now stands on its permanent foundation alongside the walkway leading directly into the much-travelled post office corridor of Hopkins. Several of us posed around the Kiosk while Adrian Bouchard, the official college photographer, took the usual publicity photos. Hopefully, one is printed somewhere in this issue of the Alumni Magazine, so that other classmates can see what the kiosk actually looks like.

Both Verdi's Requiem and the Kiosk, as you know, are gifts of the Class in Memory of deceased classmates, who now number 95. The complete list was published in the concert program, so I can give you the exact count. Sad though it is to realize the loss of so. many classmates, the surprising statistic to me is this: Despite two wars and the pressures imposed by the turbulent period in history, well over 80% of all who matriculated in September of 1931 are alive today ... at ages 58 and 59. We appear to be giving the insurance companies a run for their money (or is it vice versa), and let's hope we can confound the actuaries for years to come.

News of individual classmates is sparse this month. Even a grilling cross-examination of the contingent returning to Hanover yielded few items. George Colton reported visiting Tahoe and Line Washburn, while on a trip to the coast with President Kemeny. Line no longer is shuttling on alternate years between Yale and Seattle, and is now committed full-time to the University of Washington, where he directs the Quartennary Research Center. In fact, they're now in the process of selling their New Haven home.

Helen and John Wallace even scoured the countryside for news. Well, they really were looking for antiques, and dropped into a shop called Vermont Tables and Handicrafts, in nearby Groton, Vt. To their surprise, they discovered it is owned and operated by Byron Tomlinson and his three sons. Barney had a heart attack about three years ago, and winters nearer civilization down in Connecticut. But the three boys have everything under control, and John assures fellow classmates that they have some exquisite antique restorations, or was it reproductions? In either event, worth looking at!

A few items from the .business columns. Fitz Beebe is starting to ease up, and has resigned as chairman of Newsweek. He'll take over the job as chairman of the executive committee. Herb Shuttleworth continues to diversify his Mohasco Industries, and recently acquired five furniture rental companies. Bunky Knudsen had to do some fast footwork at White Motor Corp's annual meeting. Bunky had wanted to cut the board to ten, eliminating two seats vacated by recent resignations. Before he could call for a routine vote, labor nominated a candidate for one of the vacant seats. Hurriedly, Bunky got two management candidates in the race and saved the day.

We appear to be at an age where our children are making more news than we are. Hall Colton's daughter, Sidney and her husband, plan to work behind the Iron Curtain, on some extraordinary psychological research projects. Sidney's husband, Stephen Rottenberg, has received a grant from the American Academy of Sciences to study for a year in Prague. His project is to study the "evoked potentials" in brain wave patterns, and involves some Pavlov-type work with animals. They're awaiting an O.K. from the Czech government, but expect to leave in September.

Bucks Weil's daughter Laurie has announced her engagement, and will be married in June after graduating from Smith. Don Hagerman's daughter Sooze is one of the Carling Brewing Company's "Skiettes." This is a group of pretty, and talented, young girls who do promotional shows and precision ski team performances. To a skier, it's truly nirvana—skiing a different major ski resort every week and getting pair for it!

Bob Narramore reports seeing GinnySteinle's son John at the New York Alumni Fund dinner. John is now with Rock Resorts, the world-wide glamour hotel chain financed, if not run, by Laurence Rockefeller. John's sister Chris is with NBC in Los Angeles "coordinating 80 guys and 50 machines," as she schedules on-air and off-air recording and video tape operations.

Of the Connecticut contingent, Narrarnore reports that Babs and Reg Bankart will be welcomed in June, as they take up residence in Heritage Village, near Waterbury. That's Victor Borge's old estate, turned into a lovely recreational community. Marion and Phil Hemphill are moving from Milford to a new home in Mystic. Corinne and Bob now have an option on land in a new development in Grantham, N. H. not far from Hanover and just off 1-89.

That's all"for this month. If you haven't seen your name, it's your fault. Write!

Members of the Class of 1935 pose proudly with their class gift, an InformationKiosk in front of the Hopkins Center. From left are George Colton, Vice Presidentof the College; Class Secretary Dick Montgomery; Newsletter Editors Dero Saundersand Reg Bankart; and Class President John Wallace. Zoning problems overcome,the kiosk was in place for Class Officer's Weekend in May.

Secretary 840 Westcliff, Deerfield, Ill. 60015

Class Agent, College Hall Fashions, Inc. 32nd & Allegheny, Philadelphia, Pa. 19132