1961

Congratulations to Tom Holden of Brookline, Mass., for his appointment by Governor Sargent as an Associate Commissioner of the Bay State's Department of Labor and Industries. Considering Massachusetts' high unemployment and high tax rates, we hope Tom can help develop the State's revenue base so there can be some relief from both problems.

In the course of managing part of Keystone's mutual funds, we scan an enormous amount of investment literature. In so doing we occasionally come across classmates' names. For example, in the "Wall Street Transcript" we uncovered a brokerage house research report on The Progressive Corporation, a Cleveland firm, containing this biographical sketch of DaveLazar: "Vice President-Marketing. He received his AB from Dartmouth in 1961 and MBA from Harvard University in 1963. He joined Progressive in 1965 after spending one and a half years in the Cleveland office of Arthur Andersen & Co., in the small business department providing financial assistance to client companies. He is responsible for all aspects of the marketing operations. Mr. Lazar attained the designation Chartered Property Casualty Underwriter (C.P.C.U.) in 1969." If the earnings per share projection in the research report is accurate, Dave and his management team must be doing something right!

Another investment-related discovery of the whereabouts of one of our classmates, Steve Bickel, came about through an interest in American General Insurance Company, a Texas financial services holding company. We learned that Steve recently was elected vice-president of two subsidiaries: American General Life Insurance Company of Texas and American .General Life of Delaware. He is serving as actuary for both companies. American General has lagged behind most large insurance companies in stock market performance during the last couple of years, which has been somewhat surprising considering its steady earnings progress. We hope that Steve and his associates can keep the earnings growing at a rate that will cause investors to be willing to pay a higher price-earnings ratio for the stock. If not, maybe someday Dave Lazar's higher P/E insurance company will have to make a tender offer for Steve's company. (If that happens, we would be glad to contribute our finder's fee to the Alumni Fund.)

From Cheshire, Conn., comes word that John White has just had his first book, "The Highest State of Consciousness," published by Doubleday. John is a writer and editor in the Public Relations Department of the Southern New England Telephone Company and was formerly a teacher in Cheshire High School. The book is about 30 authors, including Aldous Huxley, Alan Watts, R. D. Laing and Norman Brown, who attempt to answer the question of the meaning of life and the means to expansion of consciousness. A broad variety of approaches is presented: some religious, some psychological, and some scientific. The book, which is in paperback and runs 500 pages, can be used as a textbook in high school and college courses. Congratulations on your first book, John, and we hope all 713 of your classmates will buy a copy.

The National College of the State Judiciary, located at the University of Nevada in Reno, has announced that it will expand its nine-year-old nationwide training programs to include judges of the courts of special jurisdiction who hear gross misdemeanors, misdemeanors, violations of municipal ordinances and some civil claims. The Board of the College has appointed Tom Russell director of the Special Court Program. Tom had served as a special court judge in the North-East District Court, King County, Seattle. Tom explained that the short-term goal of the program is to train over 600 special court judges in 1972. The long-term goal, he said, is to perfect judicial education programs for special court judges and to instigate continuing judicial education and information programs in the more than 43 states that have no such training for special court judges.

The eagle eye of Bill Steck, Class of 1931, noticed in "The Cleveland Press" an article about Roger and Sandra McArt's new home on Brighton Road in Shaker Heights. Appreciating how hard it sometimes is to get information for an alumni column, Bill sent the article to us. Roger must have done something right (probably invested in Dave Lazar's Progressive stock many points lower) because the description of his beautiful home suggests that when the finer Cleveland hotels run out of space they could call on Roger to accommodate the overflow. We understand that the day after Roger and Sandra announced their decorating plans Levitz Furniture and Stand Brands Paint stocks each jumped several points!

The latest report we have from the Alumni Fund is not good. Our Class is fourteen donators and $5,514.72 behind where we were at this time last year. Our Participation Index is a sad 11.6% and our Percent of Objectives (dollars to be raised) is not much better at a poor 20.8%. We are doing the worst of six classes (1956-61) in the Green Derby with a Combined Rating of 32.4% (participation and dollars raised combined) versus the top class, 1957, with a rating of 76.6%. We don't pretend to know why we are doing so poorly this year. What we do know is that if each member of the Class took five minutes and sent a few dollars to the Alumni Fund, he would look good, the Class would look good, and our great College would be better able to meet its obligations to the community. Please give and give soon. It's for a worthy cause and it's tax deductible. For those loyal classmates who have already given, we sincerely thank you for your generous support.

Secretary, 31 Adams St. Arlington, Mass. 02174

Class Agent, 116 Bellridge Rd., Glastonbury, Conn. 06033