1950
Summer, often best appreciated in retrospect, is gone. I hope your reflections are as pleasant as mine.
At last fall's mini-reunion Joel Leavitt commented about the many vacation activities abounding in the Hanover area. Their beauty was their simplicity and the fact that neither plans nor reservations are needed to enjoy them. My daughter Sioban and I decided to investigate, integrating the interlude into an itinerary of campus visits.
Joel was right. One early morning we pushed off from the Ledyard Canoe Club for a trip up the river. That perspective of the Connecticut is unique - its own palisades, steep banks of pines, meadows filled with wild flowers, still marshes, and a sky dotted with soft clouds. Except for the swish of the paddles, a bass rippling the surface, the call of songbird or crow, no other sound pervaded. One day - and a year's accumulation of weariness fell away. The next morning we went to Mascoma Lake, and sailed a Dartmouth dinghy under a hot, hazy sky. On another day we relaxed in the woods beneath Smarts Mountain and caught the changing faces of Moosilauke to the North.
Since Alumni College was in session, we dropped in for morning coffee on the terrace of the new Murdough Center. The center is an exciting new addition to the Tuck-Thayer complex and, most important, it fits into the scene. But it was later at the inn that we saw Dave Taylor and Ralph Burgard '49. Dave, a repeater at the summer refresher courses, was in line for any prize offered for distance travelled to attend the College. Dave and Orian reside in San Francisco. We missed both Alan and Joan Parsons and Carroll and Nancy Swezey, who were also enrolled at the College.
Evenings were spent in the theater. The Dartmouth Players presented three plays in repertory at Hopkins Center; all were superb performances, each quite different in form and presentation. One evening we drove to Quechee Village where the Green Mountain Guild played in a magnificently refurbished mill astride the river. On another we ventured to New London for dinner at the inn a d a visit to their playhouse for a showing of "The Fantastics." Saturation was complete with two different plays at 12:30 Rep and a dance presentation in Webster. If that fare is not enough to satiate you, there were several concerts in Spaulding, if you could find the time to get there.
As reported earlier, another classmate has returned to the North Country. We dropped in to see Len Matless in his new shop and spent an evening with him and Sue at their home on Balch Hill. Len's place is the old Variety Shop, but when you visit Hanover you will know it as the Hillwinds Shop. The day after our visit Len started the shop's first sale in almost 25 years. Then he planned to gut the place, remodel it, and restock it. The shop is just down Main Street on the right. It's above Peter Christian's, a new tavern, and across from the site of the old Tanzi's.
Two other resident classmates were evident indirectly. The Piane Building speaks of John Piane, last seen at the 20th. Signs from Lyme north advertise Lew (Bud) Veghte's real estate offerings.
You probably noted that the Class was disproportionately represented in the first issue of The Bulletin. Sandy McCulloch received deserved accolades for his leadership of the Alumni Fund campaign. Bob Kilmarx was one of the trustees appointed to the Joint Council for the Medical Center. Dr. Jim Strickler has not been cited here recently despite his new position as dean of the Medical School. He is also a member of the Joint Council.
A few words on the Alumni Fund: many chairmen before Sandy exceeded their goals but none by so wide a margin. Success did not just happen. Sandy gave unstintingly of his time and energies to ensure that success. He is already planning for next year. The Class broke the $60K barrier under Jack Harned's leadership, but untapped potential remains. We cannot expect a few to carry us. Finally, look into the check-a-month plan. It enables you to increase your gift with payments spread through the year. The plan is automatic once you initiate it, and it is easier to absorb the impact of a larger gift. Think about it, and sign up for '74 early.
Bethlehem Steele has announced the appointment of Gerry Sarno as manager of sales for the Baltimore district. He became a member of the company's Loop Course for management training after earning his degree from Thayer in 1951 and, except for three years in the Navy, has been with Bethlehem since then, most recently as assistant manager of the New York sales office. No new address has appeared as yet, but a move from Grenwich is obviously in the offing.
After 15 years of growth and innovative leadership in Westchester County, Bud Gleason returned to the southern tier of New York as the superintendent of schools for the Corning-Painted Post School District. Bud first moved to Westchester in 1957 to be the principal of a new junior high in Tarrytown. Four years later he became district principal of the Mt. Pleasant central school district. The next steps were to associate and then assistant superintendent with responsibilities for planning and developing facilities and new educational ideas. Bud pioneered , the school-to-school international partnership between Westchester schools and the American School in Sao Paulo, Brazil. He also aided in the development of the Lower Hudson Regional Computer Center and in the introduction of television services to the school system. H is new challenge is a district of 270 square miles, 19 schools, and 9,000 plus students. Bud and Janet moved a family of six, but two, including one of the football team's starting tackles, now spend most of their time at Dartmouth.
Tidbits here and there: The New York Times's tennis reporter at Forest Hills was Parton Keese. Watch for his football columns this fall. DaveGrinnell has passed his first summer savoring the rivers and ocean close to his new home in Rumson. N.J. The famed Jersey shore is neither Cape Cod nor the Maine Coast, but it's the sea. One of the recently elected trustees of the International House of Philadelphia is Roger Hillas.
The Yale game causes a dilemma. This issue should arrive in time for you to rush last minute plans to attend the '50 mini-reunion and the game. Lunch ala tailgate will be spread at the canoe club. Evening festivities are set for the Woodstock Inn. The difficulty will be in finding accommodations and tickets, if yours are not already in hand. But come up anyhow. We are shooting for a crowd of 50 classmates this year.
See you.
Secretary, 510 Hillcrest Rd. Ridgewood, N.J. 07450
Treasurer, Oppenheimer & Co. One New York Plaza New York, N.Y. 10004
