1938

"Though 'round the girdled earth they roam is no idle turn of phrase for members of The Amazing Class of '38, as a card from Rowland S. Wilson '34 testifies. His message reads as follows: "It was a great pleasure to Wah Ho Wah with your classmate. Colonel William C.Chamberlin, USMC (Ret) . . . July 10 at Luang Prabang, Laos. His wife and daughter accompanied him. The daughter had been teaching there."

Another classmate, somewhat closer to home and Hanover, but involved with the countries of Central and South America, is John Jova. A letter from the U.S. Permanent Mission to the. Organization of American States reports that John, who is the U.S. Permanent Representative to the OAS, recently was the recipient of two honorary degrees - a Doctorate of Humane Letters from Mount Saint Mary College and a Doctorate of Laws from Dowling College.

With closer reference to Hanover and Dartmouth and all the rest of us, you've all received President Paul Urion's letter dated November 1 which touches on matters of general class interest, our reunion year alumni fund participation, and our 35th reunion itself. The announcement by Reunion Giving Chairman DawkDawkins of a pledge to next spring's alumni fund campaign in the area of $50,000 is pretty tremendous. With the dedicated giving of all the rest of us, this start should presage yet another first for '38. If you can remember back that far, We were, I believe, Dartmouth's largest entering class, back in the fall of 1934. Over the ensuing four years we also suffered the greatest erosion of any class until then, but we still were largest graduating class. Between now and next June 30 let's chalk up another first with the largest class alumni fund giving record.

Carl Von Pechmann is doing an outstanding organizational job with reunion planning. and it takes a lot. All most of the rest of us have to do is, in reverse chronological order, a) plan to be there Monday-Wednesday, June 10-12, and b) send a gift for the auction, to Earl Ward, 19 Allen Street, Hanover, N.H. 03755.

The number of '38-ers who attended the pre- Penn game gathering at Gil and Fran Taniś in Hanover and the post-game party at Bob and Claire Reeves' in Quechee was plenty impressive. and the events were thoroughly enjoyable and enjoyed. From such happenings are class unity and class enthusiasm and class loyally rewoven and rekindled . . . and these things are good. Urion to the contrary notwithstanding" the secretary did record the names of a lot of the participants - or Jan, his wonderful wife, did. In addition to those listed by Dan Marshall in his Pace Setter of September 25 to which Bob refers below, and the others that Bob himself noted, there were the following at the Tanis' and/or at the Reeves': Charlie and JeanHitchcock, Johnnie Scotford, and Bill and Betty Lyle.

A good letter from Bob gives the following summary of their party. "On Sunday JohnnyJohnson and 1 counted up as best we could just how many people were at the house after the game. . . . We came to a total of 86 of which about 40 were '38ers. Looking' at Dan Marshall's Pace Setter of September 25, we had all the fellows mentioned (except Belden Bly) plus Bill Dennen, Phil Leach, Fud Mather,Emlen, Von Pechmann, Walls, Nims, Nelson,White, Ward, Fasolo, and Skip Morse of the class of '39, all accompanied with wives and friends. It was really a lot of fun for us, and I'm just happy that everybody had a good time." Which we surely all did, and we thank you, Bob.

Turning to a somewhat more recent event (and a heck of a lot more satisfying game), it's a darn shame for all of you who weren't at the Yale game, not to have been there. The Big Green was great, really great . . . and the stands Were crowded . . . but Gil and Fran Tanis were the only "38ers that the Briggs saw there. There used to be a column in the Alumni Magazine quite a few years ago by Parker Merrow '25 titled of Boston that ended something like, I wish you fellas coulda been there. I think you d a liked it." That comment applies to this year's Yale game.

I'm in receipt of a reprint of part of a page of an unidentified newspaper, but the connection with '38 is a fine by-line story date-lined Conway, N.H., on Karl Seidenstuecker, including his picture, looking very healthy and very happy- Karl joined the faculty of Kennett High School in Conway right after graduation Dartmouth and, except for WW II service in the Air Force, has been there ever since. He began teaching history and also coaching football and basketball, and he's now head of the school's social studies department and the dean of the faculty. He retired from coaching ten years ago, but during his tenure his basketball teams won five state championships.

Well worth remembering, I think, is Karl's observation, after 35 years of close contact with youth: "There were a lot of good kids in 1938, just as there are now. There were a few bad kids, and the situation hasn't changed."

All of us can and should say "amen" to that.

Secretary, Box 187, Damariscotta, Me. 04543

Treasurer, 1335 Woodside Dr., McLean, va. 22101