Toujours jeunes pour les voyages

John M. Haffenreffer '44, president of the Dartmouth Alumni Association of Greater Boston, and Ira L. Berman '42, past president and amateur tour impresario, led a Boston and New England contingent of 86 Dartmouth alumni and wives on an eight-day trip to Paris and Bourges in early November.

Although everyone on the trip had plenty of free time, there were two Dartmouth oriented highlights that so added to the program that, without a dissenting voice, the overseas holiday was declared one of the most enjoyable that each participant had ever taken.

A joint banquet of the Dartmouth Club of Paris and the Dartmouth Club of Boston was held on the evening of November 10. Before getting there the group from this side of the Atlantic was involved in the worst traffic jam in the history of Paris, which gave Prof. John Rassias a chance to give everyone a quick French lesson in a bus. Finally arriving, we found awaiting us 19 Dartmouth men and women at the France-Amerique University Hall—a magnificent 18th century chateau with marble staircases, giant crystal chandeliers, and high ceilings, where a fine meal and good wine were served. The Paris-based alumni and wives were mixed with New Englanders at each table. On behalf of President Kemeny, a gift from the College was presented by Ira Berman to Tony Field '61, president of the Paris club. The speeches were short and everyone enjoyed himself tremendously.

The piece de resistance was the trip to Bourges, a city about 120 miles due south of Paris. There Dartmouth College has a Foreign Language Studies Program. All the magnificent arrangements for Bourges were to the credit of Professor Rassias and his French friends. Two bus loads of us who elected the trip arrived in Bourges to be greeted by twenty Dartmouth students and faculty. With them were their French "parents" with whom they live. Also on hand was the local press, which featured the Dartmouth alumni visit with pictures and articles in the next editions.

Professor Rassias had brought with him a large Dartmouth banner (see photo). He had gone to Bourges two days earlier to make everything ready. The Dartmouth students were holding the banner on high and greeted us with a medley of Dartmouth songs. Close to a hundred people were at this gay reception. Immediately, the New Englanders were paired with the students and their French families and were taken by car to their homes for lunch. Lunch in Bourges is a two-hour affair, relaxed and friendly. The warmth of these people, the affection they show for the students, proves that there is no substitute for people-to-people experience.

After lunch we were taken on a tour of what has been called the finest example of Gothic architecture—the Cathedral at Bourges, built in the 12th and 13th centuries. Aldous Huxley was completely correct when he said that the Cathedral at Bourges is the "most fabulously beautiful building in Europe."

We then went to City Hall to meet the Mayor. In the old and handsome Mairie (City Hall) the marble staircase was banked with fresh flowers. At the top of the staircase we were greeted by a thirty-piece brass band. We were ushered into the reception room which had a long table laden with champagne glasses and plates of pastries. The Mayor, who had a considerable entourage of his own, welcomed us warmly and at some length in French. Then came a response from Berman, who presented to the Mayor a gift from President Kemeny and Dartmouth College in appreciation of the friendship the City of Bourges has shown to Dartmouth students and faculty. The Mayor didn't wince once as we carried through with the speech which had been written for us by John Rassias.

Then the Mayor presented the group with two beautiful examples of the pottery of the Province of Berry, of which Bourges is the capital. Toasts and champagne followed. In the midst of it. the brass band struck up "Men of Dartmouth." We all adjourned to the next room to listen. But what a shock! Three-quarters of the way through the music suddenly stopped. We applauded and asked them to play it again. This time we sang with them. Again, threequarters of the way through, the band stopped. We were puzzled until John Rassias confessed that he and Peter Armstrong had stayed up until 2 a.m. with the conductor transposing the notes for the band. At two o'clock they called it quits and went to bed—thus the three-quarters rendition. More than a hundred persons were at the Mayor's party and we couldn't have had a better time.

John Rassias put us into the buses and took us twelve miles into the countryside to visit an ancient grist mill that was still working. The mill had been turned into a restaurant, and a gourmet meal of marvelous variety was served buffet style. During the meal we were entertained by eight native singers and dancers in 18th century costumes, playing on ancient instruments and singing ancient ballads.

John Rassias next introduced his good friend the Mayor of Le Pechereau, one of the region's foremost experts in the art of wine tasting. With a running translation provided by our Dartmouth faculty mentor, we drank our wine with expert guidance.

At this point, half of our group started by bus to Paris. The other half stayed overnight at a local hotel. In the morning, we visited the school where Dartmouth College has several classrooms. The director warmly and graciously met us and took us through the school where we watched the students in class. We were all tremendously impressed with the method devised by John Rassias to teach the language. This method was devised by him for the Peace Corps and is now used worldwide to teach languages.

After visiting the classes, we repaired to another room where we all became Rassias students and learned to speak a French paragraph in a very few minutes. Afterward the Director led us downstairs where he had prepared a table of wines and pastries. Again, toasts to each other's good health and toasts to friendship. John Rassias crossed out the word "Mayor' and substituted "Director" and Berman gave his speech all over again. Some even said there was a slight improvement of pronunciation as a result of our French lesson.

Another visit to French homes for lunch. Only on this day, we visited with a new family and received yet another perspective of French life in Bourges. About two o'clock this joyous group embarked for Paris, with a short wayside stop at the city of Gien on the banks of Loire River.

In retrospect, all of us on the trip had an opportunity to see what the College is doing in a program of this sort overseas. We all agree that "this is the way to do it." Not one of the Dartmouth students we met really wanted to go home as their date, December 8, approached. Without exception, they were very happy. They were all learning. Without exception, every family that hosted these boys was warm and kind and considerate of not only the boys but of us visitors. We met people in the town such as Dr, and Mme. Allain, who have made this possible in cooperation with John Rassias. A program like this couldn't have a heartier endorsement for those of us who had an opportunity to view and partake of it. We don't know if we can top this trip. But now read the next article about the London trip we have scheduled.

The Magazine borrowed for the headline to this story the one used by a Bourgesnewspaper to describe the New England alumni group being welcomed to Bourges byForeign Language Program students and their host families. The caption continued "LesAnciens de Dartmouth College Rejoignent a Bourges Leurs Cadets." Ira Berman '42,tour leader, is at left holding the Big Green banner.

Dartmouth Foreign Language students and their director, Professor John Rassias, rightgreeted two busloads of New England alumni with Dartmouth songs on their arrival atBourges. The students' host families joined in the welcome.