1953
The Christmas Season is upon us. We hope that it is a Happy Holiday for everyone. This has been a mind boggling, belt tightening, and wallet grabbing year for everybody. Let us hope that 1975 is a better year - a much better year.
It will be a special holiday for eight '53 families welcoming back their Dartmouth freshman for some home cooking and hopefully more than a brief glimpse. The group includes Steve Brown's son Bill, Curt Bury's son Dave, Al Gruber's daughter Karen, Jack Huck's son Bruce, John Kiernan Jr., Monk Robinson's daughter Kathleen, Jim Stuebner's daughter Kathleen and Denny Thron's daughter Mary.
Twenty-five years ago we were freshman making that first pilgrimage home. Was there any return more glorious than the one for those of us who rode the last Midwest Special? Listen to the rumble, the whistle, and the roar as those six coach cars rolled out of the old Norwich Station. Each car filled with all the beer and whiskey that its passengers could carry, along with, of course, the dirty laundry and the homework that was destined never to be done. The Special wound its way through Vermont, across New York State to Buffalo, and down the lake to Cleveland, Toledo, South Bend and finally Chicago. The incredibility of the party was the fact that it was attempted again two weeks later on the return and was almost as successful.
ABC is betting over $8 million in start-up costs, covering a highly touted 18-month research and development project and first year production, millions more in potential advertising revenues and a fortune in network prestige. They are attempting to get their share of the morning market from NBC's "Today" and CBS's less successful "Morning News." BillBeutel will be the show's host on this new program called "A.M. America" which will start up in January. They are attempting a different format with more guest commentators and more on-location interviews. It is a tremendous undertaking and we can expect to see and heaT a lot more of Bill.
The Lange competition hockey skate is a new and extraordinary innovation. The skate is built like a ski boot. It has a fiberglass outer shell and an inner boot. The purpose is to deflect flying pucks that would normally cause severe bruises and fractures to a hockey player's foot. The boot is being sold by the Garcia Corporation and Bill Beck is the Eastern marketing director.
Woody and Trish Spurgeon are just about finished with their new house in Windermere, Fla. Woody is plant manager at General Electric, Kissimmee, Florida plant where they manufacture modular kitchens. They are very near Disney World, have lots of room, and would like to share their sunshine, Valencias and sparkling lake. Son Ned is at Exeter and daughter Betsi is taking a year off from Hollins.
Dick Davenport has stopped commuting between North Carolina in the winter and Nantucket in the summer. They're staying put for awhile as Dick is now manager of the Mid Pines Club in Southern Pines, N.C., which was recently purchased by Quality Inns. They've added air conditioning and other improvements so are now staying open 12 months of the year. This is right next to the Golf Hall of Fame. The Davenports just purchased an old but large and charming home right on the golf course so that he can walk or "golf cart" to work. Cynie and the three kids love the new house but Dick is under much pressure to restore a 40-year old swimming pool.
Gene Gabianelli was in Hanover in June and again this fall. They have recently moved to a new home in Ladue which is a suburb of St. Louis.
Tom Croft writes from Atherton, Calif., that the Bay Area is America's best climate for an idyllic family life. Tom flew in the Navy after Dartmouth and then worked in the aerospace industry for 1 Vi years. That convinced him that he needed a Ph.D. so he.entered Stanford in 1959. He liked the area so much that he's still there on the research faculty. He's involved primarily in solar system astronomy by means of spacecraft radio systems. He and Rachel have three children.
October 17 was a big day in the Wall StreetJournal. Fred Whittemore was quoted at great length on the front page on the method by which public utilities raise sources of capital. Fred is a partner of Morgan Stanley & Co. and in charge of the corporate underwriting department. On the back page was an article about California Savings and Loan Associations and the fact that September showed the first net inflow of funds. Tony Frank, president of United Financial Corp., was quoted explaining how the inflow affects the prime mortgage rate and how this could have a good effect on the home building industry.
We were saddened to learn as this column was being completed of the untimely death of ArtThomas. Our heartfelt sympathy goes to his widow Catherine and to his family.
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