1953

From all of us fortunate enough to make Hanover last fall, thanks again to Paul andMarilyn Paganucci, and Bill and Nancy Johnson, for their open houses before and after (resp) the games. Tailgating is occasionally okay for a small group, but certainly can't compare with their great hospitality at home for 10 to 20 different classmates and their families each game, who really appreciated this kindness and opportunity to get first-hand reports on Dartmouth activities.

Any visitor to the College must take Dean Paul's or his own tour of Murdough Center, the new classroom and library complex serving both Tuck and Thayer. It's a truly unique facility for outside business and engineering groups as well as resident students, with its pioneering of new electronic study, teaching and conference aids all in modern but homey spaces overlooking the pines outside. You'll vow to arrange a meeting or seminar there for your colleagues at work in the near future.

In the Midwest, Willard Small has been elected president and chief executive officer of Parkview-Gem, Inc., based in Kansas City and operator of 19 discount stores and 18 drug departments.

John Springer, who moved from Mary Hitchcock to the Hartford, (Conn.) Hospital in May 1971, became its executive director in December. A graduate of the University of Michigan's hospital administration school, John is the first non-physician to ever hold this position at the 1,000-bed complex.

Continuing his extensive community fund raising efforts. Jim Cartmell is chairing the $750,000 gifts drive for improvements to Porter Hospital in Middlebury, needed largely to handle Big Green alumni and undergraduates cracking up on the Vermont slopes.

The ideal solution for keeping the legs in shape for skiing has been found by Jack andCaroline Patten in London, who've just redone a six-story, 17th century townhouse on the Thames. Narrow with about 1½ rooms per floor, the kitchen is in the basement, the DR at street level, LR above that and bedrooms on the 4th, 5th and 6th, which makes for the spriest family west of the Alps. Jack is now European director for McGraw-Hill, Inc. and rides herd on their 30 publications distributed there, particularly Business Week, and his grouse hunting preserve in Wales when the local Audubon group occasionally relents.

Wilh the brevity of the news items this month and so many inquiries about my visits to Moscow last summer and fall, the following comments may be of interest. If any of you are thinking of adding Moscow to a European trip sometime in the future, do it for sure - it has to be seen to be believed. My being there for about four weeks in all was to make arrangements for and oversee the U.S. rowing team's participation in the world championships as a consultant for the National Rowing Foundation, which finances our crews in all major international regattas except the Olympics.

True to all reports, every aspect of Soviet life is closely programmed to build their "classless" society. To. us the system contradicts human nature in expecting everyone to eventually have the same wants and needs, but the party stalwarts we met are convinced that education will accomplish this in two generation's time. and that their economy will be able to produce for everyone the material benefits only a favored few have today. In the meantime only years of loyal service, conformity, and connections get you into the privileged group.

Our crews, 44 men and 28 women, received many embarrassing favors and extra privileges not available to the other 29 teams competing there, including the eastern Europeans. Since the Nixon-Brezhnev meetings, we're their Number One Buddies and they go overboard to emphasize that the detente with us is their first priority. Everyone seems to be paranoid about the Chinese, convinced that they'll have to fight to contain them and saying they'll be a great threat to us if we don't join forces against them.

As we've heard, only a handful of government officials in tourist and exchange program work mix with visitors, so the increased contacts are not opening up or liberalizing their society. No one from abroad is prevented from mixing with the public, but the language barriers and the fact that all visitors are housed and taken around separately by guides eliminates most opportunities for saying more than hello to anyone not assigned to look after you.

All education and medical care are free, and the crowded but improving apartment housing and mass transportation very cheap. Food, clothing, and all consumer goods are still scarce and very basic, with the same limited menus, selections and prices everywhere. The reported emphasis on outstanding cultural exhibits and events is not exaggerated, but most of the tickets for the great circus, ballet, opera, and folk music shows are available only to tourists and official guests from May through October, the rest to wheels and workers who've met their quotas.

Going to the USSR is one of the most interesting travel experiences possible, but you'll be constantly amazed how completely politics and the system determine everything done there.

In case you haven't already heard, thanks to Jack Crisp's influence we now have 25 rooms reserved for our class on October 25-26, the weekend of the home football game with Harvard, at the Chalet Motor Lodge next to Howard Johnson's on Interstate 89 and 91 at White River Junction. Send deposit for one night to beat the rush - $10 single to $13 for four in two double beds for families. Don Smith is arranging cocktails and dinner for our class at the DOC House that Saturday evening.

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