1931

Space does not permit me to explain fully why I have just checked into a hotel in San Francisco, Calif. I haven't run away from my wife, for she is here also. We, briefly, are seeing America via bus and train. We bused to Montreal, took a transcontinental sleeper for Vancouver, and were tossed off the train at Winnipeg in a howling blizzard, due to an engineers' strike. The railroad kindly put us up in a hotel, from which I called Si Leach - no luck; he was in Toronto.

We left Winnipeg via the other transcontinental railroad and had an exotic stopover at Banff Springs, but couldn't get back on the railroad to Vancouver because the track was torn up by a derailment. The railroad backtracked us by bus to Calgary. Then flew us to Vancouver where we spent that night in a sleeper standing at the railroad station.

Thence, the next day by bus to Seattle where we got a royal welcome from our '31ers there. George and Mary Ann Nickum invited us for dinner at the University Club where we were joined by Jim Rice. George is super busy as a naval architect - we were fortunate to find him with a free evening. I wish I were aware of all his accomplishments but I now know he designed at least one 200-car ferry operating in Puget Sound, as well as several ferries on the run to Alaska. He and Si Leach were among 11 classmates who congregated in Florida near Ft. Lauderdale under the Aegis of Jim Swift, et al.

Jim Rice, retired from Boeing Aircraft, is now in his 18th year on the district school board, attends the local health spa daily to keep in shape, and teaches a course in philately (stamp collecting to you) at the community college adults and youngsters.

I talked over the phone with Dwight Leffingwell, also retired from Boeing. Dwight had been involved with King County in an engineering capacity but now is retired from that as well. You can't keep a good man retired! He is presently active in environmental work with the Puget Sound Governmental Conference. He has five grandchildren to keep him occupied since he lost his wife a year ago. Hopes to get to Hanover this summer.

Jim Laughton and I were on the phone together for over 45 minutes, and we covered a lot of ground. Jim is recovering from a double kidney failure which almost did him in. The authorities asked that son and daughter be called in - and son Jim was in France with the U.S. Customs Service. Big Jim fooled them all, however, and now he is home, resting and im- proving, and looking forward to getting up to his cabin near the Canadian border for fishing, golfing, swimming, and other aspects of the good life.

Red Chamberlain pens the following: "Note that instead of getting winter exercise by skiing at Vail, skating at Toronto, curling in Montreal, swimming in Florida, riding in Arizona, surfing in Hawaii, I am getting mine by running for mayor in Highland Park, Ill. Election day is in February." What some folks won't do to avoid putting nickels in parking meters. Let us know, Red.

Deal Gilpatric advises that she is going to continue operating Salt Acres in Chatham since George's passing with the assistance of sons John Deal Gilpatric and William Brewster Gilpatric.

From Ernie Moore: "As it stands now, our end of Patriot's Day in Concord should not be too rough. Influx is being limited to 120,000 visitors. The President is said to be coming. Now testing portable johnnies." How do you test a portable johnny?

Can't say when Trudy and I will be back to Chebeague but we'll give you some more inside dope on the western '31ers next month.

Til then . . .

Secretary, R.F.D. Box 15 Chebeague Island, Me. 04017

Treasurer, Dogford Road Etna, N.H. 03750