1940

A rare opportunity to see the People's Republic of China, as viewed through the eyes of a classmate, is being made possible by TomGeorge, whose art recently took him on a 31-day sketching trip to the People's Republic of China.

During the visit, which began September 14 in Peking, Tom made 50 large drawings and filled two sketchbooks, and earlier this year was busy working in his Princeton, N.J., studio, to put together a traveling exhibition of this work growing out of the trip.

It all started nearly three years ago with an invitation to visit China from a close Norwegian friend, then as now Norwegian ambassador to the People's Republic, who knew of Tom's fascination with landscape drawings, as a result of his depictions of the fjords and mountains of Norway, and of Tom's interest in the famed mountain landscape of Kwangsi Province.

A visa was finally granted for Tom and his family last fall. His itinerary ranged from Peking, where he spent ten days, through Shanghai, Hanghow, and Soochow to Kweilin in Kwangsi Province, which Tom calls "one of the most beautiful places in the world." They departed from China via Canton and Hong Kong.

He reports that they visited factory workers and peasants in their homes, communes, schools, factories, medical centers, art and industrial exhibitions, shops of all kinds, the Great Wall, and the Imperial Palace. But he said his most "memorable experience" was in and around Kweilin, where for 11 days he made ink and brush drawings of that renowned landscape. He did some of the drawing while taking a boat trip down the Li River past what he called "weirdly towering peaks, ancient river settlements and large flat bottomed river boats with dark red squaresails."

If you hear that the exhibition is opening anywhere near you, it sounds like an artistic event which should not be missed.

In response to a recent questionnaire survey conducted by the Dartmouth Forensic Union of debate alumni, five members of the Class of 1940 were among the more than 200 responding.

In an interesting way, those five somehow illustrate the way in which members of the Class have spread out across this land.

They are: Sid Craig, now practicing law in Chicago and living in Winnetaka, Ill., who had been president of the Forensic Union as an undergraduate; Don Fox, vice president for public affairs of the advertising and PR firm of AMF Inc., and living in Chappaqua, N.Y.; BruceEspy, living in Golden, Colo., and serving as president of the City Ice Co., in Denver when he isn't skiing; Fred Fuld, of Rolling Hills, Calif., who has his own CPA firm in San Pedro, Calif., and Dan Rice, of Sarasota, Fla., president and chairman of the board of Rice's Town and Casual Wear Inc.

At least from the evidence of the 1940 contingent, it would appear that participation in debate was a good predictor of success in one's chosen field.

Secretary,4 Parkhurst Hall Hanover, N.H. 03755

Class Agent, 360 Rumstick Point Road Barrington, R.I. 02806