1923

Clarence Goss has very kindly loaned me a copy of the Chronicle of the Hit or Miss Wanderings of Ibbie Taylor - Jack's widow. This little booklet, in the form of letters to Ibbie's three sons, covers the period from December 28, 1973, to May 20, 1974, and a trip that began in a very cold London, took her via Turkey, Iran, India, Singapore, and Hong Kong to Japan and home to San Francisco. It's an immensely interesting and amusing story. I enjoyed reading it from cover to cover.

Clarence also writes: "This past Friday evening Jim and Betty Lou Osborne, who live here in Newtown, had a big pre-wedding party for their son Mile. Jim '47 is the son of our classmate Jock and wife Alice who came east for the party. We had a ball reminiscing with them. Jim and I have been fellow members of Rotary for years, and Betty Lou and I have served together on the Newtown Scholarship Association. I'm very fond of both of them."

With some concern as to how they may react to the publicity, I'll pass along to you the most recent and necessarily brief health reports on several classmates: In early September PudgeNeidlinger was hospitalized and operated on at Mary Hitchcock Hospital. George Scammon has also been at Mary Hitchcock for an extensive series of tests aimed at discovering the cause of some difficulty George has had in walking.

Ted Hellwig reports by telephone to the Charlie Zimmermans that he has been hospitalized at a Tucson, Ariz., medical center. Charlie Rice had a detached retina operation in mid-August. Things were a bit rough for a time, but he's now driving his car short distances and joined Charlie Zimmerman in a golf tournament in late September. Taylor Smith reports an improvement in his golf game. "I now get in a couple of 18-hole rounds per week on a moderately hilly course, pulling my clubs. Am delighted not to have to ride in a cart." I guess we all have to expect certain health problems at our age. If any of you have reservations about sharing them via this medium, do let me know.

A word of acknowledgement and thanks to Truman Metzel for his summer bulletins - forwarded at suitably spaced intervals:

(a) The resolution passed by the Alumni Council at its June meeting on the College admission policy in general and as it affects women in particular. Metz was present at the meeting. You have probably read about it in the Bulletin.

(b) Art Buchwald's article on the Sad Bartender. Seems that the New York Times reported that at Dartmouth's 201st Commencement, the highest ranking graduate gave an address full of despair, denying he had got anything out of his four years of education and that he was considering becoming a bartender. Art doubts if this will work out, for "nobody loves a sad bartender."

(c) And finally - as further evidence of his wide range of interests - a whole page full of exotic Eskimo cooking recipes featuring whale meat breakfast, agootuk, sometimes called eskimo ice cream, and moosehead soup - much better than clam chowder.

As you have undoubtedly learned from a recent Skiddoo, Ike Phillips and I are sharing several copies of a one sheet summary of Dartmouth songs and cheers vintage 1919 and courtesy of George McKee. Here are all the old songs, but more importantly the cheers, even to the verboten Wah - Hoo - Wah of our youth.

As the years go by and many of us either move to smaller quarters or find time to comb through our memorabilia, I find myself the willing recipient of films of our earlier reunions, colored slides, junior prom material, 1920 jack-o-lanterns, pictures of all kinds, an Aegis or a Green Book or two. I'm not complaining, but I sometimes wonder what will be their eventual depository. Suggestions, anyone?

Pem Whitcomb writes that he and Bernice are sorry to miss the Harvard game this year. They had a nice visit last summer from the CharlieRices, who were staying with Ted and OliveCaswell. Pem says the Cape Cod Dartmouth Club brings together about 50 men at its monthly luncheons, including five or six from 1923.

I had considerable correspondence during the late summer with Len Truesdell. Len recently moved from Springfield to Yarmouth Port on Cape Cod and promptly found he was no longer getting any Dartmouth mail - in particular, the 1977 football applications. Somehow Len's change of address wasn't recorded, and since most of the material we get from the College comes third class, nothing was being forwarded. The Alumni Records Office says all mailing is based on one centralized address record, so they are particularly in need of prompt change of address notification.

Connie was happy to see Harriet Maycock at our recent Francestown Labor Day celebration and found that Harriet has retired and taken an apartment in nearby Peterborough.

We are now the proud possessors of a pet rock. A native of Oak Bluffs beaches and a gift of Ruel Smith, she is blond and beautiful and for her age (about 10,000 years) quite sophisticated. We may even bring her to the Harvard game.

Secretary, Box 2 Francestown, N.H. 03043

Treasurer, 960 Longmeadow St. Longmeadow, Mass. 01106