1929
Cheers for John Dickey and the tract in the College Grant that has been named in his honor!
Duke Barto, back from the October reunion, was pleased with the fine turnout and the careful preparations made by Trunkie Brittan. (Unfortunately I had to cancel a day or two beforehand.) But participants were saddened by the news that Ollie Holmes had died. He had reservations for the reunion but died the week before in Connecticut after attending the Yale-Dartmouth game.
Jack Gunther, described in a news account as "one of New Canaan's premier conservationists," keeps busy with good works in Connecticut. He and his wife have prepared a plan to restore a small rural cemetery dating from 1764. A number of headstones have been dug up and reset. In addition, a state environmental protection bulletin carried Jack's article "Creating Effective Land Trusts," which describes how to preserve small tracts of land in their natural condition near settlements. Since Jack founded the New Canaan Land Conservation Trust in 1967, it has received 30 gifts of open-space land at 24 locations totaling 127 acres - a major step in the goal of preserving "chunks of nature" in a semi-urban environment.
Our ex-Congressman Dave Martin has some observations on life in Washington and elsewhere: "We have a summer home in Wisconsin and spend four months each summer in a cooler clime. We will be in Nebraska until January, since I want to be here for the duck and goose hunting. I hunted geese on the Eastern Shore of Chesapeake Bay for several years and must admit that it is the finest goose hunting anywhere - got the limit of three Canadas in about an hour.
"Two days after retiring last year, Tancie and I sailed from New Orleans for a round-the-world cruise. We returned to Washington four and a half months later, packed our furniture, sold our house, and returned to Kearney in May 1975. In September '75 Kearney State appointed me a 'Distinguished Professor of Political Science' and I did some lecturing last fall. In January '76 we took off again for a Pacific cruise - New Zealand, Australia, Singapore, Hong Kong, Japan, and return. We had two weeks in New Zealand, since we liked what we had seen the previous year.
"In Washington during the past 14 years my time was really not my own. Now I have time for reading (50 or so books), traveling, some lecturing at my convenience, odd jobs around the house, naps, and just plain loafing. I am gradually acquiring a broader perspective of our government and wonder why I didn't try to simplify some of its operations. I now see great merit in basing income taxes on gross income, without any deductions, but at much lower rates. You then wouldn't have to employ a tax man to figure out how much you owe. Eliminate duplicating programs (269 in the field of education as of two years ago) and provide the people with less government rather than more. Appropriating additional funds isn't always the answer to solving a problem, although this seems to be the Congressional answer."
Dave, it sounds as if you should be right back there on the Hill!
The notes you have sent to Jack Hubbard have been forwarded to Harry Baehr and me - thanks for the news, which will keep us both supplied for a number of issues. Here are the first couple of items:
Mo Heath: "Everything jake up here in York State on Hideaway Lane. Let's hear it for the management - you guys are doing a great job keeping '29 up and dues down! Keep golfing."
John W. Martin: "Still working a 50 to 60 hour week - Director of Medical Education and Cardiology at Hillcrest Hospital, Cleveland. Maybe retirement would be nice some day - I need some advice from those who have tried it." John, see Dave's comments above.
Secretary, 5606 Vernon Place Bethesda, Md. 20034
Treasurer, Dellwood Park, Madison, N.J. 07940
