1932
It is 28° outside our room at Occom Inn in Hanover as Addie and I prepare to return to Florida after two weekends in the north country, and I want to write down impressions of our mini-reunion before returning home.
To visit personally with over 40 classmates and their wives, some of their children and grandchildren was a great treat. To march arm in arm with over a dozen of them in the torchlight parade around the campus on Dartmouth night - October 15 - was a great show of class spirit and camaraderie and filled our hearts. We were proud of Dartmouth and proud of our Class. Prez John Zimmerman led the group with a 1932 banner held high, and the kids on the street cheered our happy contingent. It was a good showing and we recommend it as an annual pilgrimage that will do much to strengthen your Dartmouth spirit.
Before the Harvard game the next day a gathering of over 80 people tail-gated at the parking lot of the Lutheran Church. The happiest surprise was to see Jack Pyles and wife Beth as well as their children in attendance. We are happy to report Jack's full recovery from his serious operation.
Our class banquet following the Harvard game was a warm and friendly affair. Four out of our five class officers and 60 percent of the executive committee were in attendance when our president outlined recommendations and policies for the next six years for approval. Mark Short will give in his newsletter the names of all participants and details of the meeting. The main topics of Prez Zimmerman's agenda were 1) The naming of our new class agent LeonWarner, 2) The setting up of a class historian committee for our 50th reunion to record a class history similar to that done by Reuel Denney for our 25th, 3) The possibility of using class funds for something like a class landscaping project in Hanover, and 4) The establishment of an organization for class widows and the possible creation of a discretionary fund to keep in closer contact with less mobile members of our class. We shall report further from John Z. as this innovative and interesting program develops, and all classmates are urged to comment to him on these ideas.
Before driving up to Hanover we had a wet tailgate meeting in New Haven with Howdie Pierpont and then stopped off in Stonington, Conn., as houseguests of the Zimmermans. A tour of the Mystic Seaport Maritime Museum was the highlight of our trip. Our prez is a member of the "Pilots," who devote one day a week in any of the many seaport projects. It was my first journey to Mystic Seaport, and I strongly recommend it as a historical area well worth visiting. Dick Cleaves and I had slept on board the square-rigger Joseph Conrad, now at Mystic, back in 1933 when she was owned by Allan Villiers and we had thoughts of going to Australia with him. It was a treat to be able to visit her once again with the special pass obtained by John Z.
My old sidekick Cleaves is now retired and living in Estepona, Spain, from which he recently wrote us a very interesting and newsy letter which says, in part, "Our 1932 directory just came in a week ago, and it is interesting to know where all our friends are living. The biggest disappointment is that we are the only ones living in Spain, which makes weekly '32 luncheons rather difficult." Dick goes on to propose that we hold a mini-reunion in a part of Spain called the Andalucian Switzerland, which he describes in flowing language. It is a mouth-watering description of a hostel with mineral baths, excellent food, and lodging to the tune of $10.50 a day for two! The wine is extra, "75 cts. for a liter bottle"! Dick has„shortened his address to Apartado 104, Estepona (Malaga), Spain. He is hoping that Jack Whitcomb, his old roommate, will be visiting him soon. Interestingly, I recently heard from Jack that-he is legally domiciled in Naples, Fla. He is sorry that he missed our 45th but hopes to get together "for a drink, luncheon, and a visit about the good old times which weren't too bad at all." And Al Gerould also thinks the same way as he writes about his trip to Maine after our reunion. Al reports that Pete Knight spent some time down by the Connecticut River "just sitting on the porch of the Ledyard Canoe Club and looking at the river. I wish the current crop of undergraduates the same happy memories of the place that we had."
Our apologies to Ben Cowden of Hawaii Nei - a part of Honolulu. I erroneously stated in the September issue that Reuel Denney, also from Honolulu, was the winner of the coveted prize for the longest journey to our reunion. Ben justifiably castigates your humble secretary with these words: "You have reduced me to the status of a non-person. This note is written on the stationery which I won as the furthest from home to the reunion. An instant replay reveals that Reuel Denney and I should have split the prize, but there is a precedent for considering West Honolulu over East Honolulu. Also, for the record, Hawaii is my one and only home. . . . Enclosed is my voting receipt. You may note the foreign languages. Ballots are prepared in about six languages in Hawaii Nei. One doesn't have to travel to have world exposure if one lives on Oahu in Hawaii Nei." I beg your pardon, Ben; next time you and Denney start together and split the pot. C'est la guerre!
Your obedient servant,
Secretary, 911 North Northlake Drive Hollywood, Fla. 33020
Treasurer, Half Mile Road, Darien, Conn. 06820
