1923
The February issue of the Magazine contained most of the full text of the December 5 Alumni Award made to Chet Bixby. We can best comment by quoting and applauding the last paragraph of the award: "With abiding appreciation for faithfully serving the College, your Class and your community for more than a half century we are honored to present to you the Dartmouth Alumni Award."
Bud Freeman, chairman of 1923's scholarship committee writes as follows about our current recipient - Vernon Banks Class of 1977. The College's director of the office of financial aid reports that Vernon had a good sophomore year with a high B - cumulative gradepoint average.
Vernon has found time to be active in the Daniel Webster Legal Society and is athletic chairman of his dormitory. To help pay for his education he has worked part time as a technical assistant in the Drama Department. He has decided to major in Government and is tentatively planning to attend law school after completing his work at Dartmouth.
Every so often I find a name and a face in our freshman green book which is unfamiliar and unlisted in my class records. So it was recently with that of John A. Coyle. Since he was listed as a member of Chi Phi I asked Ted Barstow if he remembered him. He did - as follows: "John Coyle had a serious illness and an operation alf way through our freshman year. He dropped out of college and returned in the fall, graduating with the Class of 1924."
Ted had lost contact with John and hadn't seen him in 50 plus years. He found him in Hanover, visited with him and had a good chat about those long ago days. Ted goes on to say: "John completed two years at Dartmouth Medical School and obtained his M.D. at McGill University in 1928. After additional training at the Royal Victoria Hospital in Montreal and Mass. Eye and Ear Infirmary in Boston he returned to Hanover in 1931 as a specialist in ophthalmology at Hitchcock Clinic and instructor at the Medical School. He became a full professor of ophthalmology in 1954. He served for three years in the Navy, retiring in 1945 as commander."
"After his retirement from the Medical School staff in 1966 John continued to work in his special field for a few years longer as a consultant at the Veterans Hospital in White River and at the Springfield, Vt., Hospital. He is now retired and living with his second wife Helen at 1 Read Road in Hanover, John has two sons by his first wife who died in 1956, Jonathan, a research engineer and Peter, an assistant professor of neurosurgery at the University of Michigan."
Truman Metzel writes that an unidentified classmate has recently established his second life income trust - to be invested in Dartmouth's High Yield Pool. The income from the trust will go to the donors during their lifetime after which it will revert to the College for scholarships.
Truman also reports a very generous bequest - totaling close to $200,000 from the estate of Charles W. Curts. It establishes the Robert W. Curts Memorial Fund in memory of Charlie's father. Charlie died May 25, 1974.
In a recent letter to Truman, Clarence Goss says that Priscilla is recovering slowly from her recent operation for hiatal hernia. The postoperative treatment will probably keep the Gosses at home for another six months or so and means they won't get to go south this winter.
Clarence goes on to say that Joe Millar recently had a replacement pacemaker installed and is doing fine. Also that Priscilla McKown was recuperating well from a recent cataract operation when she sustained a painful tear in a knee ligament.
The "Dear Babe" notes bring us the following: From Manny Rubin: "Just returned from a three months project in Costa Rica under the International Executive Service Corps. This will be my sixth year as a volunteer executive since my retirement from the shoe industry. Most of my work has been in Latin American countries.
"My wife always accompanies me on these projects, performing hospital work in childrens hospitals and other social services, wherever needed. As you can see most of my work is in developing countries."
Howie Emerson writes Babe: "Fanny and I got back in July from a trip around the world. I revisited Roberts College on the Bosphorus where I taught for three years after graduation, along with Prof. Hewitt whom some in the Class may have had in English. The Turks who now run the college have installed a modern Industrial Engineering Department under a young Turkish Ph.D. from Stamford. I had urged this when the Engineering College was under American auspices so was glad to see it accomplished."
John Myers wants to know of any 1923 doings this winter in the Delray, Palm Beach area. The Myers have a home in Stuart, Fla. John goes on t0 say: "Had an enjoyable trip to Italy last summer. Hadn't seen the Pope since I had an audience with the one presiding in 1923. That was the summer many 23's were there, Ikephillips, Phil Jellison, Fred Clark, Bill Blake, Glen Elliott, Bill Corrigan, etc. We ended up after two months in Europe with a great banquet in Paris. Sid Hazelton was toastmaster. About 200 attended."
From Nev Carson: "Had a glorious trip in June and July to Northern Ireland, the ancestral home of my family. Great reunion with a flock of 70-year-old cousins. Also, took in southern Ireland and southern England, together with all the usual in Edinburg and London. My wife has a bad foot and can't walk very far at a time so I took my daughter. Had a ball!"
Jus Slate writes: "We're still working here in Bridgeport, commuting daily from Darien. We have a cache of old Dartmouth and 1923 memorabilia. We can't put our hands on it for the moment but will locate it one of these days. I think we still have a copy of the Loudmouth."
Tom Herbert sends along his class dues and says: "I only attended Dartmouth for a few months in 1919 and had to drop out due to the flu. I entered the University of Colorado in 1920 and graduated in 1924. Naturally I have felt I should support C.U. I have a very high regard for Dartmouth and will keep up the dues to help keep the Class of 1923 going strong."
Charlie Zimmerman heard via Joe Millar that Doug Manson has been recently hospitalized but is now at home recuperating. Charlie, who feels very close to Doug and grateful to his late father who persuaded him to go to Dartmouth and give up a Cornell scholarship has written Doug whose home address is 1800 Clinton Ave., Wall, N.J. 07719.
It's always flattering when someone from another class reads these notes. So it was when I received a copy of a letter to the editor of these columns from James Frank Drake '02., of Pittsfield, N.H. I had recently made the statement that one of our classmates was a member of a certain Dartmouth fraternity. Mr. Drake wrote to the effect that there was no record of this membership. I think I satisfied him with the assumption that the individual was a pledge if not a full member. I'm sure Mr. Drake's records are correct as I make the further assumption that he himself is a member.
What intrigues me about all this is Mr. Drake himself. He is one of three surviving members of the class of 1902, an M.C.S. at Tuck School in 1903 and a former member (1913-17) of the Alumni Council. He retired as president of Gulf Oil Company and is now enjoying life in his native Pittsfield.
I do hope that he won't take exception to my mentioning him in this way and I'm sure if any of my facts are askew he will let me know. I can only wish that if I am fortunate enough to even approximate his 95 years I'll be half as sharp and as interested in what goes on as he is.
Secretary, Box 2 Francestown, N.H. 03043
Treasurer, 960 Longmeadow St. Longmeadow, Mass. 01106
