1948

This edition of these notes is written in the Renaissance City of Pittsburgh following transfer of this '48 from the Tropics of South Florida in mid-January. Not the best time of the year to make such a contra-trend move perhaps, but we couldn't deny the fact that the road in front of us was free of cars all the way whereas the opposite route southward was loaded with traffic on its way to the Miami Super Bowl. The weather was cold and wet most of the way, and we arrived at General Braddock's objective, the junction of the Allegheny and the Monongahela, in a terrific snowstorm. After seven years in the tropics we're at last back in the land of the ice pond, snowball, and thermometer below 90° F., not too far from the white hills of Hanover - and glad to be back.

During the trip someone lifted a small bag containing my '48 Notes, and because of this tragedy I again have all too little to write about other members of the Class. The disappointment of the thief when he opened the sack must have been something like that of another light finger who lifted the large sample case of a shoe salesman friend of mine. It contained 32 shoes - all lefts.

John Hatheway phoned from New York the other day to remind me I had failed to contribute to a Dartmouth cause. Reported he and Fran Hammel are having a little race in behalf of the alumni funds of their respective classes at Tuck. Also said Dave Kurr seems to be happy in his fairly new post in St. Louis, and that Dave's daughter Penny is now in her junior year at Dartmouth. John still puts in a great deal of time and effort for things Dartmouth, which helps him get back to Hanover as well as to his family's house in Stratton, Vt., in the ski country between Killington and Mt. Snow.

Watching the Winter Olympics in Austria on TV as so well reported by ABC brought back a few reminders of fellow '48s. Salinger's nickname evoked the image of the original "Lucky Pierre," the great Peter Owen. The climbers on the cliff above the Patcherkogel brought back memories of fellows like Macartney and Thornton as they hung on the Fairlee cliffs or dangled half way down the outside of Bartlett Tower in the Bema. The shots up the steep white swath of the downhill reminded me of many a '48 ski bum such as Cairns,Drescher, Lou Clark, Friend, Bill Jones, Miller,Mahoney, Kuzmier, DeYoe, Malone, McLoud, plus untold others (really almost every man in the Class should be mentioned in this) who on any given winter weekend could be found at Oak, at Suicide, on the Nose, at Cannon, and later in the spring at such more inaccessible spots as the Ravine and Hillman's Highway. May all those free spirits continue to earn the same boot out of life now as they did then!

In closing, a fervent hope that members of the Dartmouth Class of 1948 will re-read Bud Munson's eloquent and reasoned letter of January 29. Bud has again agreed to take on the thankless task of head agent of '48 in this year's Alumni Fund Drive. His job's no fun, and it takes much time. So give a little or give a lot but for Eleazar's sake give something if you're for Dartmouth. We're low Indian on the Totem Pole as classes go, and more than simply 50 per cent of us ought to want to participate, even if for only a buck or so.

Communications also still needed. With an Indian yell for the team 'til next month.'

Secretary, Gulf Trading & Transportation Co. Gulf Building, P.O. Box 1166 Pittsburgh, Pa. 15219

Treasurer, Apt. 3-H, 7300 Blvd. East North Bergen, N.J. 07047