1956

Now that the summer hiatus is over, I will renew my efforts once again to attempt to bring you a worthwhile column for your enjoyment. But 1 need your help. Otherwise, I can't even provide inferior columns. Writing this column isn't my idea of fun, but without it, the Dartmouth family loses contact with our Class and our Class deserves to be heard from (if Prexy Doug Keare can have his way, will be heard from), regardless of our sometimes seemingly casual ways. So keep those cards and letters coming (I received one of each last year) and you shall have a column.

Special Kudos: It took a classmate to disprove the thesis that New York is made up of only Son of Sams, Mafia Mothers, and Hedonistic Harrys who won't get involved or care about their fellow man. What started as a usual crowded commute on the train for Howard Sodokoff ended in his taking complete charge of a life-and-death situation. As the story was related to me, Sodokoff was sitting in the first car absorbed in his paper when a large rock came crashing through the window of the engineer's cab. Although the sound of the rock hitting the train was heard, nobody particularly paid attention since it is a relatively common occurrence for a train to be pummelled when traveling through certain sections of the city. But when the train came to a stop, Sodokoff being seated nearby, rushed to the cab to discover the rock had struck the engineer in the head and the engineer was slumped over and in critical condition. Thus began Sodokoff's involvement as described by another classmate, RogerBensen, who was also sitting in the same car. "Sodokoff directed the emergency operation until help came with the expertness, firmness, and calmness of a professional, as though he had done it many times before. It was quite an act of altruism." For those of you who don't know, Howard is a stockbroker with A. B. Becker in N.Y.C.

Congratulations are also in order for another classmate on the opposite coast. John Van deKamp was recommended as one of six possible heads of the FBI. Although he did not receive the post, John has been such a credit to our Class and to society with his success as district attorney of Los Angeles. What's more, he is to be congratulated for his good taste in choosing Andrea Fisher, former assistant director of admissions for Dartmouth, as his bride-to-be.

Regular Kudos: Congratulations to: HenryPratt, a professor at Wayne State University in Detroit, for receiving one of the Board of Governors Faculty Recognition Awards for his book, The Gray Lobby; Wilt Sogg for being designated president of the Cleveland Jewish News; Rubb Brace for receiving an honorary doctor of laws degree from Nasson College in Springvale, Maine; Wally Pugh for his extraordinary effort heading the class Alumni Fund and raising the number of giving classmates to an all-time high; Jack Crowley for easily qualifying for million-dollar roundtable; the 33 classmates who gave $250 or more to this year's Alumni Fund; Abner Oakes, whose son Abner IV will be carrying on fourth-generation tradition at Dartmouth.

Just a Little Kudo: For Chuck Ray who has created a trivia contest that has driven participants mad! Mrs. Robert Swan Mackay, known throughout Europe as Heidi Etzel, is a top race-car driver and is owner of an Opel car agency; Mrs. Elliott Weinstein, known throughout Westchester (N.Y.) as Alice or Mother Trucker, is a peddler of fresh fruit and frozen yogurt to corporate parks in her highly visible co-owned business on wheels, called "Udderly Yogurt;" Mrs. David Whiteford, known throughout Lake Oswego (Oregon) as Molly, is manager of the Lewis & Clark bookstore; Mrs. Walker Peterson, known as Bettina, is a well-regarded astrologer in Los Angeles.

Uncovered: Dick Barnett, always a favorite of classmates who were fortunate enough to know this low-profile, but multi-talented individual, is still making yards as a successful Washington, D.C., area businessman. Dick is in charge of overall operations for 21 stores in the Maryland-Washington area as well as v.p. in charge of furniture for the entire Reliable Stores Corporation. He is also on the board of the NYSE-listed firm. Since Dick hasn't really been heard from since graduation, 1 hope he will share with us his wife of 16 years, his two children, and his warm, friendly personality at the 25th reunion.

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