1938

A rugged, rugged winter it is being as this is written, and it has been, as it is read... but a lot less arduous in New Hampshire or Maine than in Buffalo or Indiana.

It must be even less arduous cruising down the west coast and up the east coast of Florida, as reported by Stearns MacNutt in a letter to Earl Ward, kindly forwarded to me. Stearns was thanking Earl for having secured and sent him two Dartmouth Indian decals for his boat. His letter continued, "My wife and I are now on an extended cruise down Florida's west coast to Key West, then north on the east coast to Stuart, where we go across Florida through Lake Okeechobee and the Caloosahatchee River [and we think New England has funny names] to the west coast again and north to Sarasota." Stearns was writing aboard his own vessel, the Comber, "a 41-foot double-cabin cruiser.... She has a six-inch-wide Dartmouth green shear strake, so anyone from Dartmouth should recognize a fellow alumnus, don't you think?"

Another classmate seeking a change from the rigors of winter is Earl himself. Earl wrote, "Doris and I are going to Hawaii for a couple of weeks with two of our daughters and their husbands." Later in the winter they were planning to spend a month in Venice, Fla. In closing, Earl notes, "Everyone advises us to travel while we can, so that is what we are doing!!" Anne and I agree, but it'll be 1978 before we make another extended junket.

On the other hand, Hanover itself is a plenty attractive place on a clear winter day, and a lot of good things happen there. Anne and I had a weekend visit and enjoyed a hockey game. Even if Dartmouth hadn't won, which we did, and handily, the new Rupert Thompson arena is a tremendously impressive structure, and the enthusiasm of the standing-room-only crowd for our small but scrappy sextet was heart-warming.

That weekend there was a Saturday seminar, of which there are several each term. Professor Daniell of the history department was the moderator, and teachers from the political science, economics, and government departments lectured on "The Carter Administration - What to Expect." A listening layman, an alumnus for going-on 40 years, could not fail to be impressed with the panelists' knowledge and their ability to convey that knowledge. This was an informational rather than a partisan political symposium, and it was good, and nobody linked the theme with Alexander Pope's "eighth beatitude" - "Blessed is he who expects nothing, for he shall never be disappointed." Room 105 Dartmouth was well-filled with interested listeners and questioners, the audience including at least two other '38ers, Bob Forgan and Ted Thorne.

Earlier this winter at the Hopkins Center an event took place for which the College is indebted to a distinguished member of the Class of '38. Some time ago Ham Mitchell, the president of Dunn & Bradstreet, established a fund, the income of which is used for occasional lectures on graphics and typography. In late January, before a preview of his work, Herbert Bayer presented a lecture under these auspices. Bayer is perhaps the foremost American expert on graphic arts today and one of the last surviving masters of the famous German Bauhaus. A large and appreciative audience filled Hopkins Center's Faulkner Recital Hall for his lecture.

'38's roster of PhD's now includes Ed Hibler, according to a note from his wife Jackie, which she sent along to Gus Southworth with Ed's class dues. She reports, "Ed is now Dr. (having received his Ed.D. this last summer). He wrote his dissertation on 'Sex in Transition: A review of historical influences on sexual mores and practices in the United States.' While recovering from a recent heart attack, he hopes to rewrite it for the public - possibly titled Sex, Sin, andSatisfaction."

Our conscientious class treasurer in his letter to me also requests as follows: "Could you remind all classmates that it is never too late to pay dues - especially those who have been quite regular, but who have not been heard from this year?" Gus is a dutiful treasurer, and Gus is right.

I'm grateful to Fran Reilly for a clipping, which Gus also referred to, reporting on another educational institution, in this case Miami University in Ohio, which has restored its Indian symbol. It would be so good - so very good - in the opinion of your secretary, with which opinion I think most of you agree, if Dartmouth would do likewise.

Secretary, Box 187 Damariscotta, Maine 04543

Treasurer, 125 South Main St. Warehouse Point, Conn. 06088