1937
This is trite, but it was a good summer and a bad summer. We have lost yet more of our guys. Bill Breitinger, Earle Cleaves, Bill Miller,Dick Eubank, and George Summy. Obituaries appear either here or in last month's reunion issue. Al Reinman suffered two strokes last spring. Last we heard he was in a rehabilitation hospital in Youngstown, prognosis fair. Katie and your secretary attended Bill Breitinger's services, as reported, but not without minor difficulty. En route, near the Connecticut-New York border, our car snapped a universal joint on the drive shaft, necessitating a rental car to complete the trip. Having started on a real hot day with air conditioning we arrived two hours late nearing heat exhaustion. Thanks to Jean, a couple of showers, and a clothes change, we revived.
On the good side, we joined Martha and Boz for a delightful weekend at Eastman. It got so hot in Florida they gave up in disgust and hired a house for six weeks to look for a northern home there. We shared a round of golf with Russ Stearns, but Boz had to quit because of a back muscle spasm. All else was great. We lost two balls but found 20 - easy on that course.
One August Saturday Katie and sec played hookey, driving to Gloucester for the day. We surprised Nancy and Marsh Roper in their compact but lovely home high on a hill overlooking Rockport Harbor, a real estate salesman's dream. Rope retired completely over a year ago. Nancy's green thumb shows amply in the flower gardens, while Rope spends time at his favorite hobby, reading. He looks fine with no signs of previous heart problems. We spent two hours there and the talk never slowed down. We could have gone on but had further plans to surprise Katie and Larry Brooks - which we did! We had contacted Jane Brown earlier, and the decision was for the four of us to visit her in her cute two-story bungalow, hidden away overlooking the Annisquam River and beautifully appointed. Brookses are all fine, Larry very busy with administrative work at the hospital and-Jane between world travels. Her son Bill does well running a fishing business, and you should see the picture gallery of the five lovely Brown daughters headed by Jane's wedding portrait!
No single business promotion in class history has stimulated more response than BillLeonard's rise to pews president at CBS, effective April 30, 1979, replacing Richard Salant. Until then Bill will hold the office of executive vice president and chief operating officer of the news division. After 30 years at CBS, he is nearing retirement, and this appointment is temporary but richly deserved. He helped to develop such successful programs as "60 Minutes," "Magazine," and "In The News." The popularity of "60 Minutes" and the attempts of other networks to simulate it signify to Bill that television audience is acquiring an appetite for non-fiction programming. The budget for "60 Minutes" is only half that of a one-hour entertainment series. (With the above we are now discarding fourteen copies of country-wide news clips sent to us, including the original we snipped from the Wall Street Journal.) Congratulations, Bill!
Next in volume of clips sent in is the sale by Charley Collis of his immensely successful enterprises, Princess House and Sovereign House, to Colgate-Palmolive Company for 2.3 million shares of Colgate common stock. With net earnings in the $5 million range, Princess House is a nation-wide home party plan organization with total employment of 1050 people. It owns the big Louis Glass Company in Weston, W.V., the G. A. Rogers Company (who do plating using copper, brass, silver, and nickel), and a new $2 million lead crystal glass plant behind their North Dighton, Mass., headquarters. Charley will continue to run the operation, which he started in a converted chicken coop in 1963 with one helper who long ago assumed the position of vice president in charge of training the thousands of independent contractor-customers.
This may be too late, but our fall reunion October 13-14 is shaping up as a sellout. If you are in Hanover for that Yale game, look us up at Hojo's in White River or join us for tailgating before the game at Russ Stearns's house near the stadium, 10 Barrymore Road. This includes everybody, even you, Hinman.
Don't forget the tailgate party at the Harvard game, October 21. Usual place in the parking lot across from WBZ/Ramada Inn. Look for the banner on the telephone pole. Party at the Bankarts' after the game.
10 Colby Road Wellesley, Mass. 02181
