1937

The first order of business is to reflect on the outstanding performance of new agent Gene Jones. Through years of changing faces, we have been fortunate to have had hard-working, dedicated men to bring us to new heights in dollars and that tough one — participation. Gene took over from Frank Robin, who had exceeded every record in sight. Gene and his new regional crew brought in $84,528 — 101.8 per cent of the $83,000 goal — with a participation rate of 76 per cent (as compared to the College- wide 62.2 per cent). His follow-up calls were apt to come from anywhere around the country where he could nestle up to Ma Bell.

Your secretary and Katie branched out last spring with a three-week trip to the West Coast and Hawaii — probably the best thing we ever did except get married. En route we talked with Don Albertsen in San Francisco (adjusting well to his new leg), and the busy Prescott family. Our schedule prevented any get-togethers. Same in Honolulu, where we phoned Art Sloggett, but had no time even for lunch. We looked up BillMiller's widow Pat in the mall of the Royal Hawaiian, but she was out to lunch. They some years ago made a business of their hobby, opening a shop called Antiques Pacifica Inc., Oriental Art, and scouring the Pacific Islands for exotica to sell there. The shop is small but filled with expensive and unique items.

Returning state-side, we spent a week in San Diego with our Navy son and continued to be entranced with that perfect little grandson (class of '9B). We did have an hour with Sammy andConnie Schuck, who drove down from Fallbrook. They had a disaster this year with the avocado crop, due to excessive rain, and were able to salvage very little after all their efforts.

So if any of you folks want to talk about Hawaii, we are prepared to go on for hours — with pictures yet!

Due to the trip, we missed class officers weekend in May, but were filled in by Mutt Ray and company. We plan to make this up at fall reunion, on October 5 and 6 at the Holy Cross game. At this writing, attendance is oversubscribed and Ben Doran is trying to arrange for extra rooms.

We did return in time to finish up with the Alumni Fund, attending the Boston telethon. Notes on that will appear next month. Other news takes precedence here — that of Libby andFrank Irwin, for instance. We sent a card to them last spring, in desperation for news, and their reply was delayed since they were in the South for the winter visiting children. En route south, they saw the Aylwards (busy as ever) and the O'Sheels in Washington. Pat had been researching Clydesdale horses and published an! article on them in the Washington Post. The Irwins have moved back to Vermont (Box 431, Wilder, 05088), after getting sick of paying in- come taxes to two countries. Also, the Nova Scotia farm was too far north for visiting family to see them.

We missed the reception and press conference at the Parker House in Boston on May 10 honoring Tom McIntyre on the occasion of his new book The Fear Brokers.

In recent years, Betsy and Bob Ross have spent winters in Florida and summers in that charming old house they have owned for 33 years in Duxbury. They finally cut the cord and moved to Guilford, Conn. (Box 213, 149 West Lane, 96437, phone 203-453-6886). That will give them five months of the year to be near their daughter.

Jean Luttrell dropped us a card from Cruz Bay, their new home. They had sat next to a guy in a restaurant who recognized them and turned out to be Claude Clark. Says Jean, "You can have a Dartmouth reunion anywhere!"

Sam Dillon wrote that he had lost Becky to cancer after three years, six operations, 178 days in hospitals, chemotherapy, and everything else that could be done. He said she fought it all the way, never giving up hope — a very valiant lady.

Nor was this a good year for our own classmates. We have lost Elsom Eldridge, FrankPickell, George Heuer, and Frank Butler. Obituaries appear in this issue or next month, depending on space. For any of you who heard that your secretary spent a week in the hospital this summer, it turned out to be an incipient ulcer, apparently cured with that new pill, tagamet. Try it, you'll like it!

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