1943

During a summer visit to Washington, D.C., I had the opportunity to have a chat with PhilBowie. Phil and his wife were preparing for a backpack vacation trip to the Teton wilderness area. The Bowies live in Chevy Chase. Son Calvert '73 is a graduate of Yale Architecture School and now practices in D.C. Daughters Barbara and Tina are Skidmore graduates. Phil had recently seen several classmates, including: Dick Smith who, with wife Betty Jane, was on the way to the Paris air show and a month's stay in France; "R.B." has been a builder in California and reported that he's now on a "personal sabbatical." Also, Smed Ward of Philadelphia; Roy Watson, in the hotel business; and HarrySemmes, who operates a real estate business in Potomac, Md., and had just finished construction of an office building there. And PeteSlingluff, who has retired and is now living in New Hampshire with his younger brother, who's involved in a skiing enterprise.

Also talked in Washington with ex-class secretary and Connecticut Avenue attorney BobGray. Wife Susie, who is associated with a design firm in Washington, was about to leave for an American Society of Interior Designers convention in Seattle. Bob was planning to catch up with her there so they could go on to vacation at Vancouver, Banff, and other Canadian points. The Grays have two hockey-playing sons Anthony, who enters Colgate this fall, and Geoffrey, who is at Kent.

Mort and Alese Pechter, with son Todd, continue to show their spectacular presentation of "Underwater Wonderland: A Photographic Essay in Color," most recently as a three-week event at Lafayette College.

Harry Bishop, senior surgeon at Children's Hospital in Philadelphia, was recently elected to a three-year term on the board of governors of the American Pediatric Surgical Association.

An indirect report from Larned Waterman: "You may be interested to know that Howard'Tom' Bates, since his retirement at Red Jacket Pump Company over a decade ago, has been happily farming some choice real estate in eastern lowa and has put together a 600-acre farm operation which is very successful." As for himself, Larned says: "I have resigned from about a dozen directorships but am still active on the boards of Northwestern Bell Telephone Company, Davenport Bank and Trust Com- pany, Augustana College, and a local railroad. I have been reducing my workload and hope to start phasing into a gradual quasi-retirement program next year."

A "North County Doer" is what the Berkshire Eagle in Pittsfield, Mass., labeled Herb Gordon, celebrating Herb's many achievements in community work upon the occasion of his receiving the Francis H. Hayden Award for distinguished service to the community from the Northern Berkshire Chamber of Commerce. Among other activities, Herb chaired the North Adams Community Fund and the first fund-raising drive by the Northern Berkshire Development Corporation; was a trustee of the North Adams Regional Hospital; chaired the school building committee to oversee construction of Mount Greylock Regional High School; and served for six years as town selectman, chairing the board for two of those years. His self-appraisal: "It's just the way I was brought up. There are jobs to be done and you just can't sit around and wait for the next guy to do it."

Or try this one for a newspaper headline (from the Philadelphia Inquirer): "CRC — It Started as a Pipsqueak." This piece describes the rise of Chick Webb's CRC Chemicals U.S.A., which now markets more than 40 assorted lubricants, degreasers, preservatives, and penetrants to industrial, marine, electrical, and automotive users, with sales last year of $24 million. CRC products are distributed in 122 nations, and the company has manufacturing plants in Belgium, Australia, and New Zealand. The highly complimentary article traced CRC's rise from its start 20 years ago when "the company's assets included a 55-gallon drum, a shed where a secret concentrate could be mixed, and four men" who mixed the concentrate by hand.

Madison Avenue's loss: Advertising man BillZeitung has left New York City for Chicago. Also, Bob Ott has relocated from Milwaukee to Naples, Fla., but, on the other hand, an address change card shows Bob Hardy leaving Atlanta for Stowe, Vt.

Next month: An inside report from Iran, by John Harvey. If a letter can get to us from Teheran, why not one from you in Houston, Butte, Boston, or St. Louis?

Apt. 23-J, 20 Waterside Plaza New York, N.Y. 10010