1932

A tall white-bearded Reg Abbott joined me and Ev Stuhrman at my office in North Miami Beach, Fla., in early March for lunch. Reg was living in his mobile home in Homestead, Fla., as he is now fully retired and traveling extensively all over the U.S. He keeps occupied as a freelance writer - mostly travel stories, a la Charles Courault, which I admire greatly.

Art Allen also visited our Hollywood home a week later as he passed through southern Florida to join some friends for a cruise aboard a motor sailer to a number of islands in the Bahamas. While sipping white wine and eating our famous Florida stone crabs, Art reported that next fall he will have two grandchildren at Dartmouth (yes - grandchildren!), when his grandson Jim joins granddaughter Barbie. Apparently Jim received early admission because of his excellent scores on the College Boards - 780 and 690. And that's something!

From time to time we have heard of Jim Moore's ability as a sailor, but we believe that only a few classmates know how really good he is. Because of our recent activity to generate some funds for the Dartmouth Water Polo Club (which is no longer financed by the College), we have been exposed to what both Art Allen and Jim Moore have done for the Dartmouth Yacht Club, which is considerable.

There is no doubt that the ultimate challenge in the sailing world is the America's Cup, and in the sixties Bus Mosbacher '43, as skipper, and Buddy Bombard '55, as a crew member, started a tradition of Dartmouth involvement in the America's Cup competition. Quoting from the little brochure printed by the Dartmouth College Yacht Club, we note these remarks, "If Dartmouth College were to establish a hall of fame for alumni who have 'made it big' in sailing, James B. Moore '32 would join Bus Mosbacher as the first inductee. An excellent skipper and outstanding sportsman, Jim Moore has devoted most of his life to the enjoyment and improvement of sailing." Few of us remember that while in College in the year 1929 Jim founded the Dartmouth Corinthian Yacht Club, making us one of the oldest college yacht clubs in the country.

We had heard that Jim spent several weeks each year sailing out of the island of Barbuda. Frankly, the first time Barbuda was mentioned to me I had to look it up in my atlas. I found that it is a 12-minute flight north of the island of Antigua in the West Indies. We quote from a letter recently received from Jim, "You asked about Barbuda. To Connie and me and all our friends that go there every year, it is a Shangri La. This will be our 19th year to return. There is just one lodge to stay in on an island that is as large as Bermuda or St. Croix, with no telephones, no television, no radio unless you bring one, and no harbors. We swim, fish, sail, play tennis, explore, snorkel, and eat and drink. It is complete relaxation and I have 300 slides to prove it!" That certainly whets our appetite for a visit to match what I think is my own Shangri La at San Pedro Cay on a small island off Belize, British Honduras, which we have visited many times and which fits the description of Barbuda. We would like to hear from other classmates about their Shangri Las.

Jim Moore outlines his present life in these words, "Our life is really a nice rut. Commute to New York for work, which I do well but not too strenuously. We sail all summer and do the Frostbite bit in the winter." According to Art Allen, Jim has been at Frostbite sailing longer than anyone in the country, and Art speaks for his ruggedness in taking chilly dumps in the sea.

Jim - typically - goes on to give much credit for the success of the DYC to Art Allen, "without whom I feel sure the club might have gone down the tube. He has done wonders for Dartmouth sailing. Really put it on the collegiate map as a group to contend with."

Others writing about sailing describe Jim Moore "offering to switch boats with competitors who are not faring well, and asking to sail with the last place finishers to give them some tips. Such considerate gestures are far too rarely seen, and they exemplify Jim's concern for others, love of competition, and desire to see sailing remain the great sport it is today." If anyone is looking for a good cause to contribute to, we can certainly recommend the Dartmouth Yacht Club, and we all admire its success in developing such outstanding people.

Your obedient servant,

911 North Northlake Drive Hollywood, Fla. 06752