1961
Some of our classmates have been achieving recognition for what they have done in business.
For instance, Steve Crisafulli has been named as Vermont's Small-Business Person for 1979, and will go on to represent the state for regional and national honors.
He was to have been honored in Newport on May 9 by Federal, state, and local officials. Steve is president of Slalom Skiwear which, according to SBA District Director David Emery, "has become nationally recognized for the quality of its product. The company has grown from 25 employees in 1971 to 210 employees with an annual payroll of over $2.2 million in 1978."
Steve, who is a guest instructor at Tuck, director and officer of the Ski Industries of America, and chairman of the finance committee of North Country Hospital, lives in Derby Line with his wife Nancy, son Bill, and daughter Pam.
And Charles Chapman was featured in a Wall Street Journal article on March 23 on the success of Chesebrough-Pond's Inc. in warding off competition.
The brawl was between Chesebrough's Ragu spaghetti sauce and Hunt-Wesson's Prima Salsa Brand. The Wall Street Journal quoted Chapman as saying that while Hunt spent $15 million in 12 months promoting its brand, Ragu's share of the market slipped from 63.5 per cent to 57.5 per cent.
Ragu fought back, says Chapman, who is president of the packaged foods division. They introduced Thick and Zesty, and increased advertising from $7.5 million to $11 million to tout both the flavor and thickness of the new brand. "It was a choice of that or taking the extra money and increasing the division's profits," said Chapman, boasting that he is " 'proud Ragu took everything this giant (Hunt) threw at us, and we still came out a winner. Our unit volume is up 20 per cent and our dollar volume more than that.' "
Most of us remember that same competitive spirit when Chapman was at Dartmouth.
News notes: Allen Ward has been promoted from associate to active medical staff membership at the Worcester Hahnemann Hospital in Worcester, Mass. After completing internship and residency at Hartford Hospital and Boston City Hospital, Ward took a fellowship in oncology at University Hospital in Boston. . . . Guy Cox is regional group manager of the Mutual Benefit Life Insurance Co. in Coral Gables, Fla.
Working the telephones (during a Chicago visit): Rick Taft said he had taken a new job as assistant vice president for trust marketing at LaSalle National Bank, calling it a "neat, perfect position for me, and I'm having a wonderful time at it." Meantime, he said, his wife Corwin is getting her M.B.A. at the University of Chicago. "We just got back from Vail where we saw Art Kelton," he reported. They were out there for ten days, blessed with a foot of new powder. "By the way," he said, "Art's doing well."
Alan Orschel, who's a Chicago lawyer, spends most of his off time rehabilitating their suburban home and jogging. Alan says he's been jogging for 11 years now, six miles [twice a week, and three miles three times a week, which he calls his "think time" as well as being a "matter of health." Alan also is president this year of the Bureau of Jewish Employment Problems, which he described as a "low key, non-confrontation operation" aimed at seeking merit raises and promotions in companies that hire Jews, then won't promote them.
Tom Whitmore, a Chicago lawyer, had just returned from a long trip to Johannesburg, South Africa. Actually, he said, it wasn't just a trip to Africa, because he doesn't like long plane flights. So he stopped in Lima and Rio on the way there, and in Nairobi, Cairo, Athens, and Rome (where he got a chance to see the Pope) on the way back. But most of his impressions were of South Africa, which he described as a "beautiful place" where he saw no poor white men. The family he was visiting has seven house servants and three Mercedeses with three drivers. He saw a gold mine and visited a private game park where "we didn't see any tourists but we did see game animals."
Tom also described summertime trips in Chicago on Dave Fryk's boat, which Tom described as "extremely fast." In fact, Tom sounded scared. Dave is with the telephone company, Tom said.
Personal note: The Observer has just finished a 20-page special section (full-sized pages) on the tobacco industry, spelling out for the people of our state the dangers of tobacco, as well as delineating the extent of the industry in the state. I did the medical stuff (of course) and would be happy to send anyone a copy.
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