1914

As these notes are being written at the end of January, the ground is still bare in the Boston area. We have had only a dusting of snow early in the season and nothing since. So far as we know, the lack of skiing in the North Country is of no concern physically or financially to any member of 1914.

The Valley News of Lebanon, N.H., carried a story in December about Lester K. Little, our "Lay," detailing some of his experiences in China many years ago. Many of us realized that he was involved there, but read on. Right out of college, Lay went with the Chinese Maritime Customs, which was established in 1854. When World War II broke out in 1941, the entire staff was taken to the British Consulate and then Lay was interned for four months under strict Japanese supervision.

In 1942 he returned to the U.S. and then in 1943 went back to Chunking to become the first and only American to serve as inspector general of Chinese Customs. He retired from this post in 1950, served as advisor to the Chinese Ministry of Finance on Taiwan, and, in 1955, became deputy assistant director of personnel for the U.S. Information Agency. He retired in 1960 as director and then served for several more years as a consultant.

In 1963 Lay and his wife Ruth bought part of the Winston Churchill estate in Cornish, where they now reside. The picture in the paper showed a relaxed, elderly gent at his desk in the study. The latest news from Lay is that he and Ruth" went to the Washington area in February for a couple of months.

Prior to our June reunion, Ruth circularlized the widows and repeated it with a mailing before Christmas. From some of the replies we learned the following news. Rennette Aborn wrote that she had missed her 60th at Smith because of arthritis but has since improved. Martha Corliss recalled many happy memories at Dartmouth. Kay Davis sent greetings from Burlington, Vt. Mary-Margaret Borden reported the death of her mother in the spring of 1979, a loss that was not mentioned because of the change in reporting. She has a "lovely photo" of her mother and Horace at their tenth reunion

In this or the next issue will be found the obituary of Rodney Woodman.

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