1963

A flurry of press releases from corporate PR offices across the nation has helped your secretary remain up-to-date as to the continuing rise up the corporate ladder of several class members.

Chemical Bank of New York is pleased as punch to report that senior vice president JohnFarnsworth has been given responsibility for the marketing and public relations division. John had previously been responsible for Chemical's commercial banking and "middle market business" in Manhattan. He has been with Chemical since getting his master's from Tuck in 1964, and from 1973 to 1977 had been in London, where he headed Chemical's "corporate banking group" for the United Kingdom and Ireland. John and his wife Marilyn are currently living in Darien, Conn. They have three children - John Jr., Cynthia, and Tara. That's all from Chemical.

Formby's Inc., a subsidiary of RichardsonMerell Inc., is similarly delighted to announce that Jim Cappio, who has been marketing director, will become vice president and general manager of that division. (Formby's makes products for the care and finishing of wood.) Prior to moving over to Formby's, Jim had helped bring relief to millions as product manager for Sinex, Nyquil, and assorted other products. That's all from Formby's.

Rohm and Haas Company of Philadelphia is similarly overjoyed to trumpet the fact that TedSuess has been elected assistant treasurer of that maker of specialty chemicals. Ted joined Rohm and Haas in 1966 and is currently manager of pension investments and investor relations. He lives in Drexel Hill. He and his wife Anne have three children - Ted, 11, Kristin, seven, and Jill, four. That's all from Rohm and Haas.

The First National Bank of Boston is, I am certain, as delighted as any of the other corporate giants already named to proclaim that Jerome Olin has been named vice president of the loan review division. (In keeping with the more reserved character of Boston, though, the press release is phrased somewhat less ef- fusively.) Jerome, who has been with the bank since 1979, is active in the Boston Dartmouth alumni organization and has served as an inter viewer for prospective students. He and his family live in Acton. And that about wraps it up from the First National Bank of Boston.

Now your secretary would like to put in a word or two. I don't really mind retyping all these press releases, nor do I begrudge these classmates the plaudits they clearly have coming. It actually makes me nostalgic for my early days in journalism when much of my day was taken up preparing "Who's News" briefs at the Wall Street Journal. But both Newsletter Editor Dave Schaefer and I have noted that there's been a dramatic decline in the reports coming in personally from class members. And there's a difference, believe me, between serving up the canned creations of the PR departments and getting the straight poop right from the horse's mouth.

For one thing, there are stories out there that aren't being told. For instance, your secretary happens to know that at least one member of the class has been in jail for a number of years for killing his girl friend and then driving around New York for a week or so with her body in the trunk. Now why aren't we getting more stories like that?

I can understand that some of you have long since become vice presidents and feel that you just have to wait years until ascending to the presidency before corresponding with your secretary again. Not true. We are interested in the whole man not just corporate rank. It seems to me that what this column should aspire to is to find out whether people in the class are happy or not. And if not, why not.

Now we've tried various methods in the past to stimulate response flattery, cajolery, enticement. The time has come, I think, for sterner measures, to wit, threats. If I don't get some good juicy reports for this column fast, I'm giving you fair warning that I may turn the column over to a series of editorials advocating the return of the Independent Reading Program and Great Issues. (Seriously, when you look back on your college experience, wasn't the reading you did under the muchabused Independent Reading Program one of the most valuable parts of it? And aren't you ashamed of those funny outfits you used to wear to Great Issues? Moreover, aren't you sorry you didn't pay better attention in GI so you'd be better prepared for a world that had little (if anything) to do with what you'd been getting for four years from those pointy-headed faculty members? Aren't you?)

This is just a sample. Forewarned is forearmed. Start those cards and letters coming.

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