1938

"It could have been better; it could have been worse." The 1980 Big Green football season, that is. But, if you concentrate on the Harvard game . . . and the Harvard-game weekend . . . and the Bonnie Oaks fall reunion and attendant social activities (as chronicled pretty fully in last month's notes), there's no question but what the sweet exceeds the bitter, certainly as far as the amazing class of 1938 is concerned.

With regard to who the 1938 spectators at those games after Harvard were, I mention the following, with continuing thanks to Carl von Pechmann, Jack Lutz, and others for the information. At the Cornell contest Carl saw Pres Downer and Bud Lynch. Carl summarized, "It was a lousy day. Not only did we lose the game, but it poured rain and it was cold." Those who stayed home and viewed on the tube know that. The Baron also mentioned, en passant, having run into George and Midge Kingsbury at Tanglewood last summer. (If Fred Becker's name was omitted from the list of those participating in the Harvard weekend do at Bonnie Oaks, the culpa was mea [the secretary's], not Carl's.)

Jack Lutz, writing October 27, notes, and I quote, "My enthusiasm at seeing Dartmouth beat Harvard caused me to apply for some tickets to the Yale game this coming Saturday, dimmed somewhat by the loss to Cornell." His caveat was unhappily justified. Jack mentioned having seen Bob and Betty Foley at the Harvard game, and said that Bob Foley "is now house doctor for the First National Bank of Boston, after having been for many years at the Leahy Clinic/' Bob and Jack are neighbors in the Westgate section of Wellesley.

Among those mentioned by the estimable Baron as having been at the Brown game and what a great game, what a great comeback that must have been, after the Yale disaster were George Porter, John Adams, Bud Lynch, Henry McDuff, and Parker Holden.

Carl didn't attend the Princeton game, having been doing good works for the Red Cross that day, worthy citizen that he is. No one else wrote to tell me who was there; so I can't tell you. A tough game, and a tough game to lose; just too darn bad we couldn't have pulled it out. But so be it.

Believe it or not, I do receive occasional classmate correspondence other than footballseason oriented. (Though nowhere nearly as much as I wish.) For instance: a cheerful card last month from Bobbie Ammarell, "on the beautiful beach and enjoying golf too" at Myrtle Beach, S.C. And that previous lifetime New Englander, removed in retirement to Tucson, Rog Buffinton, wrote me a fine and welcome account of his and Eva's life-and-times-in-Arizona. Rog writes, "We'll always love New England, but at this stage of my life I'll take the warmth and different beauty of the southwest." Re southwestern bigtime football, Rog notes, on the one hand, "I have seen more exciting games in the Ivy League," but, on the other, "They had 43 high school bands with 4,300-plus kids in the halftime show, and it was spectacular and loud!" Rog's volunteer work with the blind conflicts with Dartmouth Tucson Club meetings, but he has attended and enjoyed one luncheon, though without classmates. In sadder vein Rog gave me the news of the death of our classmate King Birge, longtime and much-admired Colby College professor. His obituary appeared in last month's issue. Our class and Dartmouth lost another loyal member with the passing of Bob Griffin. The sympathy of his classmates has been conveyed to Norma, and an obituary for the MAGAZINE has been prepared.

Sandy Mills of Cleveland and Florida most kindly reported in with cards featuring a banyan tree and pelicans d. b. a. amazin' '38ers. Sandy had lunched with Dick Woodman, DickStoughton, and Bob Deery at the Dartmouth Club of Sarasota.

Box 187 Damariscotta, Maine 04543