1926

An Indian summer day made things enjoyable for 60 loyal Dartmouth enthusiasts who gathered in Cambridge at the Hotel Sonesta for luncheon prior to the 30th annual 1926 boat ride up the Charles River for the Harvard game. The party mix consisted of 21 classmates, 17 wives, three widows, seven sons and daughters with four spouses, three grandchildren, and five guests. Our numbers this year were diminished due to foreign travel, health problems, and moving from New England, but California provided four passengers Ritchie and Betty Smith and Charlie and Mary Starrett. A complete listing of attendees will have appeared in the December "Smoke Signals," written by co-editor Art Wilcox.

Absent due to foreign travel, as above, were Joe and Helen Kinney in England, Scotland, Belgium, Switzerland, France, and Spain, while Perk and Arlene St. Clair were en route at kick-off time to Budapest and Vienna on a two week Time-Life Alumni Association trip with an added stop-off for a couple of weeks in London.

Responding to 1926 birthday greetings, BillViall of Manhasset, N.Y., still has in mind revisiting Hanover and his native city of Keene, N.H. He suffers from osteo-arthritis in both feet which impedes locomotion, but Bill appreciates that this is minor compared with many ailments.

After the Princeton game, Ken and Ruth Foster celebrated their 40th anniversary at Woodbound Inn injaffrey, N.H. (40 "wonderful" years, as per Ruth's letter we welcome communications from wives of '26ers who sometimes can't locate writing materials.)

Tennis still remains the anchor activity of Wad Woods in the fifth year of his retirement. In season he plays several times a week and continues to give lessons in the Portsmouth, N.H., area. In the 75-year and older bracket he ranks first in New Hampshire, third in New England, and tenth nationally. Other interests include Rotary, the Meals-on-Wheels program, and church work.

We were very sorry to learn that Enid Straw Chamberlin died on October 6 after 44 years of marriage to Dean. Enid's dad was class of 1887. She was a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Wellesley and the University of California, where she also had taught. The sincere sympathy of the class goes to Dean. Also, 1926 sends its sympathy to John Gearhart, who lost his wife Hazel after a long illness. John and Hazel were married for 53 wonderful years.

A suggestion came from Dick Lamb of Rapid City, S.D., to omit any mention of age in birthday cards since the figures are getting into the astronomical area. The local postmaster apparently agreed with this discount principle, as two cents postage was lacking on Dick's post card.

As we close out and retire the 1981 "Duckboard" class birthday card, we recall Dick Major's version that in the twenties it was cricket to leap and land so heavily that the guy behind you would get spattered with mud unless he ducked hence the term "Duck-board."

From Charlottesville, Va., Larry Vermillion writes that he and his wife are among the few who have never taught or attended a class at the University of Virginia there. Larry commented that the character on the birthday card wearing no galoshes was bound to slip and be late and wet for chapel.

During this season in New England, in the pre-1492 years, probably the newly-arrived visitors from northern Europe wished the natives "God jul og Godt nytt ar!" So be it today.

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