1932
In January of this year, on my 71st birthday, I wrote down some of the things I still wanted to do before leaving this planet earth, namely:
1.To spend the month of October in and around Hanover to enjoy the beautiful autumn foliage and football games.
2.To visit Alaska for at least a month in the summer and see more of this great state beyond the cities of Juneau, Sitka, and Anchorage that I have already visited.
3.To go to France for a full summer and take courses at some university to refresh my French.
4.To take the Trans-Siberian Railroad from Moscow to Vladivostok. This column is the saga of my number-one objective.
October 1 to 7: Flew from Florida to Montreal for a week's visit to this haven of pleasureseeking and drinking of our undergraduate days. Had some of their good Molson's ale, took in some shows, and fought off the cold and damp weather successfully.
October 8: Took a bus from Montreal to Burlington, Vt.; to visit the Shelburne Museum of Early Americana. Spent a day in the rain before continuing my bus trip to Hanover.
October 9 to 11: Had an enjoyable stay with Art and Dobbie Allen in their activity-filled house. Saw the William and Mary game on a beautiful, sunny, but cold day. One day's activity with Art included attending the daily coffee klatch at the Hanover Inn, presided over by Dick Black '29, who was captain of the football team during our freshman year. At this same meeting, Ben Burch was in attendance, as well as Bob Fendrich, who was in Hanover for fund raising. After a delicious oyster stew a la "Grand Central Station" cooked by Art for lunch, we ran a group of student sailors to Lake Mascoma for practice. We then returned to the Hanover Plain to see a football game between the Dartmouth freshmen and the University of Maine jayvee team. We were also spectators at a soccer game between Dartmouth and the University of Connecticut. Without stopping except to clean up, we then went to the Norwich Inn for dinner as guests of Bo and Ginna Wentworth, who had with them their granddaughter Gina, who is applying for entry into the class of '86.
October 12: Started to get a cold this day and decided to slow down a bit. Indian summer had not arrived, so I stayed indoors to attend a gen- eral faculty meeting, to which the public is in- vited. I was pleased to hear our new president, Dave McLaughlin '54, give the annual report of the state of the College, in which he indicated that the old alma mater is in "sound condition." Ran into Dick Stoiber, who claims he is the "oldest teacher still kicking around Dartmouth." Visited with Bill and Peg Morton, who were in Hanover preparing for the celebration of Dartmouth Night, for which Bill was to be grand marshal of the parade around the cam pus. Attended the weekly quarterback luncheon at Jesse's Restaurant in Lebanon and encountered newly-arrived Hanover residents Dickand June Clarke from Aspen, Colo.
October 15: Left Hanover for Boston to attend the Harvard game that following Saturday, another sunny day. Ran into Ed Marks and Don and Eleanor Marcus, as well as Marjorie Walker.
October 18: My wife Adeline had joined me for the Harvard game and we returned to Hanover, staying at our favorite room at the Occom Inn.
October 19: At a special lecture at Hopkins Center on the John Sloan art exhibit, I met NatLeonard, who started with our class but finished in '33 We lost a good man there, and Nat, who lives in Norwich, looks forward to seeing many friends at our 50th reunion.
October 20: My old friend Jack Manchester '33 invited me to the Rotary luncheon and sat me down next to Warner Bentley, who was director of the Dartmouth Players during our undergraduate days. We talked about the great acting ability of certain '32ers, and such names as Jim Shevlin, Robert Ryan, and James W. Riley were mentioned.
October 22: Marv Chandler, in Hanover all the way from California, called a meeting of the class 50th reunion giving committee, and the members were guests of the College at the Holiday Inn in White River Junction the Thursday before the start of our own mini. Marv chaired the meeting and counted in attendance our pre? John Zimmerman, together with A1 Christie, Jim Corbett, Paul Dunn, Bob Fendrich, Dick Hazen, Bill Lieson, Jay Whitehair, and your secretary. We are fortunate to have in Marv a very astute business leader.
October 23 to 25: Continuing cold weather and rain prepared us for the "deluge" of classmates, wives, friends, and widows who attended our mini under the always-capable operation of Howdie and Dottie Pierpont. A total of 78 people were there, and the names will be listed in the class newsletter. Our tail-gating luncheon at the Lutheran Church before the Cornell game was a very jolly affair, and the good weather held up as we trounced the other team. That night at our banquet at the Holiday Inn, we were delighted to have President and Mrs. McLaughlin as our guests.
October 28 to 30: After a few more days of cold and rain, Addie and I went by bus to Hulett's Landing on Lake George, N.Y., to visit with the Corbetts. Jim has spent 70 summers on this lake and took us on an invigorating boat trip one morning. Amy and Jim invited Bob and Ginny Mitchell from nearby Rutland, Vt., for Jim's specialty of barbecued butterflied lamb great!
October 30 and 31: The Corbetts and Walsers motored to Essex, Conn., to be the guests of Bo and Ginna Wentworth and to attend the Yale game. Their beautiful French-style house facing the Connecticut River was the rallying point for additional classmates such as Johnand Jean Wolff, the John Zimmermans, and the Pierponts, as well as Bo's brother Gordon '40. Yes, we lost the Yale game and that was a disappointment, but the lively company and great hospitality of Bo and Ginna made up for it a great weekend.
November 1: Flew back to Hollywood, Fla., very happy to have so thoroughly enjoyed my number-one objective. The thrill of seeing old friends and classmates and. of re-living happy days on the campus are all to be repeated at our 50th reunion on June 11, 12, and 13, 1982. See you there.
Your obedient servant,
It may have been pouring rain the evening of the Dartmouth Night bonfire, but that didn textinguish the spirits of 1932's Gordon Lane (left). As he has for many years past, he camedown from Barre, Vt., to place the 1932 numerals on the pyre. This year, accompanied byAlice Zimmerman (right), wife of '32 president John Zimmerman, he also put up a signheralding the class's 50th reunion in June. Both sign and numerals were consumed by theflames, which weren't dampened by the rain either.
911 North Northlake Drive Hollywood, Fla. 33020
