1952

In the doldrums of winter it's nice to get good news from our classmates especially when I've had so little news at all this month. Unfortunately, there's both good news and bad news.

Alan Smith has just recently been elected to the board of directors at General Motors. Perhaps even more important, he's also been named executive vice president and chief financial officer. His predecessor in the job moved up to chairman of the board, which maybe says something about the importance of his new slot. Alan will also be a member of the two most important committees of the company the finance and executive committees. After Tuck School, Alan spent time in the Navy before joining G.M.'s finance department in New York in 1956. He's been with them ever since. So it appears persistence does pay off.

Back in New England Joe Baute has been reelected chairman of the New England Council, Inc., an independent, non-profit association which provides business leadership in addressing economic needs for the six New England states. So if you're going into business in New England, be nice to Joe.

And our erstwhile leader, Jack Boyle, was elected president of the Material Handling Equipment Distributors Association (the guys who sell big trucks 'n things) at their annual meeting. Jack still hangs out in Winchester, Mass., and is president of Boyle Equipment in Waltham.

And another piece of pleasant news, the widow of one of our classmates has married another one of our classmates. Mrs. Roger Eastman became Mrs. Putnam Blodgett sometime this past fall I didn't get the date. Is that proof that we're all swell guys and easy to live with?

Got a note from old friend Kent Calhoun from out in Minneapolis. Cal had a rather rough bout with some health problems but says he's now on the mend and looking forward to good years ahead. He also reported that his daughter is engaged and planning a September wedding and that he and Char are delighted with their daughter's choice.

The bad news is that I must report two recent deaths. Last November 24 Walker Benning died in his hometown of Benton Harbor, Mich. And our old friend in Geneva, Switzerland, Alan Jackson, died suddenly on January 14 of this year. Either this month or next we will have obituaries in this magazine for both of them.

It's always painful to end on this note in one of these columns, but that comes with the territory. I hope all of you have good health, good spirits, and good fortune and look forward, as I do, to our great 30th reunion, June 15 through 18. Till then. . . .

30 FOR 52 THE JESTISA YETTO COME

Holly Lane Rye, N.Y. 10580