1939

We thought that the class had made it through this month's deadline. It hadn't. On the eve of the presentation of our copy, we received word of the death of Bill Mason at Good Samaritan Hospital in West Palm Beach, Fla. An obituary will be in a succeeding issue.

There is no question about it 1939 is a restless class. And as we mature, our fancy seems to revolve around travel - that mostly comes with retirement; or writing - an obvious urge to express convictions that we have picked up along the way; or trips to the sterile white corridors of various hospitals to repair eroding frames or parts of the anatomy. This last is hardly a fancy, but nonetheless is a common thread that weaves a torturous fabric among our members.

Van Lee, who is normally billeted in Cos Cob, Conn., writes a postcard from Hawaii on what might be a vacation. But he counters such thoughts by suggesting that "there is much going on both in and out of work hours that must be done well."

From the Exeter Alumni News we gleaned the fact that Eddie Wells will retire as a radiologist this May, after which his address will be P.O. Box 25, Grantham, N.H. 03753 and that is almost back to the womb. The same journal reports that Ev Woodman recently underwent a second total hip replacement, taking a timeout from the Florida sunshine.

From another sunshine state, we hear from Frank Davis, who reports that he lives one street over from Don Bridge in Redondo Beach, Calif. Don has recently had a serious heart by-pass operation and is recuperating with walks along the beach with neighbor Frank. Frank, hardly lamenting the passing of years, is reveling in the role of grandfather, which he says keeps him busy.

Jim Garnett, on the other hand, has taken to his bicycle and has recently completed a tour of England and France. He reports that there is a particular charm to inhaling the countryside of Normandy and rural England while peering over the handlebars of his sturdy two-wheeler. So pleased was Jim with his last excursion that he plans another in September two weeks of independent bike touring along the rivers of Germany.

Danny and Yvonne Dyer were off for Man of-War Cay in the Bahamas in late February. Then, with their son and his wife, they expected to combine business with pleasure on a trip to England, Austria, and South Africa all, we assume, in behalf of the sweet name of sugar. Clem Burnap, our peripatetic engineer, expects to spend a goodly part of 1982 on a job in Mexico. In the meantime he keeps in shape by reaching a new personal high in continuous push-ups - 85 straight. Try that on your biceps!

Rodg and Patty Harrison, back from a year-end trip to Bermuda, sent along an extensive article from the Bergen, N.J., Record headlined, "Foe of bomb seeks to end mass apathy." Complete with a massive head shot of O'Bie Boldt, it lays out O'Bie's energetic efforts to generate some grass-roots interest in banning nuclear weapons, through the organization S.A.N.E. (See Jan/Feb column.)

We were aware that Royal Hassrick has spent much of his working life in the West with cattle, but not until a recent letter did we realize that he chronicled his experiences by writing such books as Cowboys and Indians, TheMandan and Hidataa Indians, and the one that catches our fancy, I and Tex, which in his own words describes the easy road to pleasure and profit in the cow business. Now living in Wal-pole, N.H., Royal threatens to close his restored old New Hampshire home and head out West for another shot at the cattle business, launching a cross-breed operation.

Sam Dix also received plenty of recent ink in his hometown paper, the Grand Rapids Press, highlighting his latest book, The Cost of FutureFreedom. Population and energy are Sam's prime interests, two sides of the same coin he says. We quote: "World population expansion is out of control, and the world's physical resources are limited." Sam, an engineer by trade, has run his own firm for years, heavily oriented toward urban renewal work, but most of his current energy has been focused on getting through to Washington on the importance of the equation between unlimited population and limited available energy.

We are saddened to report the death of Happy Hird, our Sam Hird's lovely wife, in the middle of February, of cancer. She will be sorely missed at our '39 gatherings.

Betsy Wyman wrapped up her educational binge in Hanover in mid-March, headed for Florida for two weeks, and then planned a two-week trip to England.

We have it on good authority that two of our more distinguished '39 track luminaries, Bill Webster and Bert MacMannis, joined forces in watching the youngsters do it at the Millrose Games in New York in mid-February.

Finally, a brief piece of official business: Dick Brooks and Hugh McLaren have been duly elected to the executive committee and will be in attendance at our spring meeting, to be held on April 6 in New York.

111 West Street Pittsfield, Mass. 01201