1941

Just at deadline word arrives from the College that Bob Darbee died on February 24. We have no details as yet, but I'll pass them on as soon as possible, and in the meantime the sympathies of all of us go out to Betts and the four Darbee children.

On New Year's Eve last, either as a warm-up for or instead of the customary festivities, Bob Thorne compiled and filed his annual report for 1981: "Had a fine time in August at International Botanical Congress in Sydney and doing some botanical explorations on New Caledonia and Lord Howe Islands. Otherwise stuck close to our California deserts, mountains, and islands. Just published a flora of the higher ranges of the East Mojave Desert and my latest classifications of the flowering plants." The rest of this month's news is all gleaned from public prints of one sort or another.

Last winter the Buffalo, N. Y., papers reported that Ed Marlette had moved the Marlette Plating Company and its subsidiary, Buffalo Bumper Exchange, into a big and newly-acquired plant in that city. Ed took over the family metal-finishing business at his father's death in 1941; his general manager now is Ed Jr., Dartmouth '68.

In February, Bethlehem Steel announced the retirement of John McCuiston, who has been manager of sales for the corporation's Detroit district since 1974. John had a career of 40-plus years with Bethlehem — began working as a laborer in the Lackawanna, N.Y., plant while still in college, entered the management training program upon graduation, and joined the sales force after wartime service in the Marine Corps. He'd been with the Detroit office since 1947, and he and Bette, according to this dispatch, plan to stay on in Bloomfield Hills.

Also in February, the Greater Cincinnati Chamber of Commerce revealed to the press that it had just named Grant Hesser to be its 1982 group vice president of administration. Grant chairs the board of Chas. V. Maescher and Company, building contractors, for whom he has worked since the end of World War II.

For a change of pace, we turn now to the social-notes column of the Old Lyme, Conn.. Gazette and learn: "Another pair of happy grandparents are Pat and Roger Epply of Maple Avenue, Old Saybrook. Their daughter and son-in-law ... are parents of their first child. Nicholas, born in Middletown on February 2."

Back to the world of commerce. There's nothing unusual about Dick Hill's having his name in the newspapers, but a little special interest attached to a biographical sketch of Dick published in the Boston Globe. An italic precede to the article explained: "Last Thursday, the First National Boston Corporation announced the first of a series of expected management changes as the company prepares for a succession in leadership after the scheduled retirement of its chairman, Richard D. Hill, in 1984. The following is a profile of Hill, chairman of the company since 1971."

Personally, I'll never believe Dick Hill has retired until I see statements under oath from three expert witnesses, including Polly.

Our final item is culled from the 40th reunion newsletter of the Mount Holyoke College class of 1942. The preliminary program for the reunion this month features on Friday night a slide lecture on whales by Meg and Rob Barstow. As reported earlier in this space, Rob and Meg are big in the save-the-whale movement and turn up frequently as lecturers or delegates to national and international conferences.

Box 331 Essex, Conn. 06426