1929

Dud Orr writes reminiscences, including of Stan Piatt's 25 years of corresponding about peace with Dud's partner, Bob Reno '38, and about Vilhjalmur Steffanson's lecture in Webster Hall when he had been living on meat alone for a year. It will make a fine piece for the newsletter.

Ed Chinlund and Dick Black's Alumni Fund letter tells us our 1983 quota is already 60 per cent paid by classmates who gave early for tax reasons. That means a much bigger job to get the other 40 per cent from smaller gifts.

The increasingly precious warmth of our class friendships mustn't be cooled by too much fund talk. Some of our class who have less to give or other places to give it are the folks we'd most like to hear from.

The warming sight of Charlie Goldsmith's name on an envelope was soon chilled by word of the death of his son James '65, who was killed by a stay target drone that hit the frigate Antrim off Virginia Beach in February. Dr. Jim Goldsmith was teaching courses on board for the Navy's college credit program and was supposedly well away from the action. The Goldsmiths have another son, Henry '62.

After writing of Bud Terrio and Bob Sparks's visit at our February Cape Cod Dartmouth Club meeting we were shaken to hear of Bud's death from a stroke two weeks later. Also, Arnold Rick '31 wrote some time ago that Art Clifford died in January 1982 in Santa Barbara, Calif. We've had no word to letters asking about Art.

On February 12, Herb and Peggy Fish gathered many of our '29 clan at their Fort Meyers, Fla., place on Whiskey Creek. Harris and Hazel Huston were houseguests. Gus Wiedenmayer came down from Boca Grande. Frank and Louise Middleton, Ben and Evelyn Stacey, and John and Adelaide Quebman also made it. They missed Charley Dudley and Ron Reading, who'd gone north, and the Ripleys, who missed Florida this winter. Herb says Ted Arliss, Frank Williams, and Walt Sherwood couldn't come, but that all sounded in good spirits. Herb and Peggy hope to do it again next year and say, "If any '29ers should find themselves up Whiskey Creek or thereabouts without a paddle, don't wait till next year."

John and Alice Laffey were at the March Cape Cod meeting. John had been thinking about Harmon Tupper, whom he'd enjoyed back in Alpha Delt. Hearing he was on Nantucket Island, John called him up and had a pleasant telephone visit; he says Harmon sounded fine.

That inspired me to go through the 25th yearbook looking for an interesting story from someone whose name hasn't shown up here lateiy. Great luck led me to call Kingsbury Badger in South Weymouth, Mass. King took his M.A. at Columbia and taught English at several places, including Muhlenberg (where he known as "Blue Eyes Badger") and finally at Boston University. He has worked with and written for the Unitarian Church and written many articles and books including one of poetry. (Mine must make him suffer.) He recently brought a Maine guide boat down to his place in the Adirondacks. He writes and paints and makes his own frames.

We talked about Herb West, with whom King has consulted about native writers, of Sidney Cox and Robert Frost, of Ed Booth, and of King's part in the Committee on Postwar Planning. We praised the strength of President John Silber of Boston and talked about John Dickey and our hopes for Dave McLaughlin as if we were experts. We regretted the lack of taste in the Dartmouth Review but wondered if we didn't need its check on present affairs.

You can't guess what treasures you can dig up with a call to a classmate you may never have known. Try it, and grow a little. I'm still trying to reform our politicians, so here's this: Political spending is surely unending. No wonder they claim to be busy; But if you dare mention reducing their pensions They promptly fly into a tizzy. That may give a clue to a thing we could do To stop them. There must be a way. We'd sure hear a holler if part of each dollar They spent were cut out of their pay!

Box 246, 21 Emmons Road Monument Beach, Mass. 02553