1948
These notes are being written on May 1. By the time they are read in late June, 1948's 35th reunion will be history and the 100 or so classmates plus families now expected to be on hand will have come and gone. It goes without saying that those who have worked on the program hope all of us remember the event with much pleasure in the years ahead.
It is with a tremendously strong sense of pride that we print in full the following citation to classmate Lou Springsteen kindly forwarded by fellow class secretary Jacques Harlow '50:
"Too often these days we fail to admire and to honor a man who is not a scientist or an engineer but a man of letters. The current vogue is to learn BASIC or FORTRAN, computer languages. Few of us study Hebrew or Greek, the languages of myth and philosophy that forged the framework of our civilization. You, a man of letters, achieved honors in both.
"In the early days of World War II you chose ... the sparkling noons, the crowding into Commons, the long white afternoons, the twilight glow.' Events interrupted, and for two years you endured the U.S. Army. Returning to the New Hampshire hills was a joy.
One undergraduate role, president of the Dartmouth Christian Union, foretold your future. A brief stint in the business world working for S.S. Kresge in Brockton, Mass., was enough to lead you to" your true vocation.
Two short interludes followed. You earned your bachelor of divinity with highest honors at the New Brunswick Theological Seminary. Then the Prospect Reform Church in Pine rook, N.Y., called you to your baptism as a minister. You also wooed Ellen Jamison, who became your bride.
Since 1958, you have expanded the horizons of the parishioners of the Trinity Rearmed Church in Old Tappan. They reap the distillate of experiences and thought and hope at you disperse alternately with stern and gentle words, "/our counterpoint is humor, the crutch that softens tough times. Recently your church surprised you by celebrating your 25 years in their pulpit.
"Your theme is simple: pray not for a touchdown but for character.
"In the Greek sense of agape you have had three loves. Ellen and your children Howard, Carol Ellen, and Michael are one. The church and your ministry are the second. Dartmouth is the third, and she has reaped the bounty of your labors among the youth of Bergen County.
"A solitary figure walks familiar paths observing nature, pondering the next sermon. None of your village neighbors intrude as they watch you with care and affection. Even as we do. We value your good works, your ideas, your solicitude. It is for these reasons that we honor you Louis Otto Springsteen '48 as the Dartmouth Club of Northern New Jersey's Distinguished Alumnus for 1983."
Lou, the same sincere and hearty congratulations which you received in a telegram from President Reagan go out from all your classmates and friends of 1948. We're proud of you!
Trial lawyer Dirk Kuzmier will never tell you about his being president of the Brooklyn Manhattan Trial Lawyers Association, nor will he mention his being a director of the Trial Lawyers Division of the New York State Bar Association. Instead, he will tell you of his dog Bozo, a tremendous animal from the twin standpoints of intelligence and size. As big as a small horse, as gentle as a lamb, as ferocious as a lioness, this magnificent mutt is known to everyone within a 50-block radius of Dirk's office on West 41st in Manhattan. When Dirk takes him on one of his walks down the street, it's amazing to see how everyone shouts, "Hey, Bo!" Nor is Bo only for show. Dirk, restless, was out taking a hike in the wee hours one morning when a gunman stepped from the shadows. Before Dirk had time to react, a huge gray form hurtled out of the darkness, grabbed the man by the throat, and knocked him to the ground, whence Dirk rescued him from the most severe fright he'd ever had. Some dog, that 80, a fitting companion for an illustrious '48.
Bobo Russell writes that in February at the Metropolitan Opera, he and Barbara saw and enjoyed Il Trovatore, produced by successful operatic entrepreneur Nat Merrill. The Russells also have earned satisfaction from seeing their younger son develop into a successful artist and men's fashion model.
A '48 we had lost track of since Hanover is Don Graham of Edmonds, Wash., a suburb of Seattle. Don entered Dartmouth from Lakeside Prep School with four others in September 1941. In December 1942 he left Hanover for three and a half years with the Air Force, returning in September 1946 for his final three years and graduating in June 1949 after a year at Tuck. He hasn't been back to Hanover since, has many other interests now, but still supports the College on the Hill. He went on to law school at Washington University and practiced until 1974, when he became president of the family holding company, Fisher Companies Inc. He loves the hills and waterways of his native state, which he feels was a great place for him and Felecia to raise their two sons. Don remembers Carl Felsenfeld as one of his best friends in Hanover. The two got together again in Seattle a few years ago when Carl, as a part of his investment business, was translating a number of intricate contracts into simple English, a tough task indeed.
Jim Schaefer just phoned to advise that the class nominating committee will have presented the following new nominees for class officer positions at reunion. For president, Earl Chambers. (Lloyd Krumm, who has done a great job, has asked to step down.) For memorial gift chairman, Bud Gedney. (Russ Carlson, who has done yeoman's work for '48 in many capacities, has sought well deserved relief.) For Alumni Councilor, Don Ryan. (Don is the initial '4B nominee under new council membership rules.) Other officers were renominated.
All for now. Have a wonderful summer.
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