1950
A little time, and attitudes change. Last month the alternatives were bleak: rain, an unkempt yard, the I.R.S. This month, finally, spring has arrived, gloriously. The tennis courts are playable. A good New York Times crossword puzzle tempts. Three books Commager's The Blue and the Gray (volume two), Bronowski's The Ascent of Man, and Rilke's Letters to a Young Poet lie half finished, beckoning to be read. Even the deadline is tenable.
Some soul-searching is in order. My purpose in writing this column is to convey news and views of Dartmouth and the class of 1950. If the views seem slanted, it is only because the perspective is singular and, perhaps, a little biased. But the bias derives from internal sources, not external ones.
Evaluating whether the purpose has been achieved is difficult. There is so little feedback. There is so little feedback either directly or indirectly. There is so little feedback except in a sadly negative way.
Each year a little space is set aside (with no prompting, incidentally) to talk about the College's need for funds and to underscore the importance of the Alumni Fund. Each year the participation level slowly erodes, and that erosion occurs while the general participation level increases. Each year the feeling grows that the message is dulled, that purpose is unfulfilled.
So this year there is only one shot from my angle, a late shot in these waning days of the 1983 drive. The development staff wrote the script and calls the tune: "Write to assigned classmates." These words go to all of you and they come from the heart. "Ask for an increase. " Give what you can and what you wish, but if your situation has significantly improved (translation: if your income is higher) give accordingly. "Send gifts to Hanover." Now. There is little time left. "Remember your company's matching gift." Check the policy guide and, if your company matches, follow through. "Send your own gift." Mine has long since been mailed.
Is there life after a presidency? Tom O'Connell, former president of Bellevue Community College in Washington, finds numerous answers. Tom has returned to the B.C.C. campus as a member of the faculty. He teaches speech a memory returns of Tom and brother Jeff in a Sean O'Casey play and Spanish. His latest venture is a free-lance column for The Journal-American with a wide-ranging set of topics: politics, culture, literature, history, and, a special love, bird-watching. So far Tom has tangled with everyone: the Northwest, the bishops, women, and Howard Cosell. One column concludes with: "Women's liberation is men's liberation." The logic is devastating, but did Tom talk to Anne?
Manchester, Vt., is noted for skiing, trout fishing, and cool summer evenings in the shadow of Mt. Equinox. It is conducive to a contemplative life. In this easy-going environment Dave "Stretch" Pendleton practices law occasionally and bridge usually. He may be successful in court, but the big news is his success at the contract table (and Vermonters only print the big news, the important news). Ordinarily, placing second warrants little notice and a big yawn. But when 700 top-notch contestants vie for coveted gold master points, a close second tie is an outstanding success. The event was the William Keohane Regional Individual Tournament in Boston.
The British Museum selected the Stinehour Press to print the second volume of The HenryDavis Gift. The book may not be important, except to collectors. The reason for the muse- um's choice is pertinent they sought craftsmanship, and they found it in Vermont. Rocky Stinehour confides, "I do not believe that small 'organizations . . . are mere vestiges of a crumbling past, soon to be outmoded by technology. Small groups of intelligent workers engaged in humanizing pursuits may yet be the salvation of our age." Rocky's press stresses quality, produces masterpieces, and garners international fame. The setting may be rural Vermont, but the results set universal standards.
Tidbits here and there: The Pacific is no barrier to Cal Sia, who has been appointed chairman of the American Medical Association's council on pediatrics; in addition, Cal is the single pediatric delegate to the A.M.A.'s house of delegates. Charlie Abbe has moved his office to Concord, N.H., not Mass. —a better move than mine to Secaucus. Wedding bells still ring, this time once more for Jay Buck, and Joanne Thorsen. The ranks of grandparents swell as Don and Sandra Hall announce their first grandson. Fritz and Lucy Jewett will encamp in Newport until September to prepare for the defense of the Americas Cup. Dick and Nancy Griffith have been traced to Cape Cod as recently as last summer. Gene McCabe met, wooed, and married Mad- eleine in Virginia after moving to Fairfax with Mobil; Gene is another grandparent. Harry Melone is in Washington; his note is cryptic enough to place him with the C.I.A. The essence of laid back pacifica, Dick Ribble gave up managing a racquet ball club to open a bank, the setting is grand a coastal village between Los Angeles and San Diego.
Not all the news has been cheerful. Sad tidings mount. We mourn the passing of Davis A. Calder, Francis A. Livingston, RobertG. Griffith, John O. Foote, and Francis V. Kear Jr. Each year becomes more precious-
Advance notice: Fall mini-reunion is Corn weekend, October 21—23. The key spots are the Outing Club for a BYO brunch and the Woodstock Country Club for dinner and cheer. The class meeting, open to all, is at 9:30 Saturday Reserve a place now. There is no reason to wait until next year.
Another year winds down, another year of joy and fun. Have a good summer. See you in the fall sometime, somewhere.
Viewing the recent unveiling of a plaque dedicating the Mary Vail McGaw Laboratories at theMedical School are, from left to right, Robert W. McCollum, dean of the Medical School, JamesVail '50, and his wife Betty, while President McLaughlin does the honors of raising the drape.
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