1935

At the time of this writing in mid-August the summer social season of the class of 1935 has not been filled with very many events of special note. Here in the Upper Valley, though, some 30 of us classmates, wives, and widows had a marvelous time at a gathering at the beautiful hilltop home of Jack and Barbara Gilbert in Thetford Center, Vt. This was a delightful time for this group who probably enjoy more frequent get-togethers than any other regional collection of 1935 wearers of the green.

Your secretary proves to be less well supplied with notes than usual, partly because of two sessions at Mary Hitchcock Hospital. The easy one, a cataract removal and lens implant, led strangely to the hard one. The pre-operation physical exam, including chest X-rays, indicated, totally unexpectedly, major lung surgery for the removal of a tumor. After two weeks the surgeon said I'm good for 125 years as far as he's concerned. I'll settle for 100! No picnic, but the hospital stay was lightened by visits from classmates like John Gilbert, assisting at the hospital in pathology, Bob Hage, a hospital information volunteer, George Colton, Yank Price, and Howie Croninger and calls from many more.

College roommate Bill Krieg called from Washington and also sent a note describing a trip he and Philinda are currently on in Europe. They're visiting a daughter, her husband, and grandchildren in Germany and then will go on to northern Italy, visiting Lake Como, Florence, and Venice before returning to Landstuhl. This is to be followed by a canal boat trip in England and a visit to Stratfordon-Avon.

Old friend John Jewett stopped by during a visit to son Jeff in Vermont and says he'll be at our fall reunion for sure! A day or two before my operation I had received a fine letter from Frank Van Kirk in San Francisco. He had recently had a visit from John, who was there for a medical college meeting. John got off the plane with two live lobsters which they shortly took care of. Frank says he may make the 50th!

Welcome news, too, from Dick Meyers in Dallas. He and Florence have just taken a three-week trip to Belgium, Germany (including the Passion Play in Oberammergau), Switzerland, and Holland. To put things in perspective, he added this quote: "Since Dallas now has the largest airport in the world (can you believe it), we just fly over the East Coast as if it weren't there!" They'll be at the reunion to tell more about two sons, four grandchildren, and a real estate business from which "agents don't retire, they just lose their listing!"

Had a fine note recently from former North Mass Hall fellow resident Perry Wachtel. Unfortunately the picture he enclosed could not be adequately reproduced, but I can tell you he looks too young to be a classmate! We'll see at the 50th! Perry and Dee spend six months in Puerto Rico and six in Somers, N.Y.

Pug and Burta Atherton will definitely be in Hanover for our 50th. In the meantime, get this! First a trip to Sikkim and Bhutan in May, followed in September and October by a journey to China, Siberia, across Russia on the Trans-Siberian Railway to Poland, Czech- oslovakia, and Germany and then down to their ranch in Kenya! Whew!

Regretfully I have to report three deaths of classmates which have occured recently. EdKeane died on June 18, Biddy Chase on June 24, and Art Bamford on July 30. Art, a member of the 50th reunion committee, was the developer and prime mover behind those biographical birthday cards you are receiving in this year before our reunion.. Obituaries will be in this or a later issue of the Magazine.

By the time you read this, our fall reunion will have come and gone, but its success is assured by the effort chairman Bill Fitzhugh is putting into planning, featuring, as he says, distinguished offspring of 1935 as in the past two years.

Now, if you move quickly, you have barely enough time to plan to attend Dartmouth Night in Hanover on October 19. You should join your 50th reuning class at the head of the torchlight parade and be in the stands for another win over Harvard!

THE BIG FIVE-OH '35 LET'S GO!

Box 265, Eastman Grantham, NH 03753