1945

"Travel" seems to be the key word this month.

This column's ace traveling or roving reporter, Frank Aldrich, attending a conference on Cape Cod in June, took time out to hunt up Kenneth F. 'Eldredge. In Frank's words: "The Eldredges are a dominant strain on the eastern end of the Cape, and every third person you may encounter in Chatham is likely to be a sibling of Ken. Ken is chief executive officer of Acme Laundry, a large commercial laundry and cleaning operation established by his family many years back. He has done well and looks great."

All the Aldriches are travelers. Frank's daughter has gone to the Central African Republic for a two-year stint with the Peace Corps; and his son, now a second lieutenant, has checked into Fort Ruker, Ala., for army aviation training. Frank's next communique arrived from Paraguay. On his way there he visited with John Phelps in Caracas. John, characterized by Frank as "easily the most valuable contact one can have in Venezuela," is on the probable list for attendance at next June's 40th.

Frank had been looking forward to seeing an old roommate, Chad Ramsdell, who summers on the Cape. Whether or not this reunion came off is unclear; but Frank did see a former dormmate when he and Dora got together with Margaret and Giulio Pontecorvo Jr. at their home on Gay Head on Martha's Vineyard. (The Aldriches have a place on Chappaquiddick Island.) Giulio is another on our list of '45 educators, being on the faculty of Columbia Business School.

Another traveler reporting in was Nichol M. Sandoe Jr. In June Nick and Mary drove to lowa for the wedding of their oldest son. "On the way back." Nick writes, "we stopped in Tucson." (Now, that may sound cockeyed to us easterners, but to the San- does, you see, "back" is Claremont, Calif.) There they visited with Helen and Richard Y. Murray, closing a gap which spanned 38 years. In a note from Dick we learn that he has retired as chairman of the foreign language department of Amphitheater High School but will continue teaching two classes and will devote considerable time to his position as historian for the National Park Service. I have in my possession a photo of Helen, Dick, and Nick, which, being in color, is not acceptable to the Magazine, but which I plan to exhibit in Room 19, Shady Lawn Motel, during October's mini-reunion.

In September a contingent of '4ss from Downeast Maine and Upcountry New Hampshire (and even a couple of "flatlanders" from Massachusetts and Connecticut) traveled by boat a few hundred yards off the Maine Coast to Molly and John White's wilderness island. In addition to Molly and John and Shirley and me, the latter day "chubbers" included Betsy and George Barr, Myra and Fred Clunie, Rickie and Don Cole, Bea and Burt Hicock, Dave Kendall, Mary and Dick Kendall, Jean and Bob Lee, Alice and Howie Sayer, Vesta and Vic Smith, and Barb and Ted White. On Saturday afternoon we enjoyed one of John's famous outdoor lobster bakes and shore dinner lobsters, clams, corn, hot dogs, potatoes, onions, eggs, all steamed in seaweed over an open fire. The evening featured, of course, typical '45 conviviality. A few who live nearby deserted, but the majority of us toughed out the night without benefit of electrical or plumbing facilities. Most of Sunday was spent exploring the natural wonders of this beautiful island. Molly and John are tops as hosts a perfect weekend!

Yes, I know that George is going to upstage me on this story in his newsletter. So I might as well get even with him right here and now. It seems that one lone crab got mixed in with the lobsters in John's traps. Well, it came to the same fate as the lobsters; and when someone asked Betsy if she would like the crab, her quick answer was: "Why should I take another crab? I've been married to one for 35 years!"

P.O. Box 39 Atkinson, NH 03811