1947
Hi, classmates.
It's late February, and an April column is due now. This has been a February of a different color greenish and brown instead of the usual white. Since about February 6 it's been mild, although Winter Carnival weekend (February 10-12) did have snow enough for a full round of statues all over center campus, dorms, and houses. No need to have snow shipped in, as some years. Something, however, has happened to the natural cycle of things. Things that were supposed to happ en didn't and things that did happen were "irregular." I think it started last fall when the football team faded away at the end of the season. Then winter came on early and cold, followed by hockey games, with all the wrong winners, none of them Dartmouth. Most of the winter has been cold, as may be expected, but then winter weather seemed to bow out about mid-February. No snow left, just a blob of speckled black crystals on center-campus. Sap ran early and well, then slowed down, waiting for the cold nights which are needed along with the warm days. On February 25, Dottie and I joined a group of 42 Keene people for a bus ride to Hanover, a seminar on the political scene (our primary is in three days perhaps you've heard of us) plus a steak dinner at the Inn and a hock- ey game (Cornell) or the option of a play. Reports are the play, Boys from Syracuse, was superbly done. A joy to see!
Well, here's where the cycle seemed askew again. The hockey game was a poor one, as our friendly D players just didn't seem to have the speed or energy to keep up with the Cornell skaters. I heard a voice behind me, "Look at those plays, not working; it's the coach's fault poor coaching." I had to argue: "Only if the coach could put on skates and have a stick could he help more. Skating and timing are not from coaching." Our game program contained the team lists for D and for Princeton, whom we'd beaten the night before, as well as for Cornell. Now here is something significant. Cornell had all but four players from Canada two from Massachusetts, two from New York. For Princeton, all but six were Canadian two Massachusetts, two Pennsylvania, two New York. Dartmouth had only six from Canada. I am sure recruiting is done, but a player knows he has to study hard to maintain a high average in studies. Dartmouth means hard work, plus time for any sport, plus money. Probably very hard for Coach Crowe 'to recruit. Now he's resigned, probably because it's no fun running a losing team. 1 agree with education, but sports are a prime part of one's development. I feel it's changed a lot up in Hanover. The cycle of things has indeed changed. We alumni can't simply talk to a good athlete, and learn to like him and invite him to consider Dartmouth. The well-rounded, nice guy, with a B or C average, I feel, can't attend Dartmouth. I also see this in interviewing young high school seniors applying for college. Girls are not hampered in this way, because their sports program does not have to carry, but is carried by the funding contributed by the men's sporting programs football and, to an extent, hockey, basketball, baseball, and maybe other sports which realize a small admission gain.
I'm going to drift to other subjects which I understand better. But I'd like feedback from you all to the exent you're concerned about this area of education. Let's hear it for feelings. What better place for a forum?
One of the things I do know something about is that the candidates will receive a resounding in the New Hampshire primary. A resounding what remains to be seen, but I don't think results will be obscure; voters speak with conviction in New Hampshire. I'm still looking for newsworthy items to carry. I can tell you for sure what's going on with only one person myself. I write letters giving free advice in our newspaper. Next thing I know, I'm on the mayor of Keene's committee to seek a solution to Keene's solid waste dump which is filling up, has only a year or two of use left, and has been studied for 13 years. My thing, and I believe our focus, will be to do something right off and that would be recycling. What's interesting is the background questions which pop up: Will people segregate waste? Will it be mandatory or will an incentive be built in? How do we set up a market for recycling items? Where do packers and dumpsters fit it? Does anyone out there have similar experiences, so can lend advice? Please hurry!
As the Alumni Fund drive cranks up in intensity and draws to a June closing, let me pass on to you all a word from Jim Osborne, our head class agent. Ozzie accepted the job last summer on the basis that he'd have a lot of help from all of us. Sure enough, he sent out a call for assistant agents, and he tells me he was very pleased with the response he received. Good show, boys! Jim wants all of you to know that now is the time to make the pledge in particular those of you whose companies provide matching funds; please, your dollars go further. Squeeze it out of them, all you can, and then by all means apply for those matching funds. It's not automatic, you have to let them know.
It's always nice to name a lot of classmates in this column the sign of a good alumni column. Here goes: Last week I didn't hear from Bill Buckingham (my roomie), FritzAlexander, his honor, or Hank Brezinski, retired recently; nor did I hear from Bob Bohn, not Sax Fletcher, nor Lynn Knapp, nor MortMorrison. Last month 1 didn't hear from BobNelson or Bud Nossiter, yet both took extra courses in writing. Within a few weeks perhaps I'll not hear from George Rusch, BunHarvey, or maybe even Dick Shribman. That's about it from the mailbag. Have a good spring. We'll be talking to you again, soon.
63 Maple Avenue Keene, NH 03431
