1932

Let's start off this month with some campus news:

The new Rockefeller Center is a truly fine addition to the campus. It is beautifully integrated with Silsby Hall but has its own handsome portico and facade. Inside, it is spacious and yet intimate, with alcoves for study or conversation. The tiered lecture hall, with perfect visibility for the electronic displays behind the podium, seems to be an invitation to learning. The furnishings throughout represent the Rockefeller family's desire that this memorial to Rocky be elegant and tasteful.

Also there are two new restaurants in town, right on Main Street. Molly's Balloon is somewhat like a pub in design and decor, but presents an excellent menu, while the central circular bar invites conversation over a pint. It was while having dinner there that we were pleased to find Bob and Marion Buckley from Claremont, N.H. While their activities have been curtailed to some extent in recent years, they are as lively and interesting as ever. Bob keeps his interest in his law firm but lets his son be the more active partner. The other restaurant, at the top of Main Street, is a branch of Bentley's, long considered one of the best restaurants in Woodstock. And on West Wheelock Street, there is Cafe La Fraise in the old Deke house, and this, too, is a firstclass eatery.

The rest of this column is being written as your correspondent and his wife are on the Solomon Islands on March 18. En route to these enchanting islands, we stopped in Arizona, and while there called John Swenson only to find that he and his wife were in Singapore. However, we found Eddie and AliceToothaker in Green Valley, looking well in their charming home. Then, while at the San Francisco airport, we phoned Dick and JuneClarke to learn that they have bought a home in Sonoma, Calif. Dick is again well and even skiing a bit.

To conclude, a note from the M.S. LindbladExplorer: Almost daily we visit Polynesian or Melanesian island villages where few ships ever stop. But, with advance notice, we have been favored with traditional dances and even mock attacks from "savages" with spears or bows. Ben Ezra.

Ben Ezra.

Moody Hill Road Vershire, VT 05079