1934

You know from the Summer issue of this magazine, and the newsletter, but it certainly bears repeating to be sure the warm glow sinks in. You and your 1934 comrades won the Class-of-the-Year Award among classes 25 or more years out. This is for the year ending April 1985. Besides our outstanding reunion and our million-dollar gift to the College, we scored with well-attended mini-reunions and with movement on new projects such as the Hood Museum information desk.

Well, we aren't resting. We started off the new year with Hall-of-Fame listing for the 1985 Alumni Fund under two categories: we were one of nine nonreunion classes (and the oldest) to top $150,000 in gifts this year and one of six classes with more than 90 percent of classmates giving.

It's good to have concrete evidence that this column is read, even though it requires my correcting a statement. BobGoodman denies he plays in a symphony down in Virginia Beach or helps acquire talent - only that he sat on the symphony board. Maybe I was thinking of Joe Slechta in Charlotte, who is truly a symphony musician - he's an active viola player as well as stringed instrument teacher and composer.

To continue with last month's basetouching: a number of our Empire State doctors are still active. Joe Furst out on Long Island said he was, as did BobKorns in Glenmont, and Ted Flemming up in Williamsville - but Ted said he doesn't let his medical practice cancel out his golf-swing practice.

Likewise, the professors are still actively sharing their wisdom and inspiring the younger generation. Harlan Banks, the recipient of Dartmouth's honorary doctorate last fall for all his teaching and research in the botany and biology fields, is still on Cornell's active roster. And even though he is now an emeritus professor, Dr. George Engel has not retired. He's still teaching and writing on psychosocial medicine and he says "emeritus" can be defined as "no pay"status.

In the real estate area, Howie Rosenblum is still active, managing a shopping center and other properties. He recalled that he came to Dartmouth from Worcester Academy with a number of major contributors to the athletic and activity scene in our day: Jake Edwards, John Foley,Bob Webb, and three now deceased, Howie McHugh, Dick Banfield, and ArtNoble. Bud Powell is another who is still an active realtor; he recently took time off for rest in Bermuda and continued to sound upbeat though he's been through the full cycle of health problems.

On the other hand, Charlie Pyewell has shifted to full retirement and lives in New Jersey where he can see that the Barnegat Light is operating properly. Likewise Jim Prescott, who is now living in Upper Black Eddy, Pa., and putting up with limitations imposed by Parkinson's, has now retired after a long career with New Jersey's Public Service Electric and Gas Company. And Buz Edson has largely retired from an active law practice. With his speech,problem, Grace does the talking for Bus on the phone, but he's right there alongside and told me he was sorry to miss our reunion. They had planned to come but illness of a sister prevented.

Retirement also applies to Joe Schuldenfrei, our eminent carpet wholesaler, who, when he's not on his tractor mowing the property, likes a tennis court under his feet. According to our 50-year questionnaire, 15 percent of the class agrees with Joe that tennis is a sport they currently enjoy. That tops, barely, the 14 percent who look to hiking or the 14 percent who go sailing for their outdoor invigoration. Of course, if we add "nature walkers" to the hikers (counted only once if they do both) we have 26 percent and the canoe paddlers added to sailors (counted once) would bring those who like water with their sport to 20 percent.

Where do we put fishing? For some it's a vigorous sport, for others it's sedentary patience. For some it involves wading and rowing, and for others it's sitting in a powerboat or on a dock. Whichever, it brings us outdoors, and one of four of us is regularly lured by that sudden, shimmering reward.

However we combine other sports, it should cause no surprise that the golfers come out on top! More than a third of the class, like Ted Flemming, swing away from tee to green as a favorite exercise. And we'll assume this does not include those who primarily play the 19th hole. . . . That leaves a flock of other unique sports we'll have to check out next time.

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