1943

There's a lot of construction going on in Hanover these days, and most of it is by the Jackson Construction Company, of Dedham, Mass., whose president and treasurer is Phil Jackson. The $7.2-million Hood Museum, adjacent to Hopkins Center, opened in September, and I knew that Phil's firm had built it. I checked with the College to see what other projects Phil's company had handled.

The list is eye-popping, and so are the numbers. In the past 11 years, Jackson Construction has built 10 buildings for the College in Hanover and has completed four major renovation projects. The sum of all this construction is nearly $47 million.

Even now, Phil's company is constructing the $7.6-million Berry Sports Complex on the site of Davis Rink at the east end of Alumni Gum. And across East Wheel lock Street from the gym, Phil's workers are erecting a new dormitory, yet to be named, for a $7.6-million contract price.

Phil's first job in Hanover came in 1964, after he broke away from the Wexler Construction Company of Newton Highlands, Mass., which built the Leverone Field House. Phil won the contract to build the Gilman botany and biology building for $1.3 million.

Two years later, he landed the contract for extensive renovations (rebuilding would be a better word) of the Hanover Inn for $1.5 million. He built the Tuck Mall dormitory in 1968 for $690,000.

In 1974, Phil built Vail Hall at Dartmouth Medical School and simultaneously renovated Remsen Hall for a combined contract price of $8.4 million. The following year, Phil's firm built Fairchild Science Center, between Steele (chemistry) and Wilder (physics) Halls for $4.5 million, and then built Thompson Arena for $3.7 million.

In 1976, Jackson Construction built Channing Cox Hall, dormitory apartments, for $897,000, and another dormitory apartment building, Maxwell Hall, for $1.8 million in 1982.

Phil took on the renovation of Wilson Hall for $1.3 million last year and earlier this year finished a renovation of Hopkins Center for $650,000.

At this rate, the town of Hanover is going to have to change its name to Jacksonville.

Word just arrived of the death of Kenneth J. Manthorne, a free-lance writer, of a heart seizure in his New York City apartment on November 1, 1984. Ken left Dartmouth to join the Marines in 1942, returned in 1945, and graduated in 1946. An obituary will follow in this or a subsequnt issue.

Connie Young has been elected to the board of directors of Omaha Financial Life Insurance Company, an affiliate of Mutual of Omaha of which Connie is senior executive vice president. Connie is president and chief operating officer for United of Omaha, Mutual's life insurance affiliate. Connie and wife Miv have bought a property parcel in Sunriver, Ore., with a view to Connie's retirement in about a year or so.

Bob Fosdick reports he's lost the vision in one eye after a five-month bout with a detached retina and several attempted surgical cures. He told Eddie O'Brien: "When I hit a golf ball, there's no reason to pick up my head, since I can't see where the damned thing goes, anyway."

There was a pretty good turnout of '43s for the first football game of the season in Hanover on September 21, electra and I tailgated with Lorraine and EddieO'Brien, Clare and Andy Caffrey, Phyliss and Jug O'Connor and Peggy Winters. Later we saw Bobby and Bodie Mosenthal, Lucy and Dick Proctor, Bob McQueen, Dave Hoffman, and Les and DonTaylor. And we heard that Jeff and PeteGeer, Dorothy and Ed Lider, Barb and Bob Liming, and Margo and Frank Hartmann were there.

We were embarrassed to hear students chant obscenities from the stands and witness the freshmen disrupt the Princeton band.

RFD #7, Carter Hill Road Penacook, NH 03301