1928

An unusual story about a '28er appeared in the Alumni Magazine of April 1983. Dave Russell was looking over a box of his father's papers and found a 1904 stock certificate for 750 shares of Associated Oil, which his father had inherited from Dave's grandfather. Investigation showed that Dave was entitled to $1.4 million in accumulated cash dividends and 90,100 shares of a successor firm, Getty Oil Company, which traded as high as $72 a share.

The Little Rock, Ark., Gazette headlined the story "Bonanza Turns Up In Papers." Dave dogged Getty, but all the company would say was: "We are investigating." Dave sued Getty but shrugged off a reporter's suggestion that he might be rich. "It isn't anything yet," Dave said, adding that only a court victory would make the certificate valuable.

Finally the sequel came in a recent note from Dave: "Many thanks for your birthday card it was appreciated very much, as were the previous ones. It was my 80th birthday. No go on the Getty suit, as my Dad had filed an indemnity bond in 1936 for a lost certificate." Bygones are bygones, but one can still dream; let's see, the value of the Getty stock in 1983 was $6.4 million!

Frequently we are asked the number of living members of our class and how many entered. Dartmouth's "General Catalogue 17691 940" gives the authoritative starting figure of 688. The Alumni Records Office lists 293 living '28ers, but can't vouch for that number because 39 are inactive. A Wah-Hoo-Wah for the 43 percent of us who are still around!

John and Ewie Scott celebrated their 40th this year on a Royal Viking cruise to Hong Kong, Bangkok, Singapore, etc. John says he still prefers golf! Their winter address is P.O. Box 524, Boca Raton, and summers it is Jocelyn Road, Prouts Neck, Maine. Home is still 8 Beechcroft Road, Greenwich, Conn. Jack's golf handicap is 21, and he says he probably has the two youngest grandchildren in '28. (We should compare dates, Jack ours were born after January 2, 1984.)

While Craig Haines was reading the annual report of the New England Electric System, he spotted a picture of Alfred D. Houston, son of our classmate who died in 1961. A 1 has been treasurer of the company since 1983. I have neglected to mention that Craig Haines Jr. '58 is director of procurement at Electric Boat, and lives in Mystic, Conn.

C.C. Hart said: "I have five grandchildren in college this year, but, thank goodness, the number will soon decrease." This sounded like an unusual record, so I asked where they are attending college. His oldest son, Creighton '56, has a daughter, Debbie 'BO, who finishes her graduate degree in business administration at the University of Colorado this year. Creighton N. Jr. is a senior at the University of Utah, and the youngest, Phyllis, a senior at Denison. C.C.'s son John '58 has two sons, Mark 'B5 (getting back to Dartmouth in March after spending the winter term in Kenya), and Christopher Kit, who is a sophomore at Colorado State.

Tom Ellis, 83 on February 15, reports from Pine Beach, N.J., that he is "still plugging along, but leisurely."

Since our last column, we've had word of the deaths of three classmates: Jerry Johnston died December 22, 1984; Frances Thurston died February 18; and Dick Rockwell died on January 28 after a long illness.

Van Dyne Oil Company Troy, PA 16947