1944
Perchance you caught the World Cup skiing in March, on the tube from Aspen Giaradelli, Mueller, Zurbriggen, Stenmark, that crowd but did you spot their '44 counterparts, skis zinging and singing alongside: McElnea, Densmore, Burdge, Leopold,Ranger, Hier? A sight to see and behold, I tell you. Along with the Jack Snobbles, '44 all but had the place surrounded.
We didn't count ski tips, but we can report that there were at least the seven abovenamed out in Aspen's mountains and moguls in February and March. We lucky Hiers were week-long guests of Bill and Barbara McElnea at their gorgeous place between Carbondale and Aspen, and we skied and traded stories and jacuzzi-ed from dawn till midnight. We also had splendid get-togethers and dinners with local residents Ja and MartyDensmore and Jack and Barbara Snobble.
The Densmores live in a condo in the heart of downtown Aspen, paying their mortgage via a woodstove business called "The Burning Log." They are also deep into photography these days and are off for New Zealand with a photo group right now in May.
The Snobbles' claim is in Carbondale, an artifact- and book-filled house that has been their life for almost 30 years. Jack has been a teacher and outdoorsman at the Rocky Mountain School and the Colorado Mountain School for years and years, while Barbara runs a riding stable. Unfortunately, one of the Snobble horses rolled over on Jack last fall, crushing his right ankle and knee. He is finally off crutches and ready to roar again, but it may still be a while before he's ready for Mount Everest.
Wait, who else in Aspen? Leo and NancyLeopold, in a bit of one-upmanship, got out there from Long Island in early February, so we missed their smiling faces and flashing skis. But we did track down Russ Burdge, in Aspen for the 14th consecutive winter. And it shows: he tucks those long legs into each other and hups down the mountains as though he owned them.
Finally, we heard that the Dick Rangers were schussing somewhere about, but we couldn't find them. Probably too fast for us...
Closer to home, we have in front of us a March 10 New York Times article on Hobe Sound, Fla., a spit of land on the East Coast which, according to the writer does not have: "Traffic lights, apartments, groceries, bars, hotels, or restaurants." The mayor of Hobe is John Mulliken, former Life and Time correspondent and deputy press secretary to Nelson Rockefeller, who retired to Florida some half-dozen years ago.
Then, a note in my files concerning the retirement of Ab Davis after 37 and a half years with Southern New England Telephone. A bit of déjà vu: have I mentioned this already? Not to worry; let's report it again. Ab says retirement gives him a chance to pursue three of his great loves: flying, his boat, and the piano. "Music has always been a large part of my life," he says. "I used to play in a small, eight-piece Dixieland band. Now there are two or three places where I go, not frequently, but where the owners ask me to sit in when the pianist takes a break. It's great fun, and I love it."
A friendly card from X. Larrabee, at the Research Triangle Institute in North Carolina: "Thanks for running the '44 reunion photos in the newsletter. I don't recognize too many of the faces, but I can't help wondering how many have passed by unrecognized in airports around the country."
Those of you with 20/20 or otherwise would have no problem recognizing language professor and translator Greg Rabassa, who was featured in the book section of Time magazine November 19, 1984, in both prose and picture. A prizewinning translator of Latin American authors, Greg, along with wife Clem, was invited to a White House dinner March 19 in honor of the president of the Argentine Republic. Beyond that, there was an article about Greg in the December issue of Vanity Fair magazine, and he was selected as one of the 130 "extraordinary Americans" named in Connoisseur magazine's list of "American Living Monuments." Holy cow, do you suppose we'll see Greg out there in Mount Rushmore granite? Or should we settle for New Hampshire?
Dick Kerwin says he is enjoying life immensely down in Hancock, N.H., where he is keeping his mind sharp and his ruler at the ready with part-time prep school teaching. Finally, you will enjoy it immensely, as will Dartmouth kids to come, if you write out and send in your check to the 1984-1985 Alumni Fund. The goal is $l2 million and 70 percent participation. If you can't send in a mil, at least you can be a 70-percenter. Why not send in $70 or $700 or higher equivalents, just to keep the figures tidy? That's the easy way. Hey, take it easy. That's it. Blessings.
Lovejoy Hill Cornish Flat, NH 03746
