1930

By the time most of you receive this we will have had another mini-reunion, but as I face my July 15 deadline, pleasant memories of an out standing 55th Powwow are still fresh in my mind. They warrant a little reflection and some speculation too. As the "Thirtyteer" has told you, the total of 168 who attended part or all of the reunion activities broke previous records for total attendance at a 55th. There were 83 classmates, 60 wives, 14 widows, seven brothers, sisters, and friends, and four sons and daughters. Eleven others made reservations but had to cancel at the last minute because of illness or other reasons, and there were an additional 20 who signed up initially but dropped out. For the first time since our 30th we failed to break the record for percentage of living classmates. Those 31 would have done it.

We had reuners from all over: six from California, two from Mexico, two from Ireland, and two from Taiwan, and I count an unbelievable 26 from Florida, possibly including a few who have dual citizenship in more northerly states. Personally I think more of our nearby '30s could have made it. In Charlie Widmayer's all-purpose directory, I count 149 names in New England, of whom only 44 were represented at this great gathering. If we include New York and New Jersey, which are an easy day's drive from Hanover, there are 213 names, of whom 60 were represented. In both cases, less than 30 percent. I know many had real reasons for not coming, but you who simply luxuriate in your own inertia and couldn't

bother to stir your stumps, consider yourselves admonished. Those who were there declared it a wonderful reunion, for which we all congratulate Charlie Rauch,Burt Crandell, and their helpers.

Ave Raube's report at the class meeting mentioned that he had been unable to lo- cate Joe Hardcort in his final phone calls. (Apologies to Joe for renaming him "Harcort" in the minutes presented at the Powwow.) After the reunion Bob Chittim called Joe and found that he had just been hospitalized for 18 days for acute congestive heart failure, 11 of them in intensive care. He's now home with a pacemaker and has been told he'll last 20 more years if he takes it easy. So, contrary to the class secretary's recent projection, our 75th reunion might not be 100 percent female.

Some eagle-eyed newspaper clipper recognized a Dartmouth name and sent Hanover an item which informs us that Pierre V. Heftier has retired from the board of the Manufacturers National Corporation of Detroit. Not having heard from Pete for many years, we're glad to know he's still alive. Do you read me, Pete?

Thanks to secretary emeritus Dick Bowlen, whom we were delighted to see all too briefly at the Powwow, I learn that our erudite architect friend, Dick Butterfield, is now tracing the development of the Palladian window from Palladio's

original 16th-century designs, through its two centuries of progress in England and finally its use in early American architecture. From a course under then-college architect Jens Frederick Larsen, who knew a thing or two about New England architecture, I also can recognize a Palladian window.

The New Hampshire Sunday News of Manchester says "Hermann 'Doc' Sander is a firm believer in putting a sting into medicine." Herm, the class beekeeper, has been using bee venom for three decades to treat restrictive ailments from arthritis to charley horses, either by injection or by direct application of bees. Herm says the medical profession will be against it until controlled studies are done, but he has found 75 percent improvement with arthritis and 100 percent with bursitis.

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