1948

At this writing in mid-September it is only a few weeks before the autumn leaves will be at the height of their fall colors in Hanover and the surrounding beautiful New Hampshire/Vermont countryside. Hope that by the time these notes are read in November many of you will have had the chance to be in Hanover during this wonderful season of the year, when Mother Nature appears in her full glory across the hills, woods, and fields, and when activity on the campus seems to have an action flavor characteristic of no other time of the year. Perhaps, too, some of you will have seen and hopefully enjoyed one or more afternoons at Memorial Field, where your seat in the west grandstand carries with it that marvelous view across the valley to Velvet Rocks and Balch Hill beyond. Yours truly hopes with you that Joe Yukica's charges are crediting his final season in Hanover as a job well done. Win or lose, however, nothing can ever diminish the beauty for this native of that glorious view out toward the hills in Hanover's autumn.

Enjoyed hearing from Bobby Merriam in western Massachusetts, who played a lot of great hockey and lacrosse in the old Davis Rink and on Chase Field for old pros Eddie Jeremiah and Tom Dent while he was in Hanover. Bob then coached and taught at Deerfield for many years. In more recent times he's been associated with Greenfield Community College in the town of the same name, one of 15 such public institutions in the Bay State. He teaches, engages in fund-raising and public information functions, and in other constructive ways participates to make the college a success. Bob also'is highly knowledgeable about old and rare books and carries on a business in this field during evenings and weekends. He's one of Eleazar's old stalwarts, though he doesn't get to Hanover as often as when he was coaching and teaching.

On a recent trip to New York I had the pleasure of at least talking with JimSchaefer and Moose Concannon for a few minutes. Jim is now a director of the second largest advertising company in the world. Moose still is in advertising with Young and Rubicom, where he sees JohnHatheway every day or so. John still gets to Hanover very often and owns a place not far away in Vermont, where he and Pat go whenever they can. Moose and Kathy still regularly ply the links with golf sticks not far from their place in Wilton in the Nutmeg State. On the same trip we had many wonderful belly laughs with Dirk Kuzmier at dinner one evening a few days before Joan and I attended the marriage of our daughter, Susan 79.

A great letter from Gus Gustafson from his home in New York State brought back memories of many past DOC trips in the hills of New Hampshire. "Climbed Mount Cardigan (near Canaan, southeast of Han- over) August 30 for perhaps the 20th time made it up in 50 minutes ahd felt good about it, for which I'm grateful. It was a gorgeous day, with views of Monadnock to the south and Washington to the north... recall of my-first overnight DOtrip; Kendall (Dave Kendall '45) and company took us in the Navy truck . . . I've had all my kids up that mountain (as well as on Moosilauke and the Presidentials) and now will start on the grandchildren.

A conversation with Tom Davis a few nights ago partially brought us up to date. Tom grew up in the Chicago area, he retired from First National Bank of Chicago two years ago, and he and Sally still live in a Chicago suburb, Hinsdale. Tom talked about his early days at Dart- mouth, especially about the gang around him in those first few semesters in Wheeler: Mort Smith, Bob Kirkpatrick,Howie Hilton, Bill Pendill, Jerry Wensin-ger, Jay Rutledge. Later, he and AbeAbrahamson roomed in Woodward. A couple of Wheeler stories bear repeating later. Tom remembers seeing the now departed lan Macartney many times in London in the sixties during Tom's foreign trips for the bank, particularly at the part in a London hotel just after Mac's Amoco unit made the first natural gas discovery offshore in the North Sea, a party where Mac the consummate anecdote-teller gave a marvelously humorous recitation of finding the monstrous indefatigable field.

The events will be history by the time this is read, but special events chairman Bud Gedney tells me that a few '4Bs have already signed up for the Baltimore/Annapolis mini-reunion over the Navy game weekend, including Hatheway, Jim McLaughlin, and Jim Nicholson.

A much larger contingent is expected in Hanover over the Dartmouth Night/Harvard game weekend of October 18. More than 30 have already signed up, including old favorite Sam Wilkinson, who has been missed around Hanover for many years.

Gang, please let me hear from you as news is short. Your fellow '48s want to know what you're doing. A postcard will do.

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