1950
They are packed away - the ornaments, the lights, the tinsel. Since no snow has fallen, the cast-off tree lies at the curb forlorn and forgotten. The jolly season is over.
The year shifted into high gear in early September, and suddenly 1985 is memory. Time ticks along, and less than three months remain before reunion.
Why the exhortations to attend? It's more than nostalgia and memory and the campus and old friends. It's time. An old friend missed the last reunion and promised to see us this year. Since then he died. We missed our chance and often regret it.
Gridiron gleanings: the last column should have been a wrap, but the 1985 season extended beyond the final game. His offense may be unimaginative. It is daring, but throwing the bomb on third and long is ineffective. Still, Joe Yukica is a nice guy. As a teacher his rapport with his players is superb. He deserved better treatment.
Mike McGean '49, on the other hand, is more than just a nice guy. He is an institution - the essence of every alumni gathering as organizer, storyteller, humorist, and gracious host. Every tough issue in alumni relations fell on his desk; many required the touch of Solomon to appease everyone. Mike deftly resolved them with skill and aplomb. He deserved shoddy treatment even less.
Last September Concord, Mass., celebrated its 350 th anniversary, and TomRuggles spent the busiest weeks of his life. The town organized a parade with more than 90 floats and marching units, each representing a moment in Concord's history from 1635 to the present. Tom's special project was a company of 60 singers dressed in World War I uniforms to represent the returning doughboys. As they marched, they sang in four-part harmony. On the weekends before and after the parade Tom played the stage manager for a six-performance run of Our Town. The wonder is that Tom found the time to write about Concord's celebration and his activities.
The time was August 1950; the locale, somewhere in the New Jersey lake country. A Dixieland band played in a nondescript hall. The small but enthusiastic audience sipped beer and listened; hardly anyone danced. Frank Gilroy played trombone (or trumpet). The facts are real but fuzzy, except to Frank. The elements of the scene have been transformed, slightly, but the essence remains in his new film, The Gig. The men are middleaged; the band is amateurish; and the engagement is in the Catskills. According to The New York Times, "Its characters are on the familiar side, and its jokes not exactly new, but The Gig still manages to have a certain sweetness ... an easy good-natured flavor."
Those were the days. Davis rink now just a memory was cold, crowded, and noisy. We huddled together and watched some superb hockey players, including a feisty trio the Riley brothers. A clue to time's passing: "Jack Riley '44 is now 64 years old and in his 36th season as coach of the hockey team at West Point, where he has won 525 games . . . second only to the 557 won by John Mclnnes at Michigan Tech." Jack also coached the Olympic team to a gold medal in 1960 (but those seven victories are not included in his record). After this season Jack will retire - without a new record; the competition this year is tougher - and he will pass the coaching mantle to son Rob, who played at Boston College.
Tidbits here and there: the house may be smaller, but Jim Gregg remains a hockey buff. Another stagestruck player: Larry Huntley as Marcellus in The MusicMan. Ida Martell, Jim Martell's widow, reported the wedding of Wally Willet's daughter, Pam. Retaining his title as executive vice president, Paul Van Orden has joined GE's four-man corporate executive office. Even though the Mexico City earthquake shut down the post office, JoeEly found a way to say that he had survived the devastation. An (old) quote from World Tennis: "There are many gifted tennis writers such as . . . Parton Keese . . . whose articles are delightful reading for the cognoscenti." After 19 years DonHall has stepped down as president of Hallmark Cards; he has become chairman. As "Man in the News" Lee Sarokin was headlined as "Judge with Acerbic Pen."
As Bob Kilmarx said in 1975 at our 25th, "There are numbers with a ring of '5' and 'so.' " This year for our 35th Frank Dickinson has set a goal of $550,000, and he wants to be a winner. Help Frank. Help 1950. Help Dartmouth. They all need you.
If spring has come, can June be far behind. There is precious little time left for my imploring. Come to Hanover and be a part of a touch of class.
In the meanwhile, keep your eye on the ball. Cheers.
Mac Grant '50, right, received the NASAMedal for Exceptional EngineeringAchievement last December. The awardwas presented to him by Dr. Noel Hinners,director of the Goddard Space Flight Center, left, "for sustained excellence in systems engineering management for theEarth Radiation Budget Experiment Mission. " Grant is presently the systems manager for the International Solar-TerrestrialEnvironment, a launch projected for theearly nineties in a joint effort with Japanand the European Space Agency.
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