1948

It's midwinter in Hanover as this is written, and this weekend is Winter Carnival, one of the better celebrations of wintertime found over the face of the globe.

The Dartmouth Skiway, at the north end of Moose Mountain outside Lyme Center, existed in our day as only a trail, but it was nonetheless occasionally used, as climbing on foot provided great conditioning. Although it is today the most important ski center for Hanover, now equipped with artificial snow when needed, it is good to report that many of the other areas we knew in our day are still in use. The golf course opposite the Outing Club House still is the scene of afternoon action on its good practice slopes. Oak Hill, the scene of what was probably the world's first J-bar lift and for years Hanover's main uphill facility, still operates at least occasionally. The face of Balch Hill is no longer available, the steep slope now filled in by trees and houses. There used to be a pretty good rope tow on Cemetery Hill in Norwich, but it's many years since any operation there.

If we go out of town a little further, one immediately thinks about Woodstock and Bunny Bertram's (class of '31) Suicide Six. Unfortunately, the colorful Bunny, a noted character in the development of Woodstock skiing and known to many generations of Dartmouth men, is gone now. Certainly the hills, a bar, and two lifts are still there, so perhaps today's sons of Eleazar still find fun in Woodstock as we did in our day!

If we had the time to go further out of Hanover on a given day, one of our targets in the snow was Janet Mead's Pico Peak, near Rutland. Although Pico is outclassed by nearby Killington today, it was a fine slope and provided an endless number of exciting hours to countless Dartmouth men. I'm told that Pico continues to operate today, and that it continues to have its supporters in Hanover.

Several new areas have appeared, e.g., the aforementioned huge Killington and the tiny Whaleback just off 1-89 a few miles south of Hanover. The sport of skiing, plus its excitement and comradeship, is still big in Hanover, this close to 40 years since '48 was on hand. Go back and enjoy it again! (Exactly what TedThornton of New Jersey, now retired, intends to do; what Dick Leggat and Patsy already do from their house a couple of miles from the Skiway.)

Probably all of us are disturbed by the bad publicity recently heaped on our alma mater. The first item concerned the firing of Coach Yukica: the second concerned the two Parkhurst Hall student occupations and other results stemming from the campus shanties erected in connection with South African apartheid. I personally believe the final results of both these affairs will eventually be favorable for our College on the Hill. Joe now has all kinds of incentive to make his '86 season a good one, while the student body's extensive open discussions in Webster Hall may have provided a clearing catharsis for any suppressed feelings that needed verbal expression and frank face-to-face examination. We can expect good things in enthusiastic campus pride and unity to result. A principal regret at this point was a network's national evening news picture of Dartmouth as a community dominated by racial hatred and strife. Unhappy opinion involving the lunatic fringe occurs in any community, but in my opinion Dartmouth deserved better than this slanted portrayal from NBC.

It's always great to hear from attorney Woody DeYoe, partner in the firm of DeYoe, Heissenbuttel, and Mattia in Paterson, N.J. Only one of Woody and Margaret's four children is still at home;. Son Gregory attended Franklin Pierce College in southern New Hampshire where Walt Peterson '47 holds sway. Daughter Kathy has lived in Norwich for the past two years and is engaged to Ned Redpath of Redpath Realtors in Hanover. You may have seen her in Molly's Balloon, the restaurant where she is assistant manager. Woody still loves to ski and recently bought a place in the Catskills opposite the Bellaire ski area. Good to hear from you, Woody.

This year's edition of the annual Alumni Fund drive will be in full swing by the time you read this. Don't underestimate the importance of your gift, great or small! And get it in to Hanover before head agent Bud Munson or one of his associates has to call on you. 'Nuff said?

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