1948

This winter's great snows in Hanover lead us back on this early March day in 1986 (when this was penned) to further nostalgic thoughts on our own winter days when we '48s were still on campus.

Last time, in discussing ski areas near Hanover which we students often visited, I failed to mention the good runs on Mount Ascutney, down the Connecticut near Windsor, and the exciting hours which the runs on Mount Sunapee provided. Both these areas developed immediately after World War II and provided many weekends or weekday afternoons of exhilarating sports and laughs to Eleazar's enthusiastic sons.

One of the scariest episodes was experienced by John VanRaalte, who remembers being out at the Big Jump one afternoon in our early days in Hanover. John ran into Colin Stewart, who was enjoying the brisk weather, clear skies, and lack of wind in getting in some good practice work. John says Stew worked on him, answered his questions, cajoled his pride, and finally got him to go up, then down and off that awful leap! To this day John still wonders how he did it. Not only that, he also went right back up and did it again!

Long and lanky Dirk Kuzmier remembers a Sunday morning when he and the late lan Macartney imbibed a real snootful of milk punch at the house. As this got boring and the weather outside was beautiful, they both decided to head for the golf links with their boards. They trudged out Rope Ferry Road to the links, tightened their bear traps and headed up to the ridge above the Connecticut. After a couple of laughter-loaded runs down the hills, these combined with some classical spills, the two found themselves out on the ridge past the high tee on the fifth hole. On one side was the long drop to the river below. On the other was the equally steep fall through the woods to the takeoff of the Old Jump into the Vale of Tempe. Dirk recalls standing there, looking around, when Mac, peering down the jump track, turned to him and said, "Will you go if I go?" Sure that Mac was baiting him and would never do it, Dirk almost automatically answered in the af- firmative. To his utter horror he saw Mac drop his poles, turn and head down the steep chute to the jutting lip. Dirk says he saw Mack thrown into the air where he waved his arms and legs like a reeling scarecrow before dropping out of sight, only to bounce back into Dirk's horrified view on the outrun before dragging to a stop. Laughing, Mac climbed to his feet and hollered back up the hill, "Come on, Dirk. It's great!" Dirk says he certainly didn't like it, especially in those old bindings on downhill skis, but he could think of no worthy way to back out. He was trapped! So, taking a deep breath and praying aloud, he pointed his tips downward. One can only imagine what the flailing mirage that flew off the end of the lip must have looked like in the air! Dirk admits the flight and the landing were probably a little awkward, but he also remembers rolling to a great finish where Mac was standing at the end of the outrun. Both laughed - with relief. In saluting his departed friend today, Dirk says, "Mac, what did you put in those milk punches?"

Sometime, probably in late February 1947; the DOC ran a ski meet for all undergrads, excluding the team, who wanted to enter. Interdorm and interfraternity competition were involved as was perhaps the Schniebs-McCrillis Trophy. I only have flashes of data about the subject now, but perhaps those of you who entered will be good enough to pass your memories to me so we can run them later.

Van Raalte advises he had dinner recently in Boston with Bud Elliott. Bud, active and effective '4B bequests chairman from whom we all hear from time to time, is still in real estate in the Boston area, principally apartments. His son John will graduate from his father's alma mater in June this year. VanRaalte also mentioned that sweater manufacturer Marve Axelrod and wife Buzzy just had their fourth or fifth (he wasn't sure) grandchild. Congratulations, Grandpa!

No matter what your opinion on some of the contentious news recently out of Hanover, don't fail to support Bud Munson and this year's Alumni Fund. Your aid makes it possible for Barney Hoisington to give financial aid to deserving would-be Dartmouth men and women who might otherwise not be able to become sons and daughters of Eleazar.

In closing, Earl Chambers suggests that every interested '48 remember to plan for the Navy game festivities during the weekend of October 4. Baltimore party Friday night, boat trip to Annapolis for game, drinks and dinner on boat's return trip to Baltimore after the game. More data later from chairman Bud Gedney.

Bob Macdonald '57 submitted this picture of some of the participants in an alumni hockeygame held at Thompson Arena in February. Left to right are Clay Freeman '5B, Macdonald,Jim Shute '46, Ham Chase '47, and Jeff Milne '67. "It was the Greens versus the Whites,"wrote Chase. "It was a friendly game I forget who won. ... A lot of famed alumniplayed, but the '47s, '46s, and '36s were the crowd pleasers."

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