1945

There is an adage in New England that vegetables, particularly tomatoes, are not planted before Memorial Day. Class Officers Weekend 1986 certainly proved that May can be frigid, including snow flurries. For the first time in recent memory there was a 100-percent attendance record for 1945 class officers, including Cliff Jordan, Don and Ricki Cole, John Osborn,Vic and Vesta Smith, George and BetsyBarr, John and Molly White, Ted and PatSmith, and the Leggats. Howard Hoots and Spence Johnson showed up for a meeting on Saturday. And a highlight of the weekend was a concert by the new Dartmouth wind ensemble band. If it is in your area, do not miss it.

Naturally there was much discussion about events of the winter at the officer meetings and also at intra-class discussions. My interpretation of all that happened is that approximately 200 students out of 4,000 were very much involved in the shanty incident - some for them and the rest (mostly from The Review) very much "anti." The remainder were pursuing normal activities. Unfortunately some East Coast newspapers portrayed Dartmouth as a candidate for revolution, and that is the story you read. The mood this weekend (and hopefully the unrest is ended) was upbeat. The major result of all that happened is a study of the judicial system on campus with an intent to make corrections. Obviously there is unjustice when students who tore down the shanties are severely disciplined and students who resisted town officials and occupied administration offices are virtually unpunished. The ongoing study is aimed at producing more equitable results in college disciplinary problems.

As promised in the last column, here are Ned Newdick's thoughtful comments from The Boston Globe when he was questioned about the Trustee election contest: "If the group (conservatives) is successful, it might lead to a real nice Jerry Falwelltype college. The Indian would be resurrected, all fresh winds of contemporary thought would be stifled, and the brightest kids in the country would go to other schools in the Ivy League. They are stuck in the past. They want it to be the way it was in the twenties and thirties." By now you know whether alumni agree with Ned by the results of the election. My personal feeling about one issue is that although the abolishing of the Indian symbol never seemed completely logical, it is for now an accomplished fact (letters to the editor notwithstanding), and we should direct attention towards finding a far more imaginative nickname than "Big Green." George Barr has detailed the rest of the class officers meetings in a recent newsletter, but there are other items of interest about classmates following:

Dick Murray, who has retired from teaching and who is working for the National Park Service as "Volunteer in Parks, Museum Collections Repository" (this sounds like a typical 15-hour-per-day retirement job without pay), has been honored by the Amphitheater High School in Tucson, Ariz., with enrollment in its Register of Excellence. Obviously Dick richly deserves this honor for his distinguished teaching career, and we congratulate him.

Jim Andrew is very active in the practice of ophthalmology in Columbus, Ohio, and keeps a busy schedule which still allows time for travel. He and Elaine have recently occupied a new home and enjoyed a January cruise in the British Virgin Islands. They are planning to attend the Annapolis mini-reunion October 3-4 and the Hanover mini-reunion October 17-18. Keep those dates in mind. FrankAldrich writes of a meeting with JohnPhelps in Venezuela and receiving the "immense bounty of his usual concise and measured orientation on present-day Venezuela and its economy."

If you were at the 40th reunion, you may remember Laura Lindner '86, who was the very efficient leader of our student assistants. Laura was at the weekend meeting as newly elected president of the class of 1986 - proof of what ability plus association with '45s can do for a person. Congratulations!

On a sad note we learned that PhilShannon, a loyal classmate who attended the 40th reunion and who took part in other class activities, died on March 16, 1986. Not too long ago he was honored at halftime of a game in Hanover during a mini-reunion for his services to the National Collegiate Football Hall of Fame. A more complete obituary will follow, but I would like to extend personal as well as class sympathies to his wife and family.

That is all the space available until fall, but Box 111 in Westford is always available for news, comments, or whatever. Remember the Alumni Fund (Vic Smith is working overtime again), have a great summer, and please take some time to smell the flowers.

Box 111 Westford, MA 01886