1931

Because this is a reunion report issue, and because your newly-elected scribe did not attend the festivities of our 55th, I have used and am indebted to the always excellent documentation of our newsletter editor, Bill Wendell, for the details of that event. Since our 1931 family will have already received his newsletter of July 1986, this report will contain those portions of that newsletter regarding the reunion which could also be of interest to others in the alumni body.

Attending the 55th under the '31 tent were 64 classmates, 47 wives, six widows and six guests. These included: Ash, Ball,Bean, Benson, Bettman, Boermeester,Borkum, Brummer, Campbell, John H.Chamberlin, Clarkson, Conklin, Dingman,Frame, Gilmore, Godfrey, Hallenbeck,Hill, Hobbs, Holden, Hunter, Lee,Little, Loveland, Matteson, McCarthy,McDonald, Cubby Miller, Minehan,Nickum, Peschko, Rikkola, Schuldenfrei,Slaughter, Steck, Stoddard, Studwell,Tarr, Wes Taylor, Thorn, Tucker,Walker, Walsh, Waterman, Weatherley,Bill Wilson, Winslow, each with wife; Alton, Babbitt, Baron, Carver, Henry,Hetfield, Spence Miller, Omasta, O'Neill,Page, Peterson, Picken, Rice, Seney,Thomas, Wendell, Doug Wilson; and Mesdames Benger, Cogswell, Donner,Betty Nichols, Seder, and Harriet Wolff. A great party.

New class officers elected for the next five-year duty are: Ralph Hunter, president; Dick Henry, vice president; and yours truly, secretary.

Bill's newsletter had some statistics which leave a question. He writes that about 640 of us matriculated in the fall of 1927. The memorial service at reunion listed 284 who have since passed away. The computer printout just recently sent to me by the Alumni Office lists 278 living classmates. Our 25th yearbook had 618 matriculating of whom 24 had requested separation from alumni participation. Those figures suggest that we have lost track of somewhere between 25 and 50 classmates. I'll look into this and report.

In addition to Bill's data I received letters from two of the classmates who had attended the 55th. Fred Slaughter seconded Bill's opinion that the reunion had been thoughtfully planned and well-executed. He belittled the effect of the occasional rains, and in fact took the positive view that the rains were a part of any traditional wetdown on the Hanover Plain. His was the first report I've had of the post-reunion rally at Whitefield which he described as "sheer frosting." Ed Picken wrote that while the health of his wife, Fannie, is slowly improving, she did not feel up to the trip to Hanover. A solution to the problem was Fannie's staying with her sister, and the sister's husband, although not a Dartmouth alumnus, accompanying Ed to reunion where, according to Ed, he fell in love with the Big Green!

Bill Waterman had invited me to be a participant in the tent sing-along program, and it did my heart good to learn that he led the group which belted out "Eleazar Wheelock" and other favorites of the old guard.

Our class was a stand-out in this year's Alumni Fund campaign. Our target was $140,000, and, as of June 30, we had hauled in over $150,000 with high participation. Final figures will be released soon. So, congratulations to our head agent, Don Stoddard, to his many assistant agents, and to all of you!

Don't forget the Navy game in Annapolis the first weekend in October.

RD2, Box 36-A Schnecksville, PA 18078