1931

In early February John H. Chamberlin weighed in with a most interesting account of some year-end travel, which I'll quote:

"In December Ellen and I took off for a week in Paris, managing to avoid both the student riots and the transport strike. Then on to Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates for the holidays with son John W. '63 and family. He is political officer at the Embassy there. We had lots of sun, and a little Persian Gulf fishing and falconing.

"After Christmas we drove across the peninsula, through the mountains ,to Fujaira, one of the Emirates which has beaches and a port on the Indian Ocean. When we were checking out of the Fujaira Hilton, we bumped into a friend of John's who was checking in. He was Kunio Katakura, the present Japanese ambassador to UAE, who was a Dartmouth student on an exchange program in 1958 (not a grad). We had a fiveminute, three-man Dartmouth reunion ('31, '58, and '63) in the lobby, complete with reminiscences, until Kunio had to leave for his meeting with the local sheiks, and we to continue our trip."

John also wrote that Ellen and he are in touch with Patsy and Bill Walsh a couple of times a year, but that he had no recent news of Art Ecker, who has a summer place nearby. A sombre sequel to his letter was a note with the news of the death on Feburary 18 of Frank Welch's widow, Carol, after a long illness.

A footnote to the account of the Charnberlins' trip to the UAE was the recent news that Abu Dhabi had recorded its first snow fall ever in late February, an event incom prehensible to those who have experienced the summer temperatures of the Gulf States, which are in the same league as those in Death Valley. By only a few weeks that superb Arab hospitality missed in its try to make those two visiting New York State snowbelters feel at home!

Ed Brummer wrote that he received a Christmas card enclosing a check for ten dollars from Alex McKenzie '32, with whom he had not been in touch in 55 years. The card contained a note which read, "When you departed after graduation in 1931 you left me some odds and ends, and told me I owed you ten dollars for them, but that I would make a modest fortune selling chances." Ed added that further correspondence with Alex revealed that Alex had written that he'd made the comment "loan repayment" on the check not because the loan was on his books, but because it was on his Scots-New England conscience. Those words "modest fortune" may catch the eagle eye of the '32 class agent, and, should substantial, incremental gift(s) to the Alumni Fund ensue, then, Don Stoddard, be sure to collect a finder's fee for '31!

Sam Groves thoughtfully sent a note with the local newspaper obituary of Russ Beckwith. Ozzie Bliss called with similar information, then a second time to report on the memorial service for Russ on February 21 in Tequesta, Fla., attended by a very large number of friends. All of the children of Betty and Russ were present, as were Leeand Bill Schuldenfrei, Si Leach, and Ozzie representing the class.

Further to Bill Wendell's report on the selection of Vic Herwitz by the New York State Bar Association for their 50-year Award, Vic's brother, Oren '27, sent me copies of the award documents, of which you'll get more news in the future.

RD #2, Box 36-A Schnecksville, PA 18078