1938

Thanks to accounts from two of the participants, I can report that the Florida division of those spectacular '38 golfers held their second annual match last February 10 at the Oxbow Country Club in Port La Belle, Fla. Fourteen classmates, some residents of central Florida, others only winter sojourners, showed up for the event: Tom Roberts, Jack Stephens, Ben Walkley, Parker Holden, Harry Connor, John Meachem, Bob Murphy, Karl Seidenstucker, Bill Main, Jack Renchard, Bob Jones, Ed White, Em Marsteller, and Paul Feakins. For the second time Harry Connor and Paul Feakins were co-organizers of the event.

My first correspondent, Harry Connor, reports that the 13 players who teed off "had handicaps ranging from 9 to 30, so you can see we have an open-door policy that accommodates a wide range of golfers." The 14th participant, Em Marsteller, "is just taking up the game," Harry adds.

Along with his account, my second reporter, Parker Holden, also sent along the picture of the group reproduced on page 59. The order in which the names of the players appear in the first paragraph above is also the order in which they appear, left to right, in the picture.

In addition to reporting the winning foursome in the match (Connor, White, Walkley, and Holden), Parker also writes that in February the Holdens joined a couple of other temporary residents of Ft. Myers, Fla., Jim and Tina Towne, for a pleasant evening of cocktails and dinner. The Townes were in Ft. Myers, as Parker writes, "for a short stay."

Not all the recent news is from the Sunbelt. From George Hanna '39 has come a report of the extraordinary generosity of his lifetime friends and neighbors, George andMidge Kingsbury. As of December 31, 1986, George and Midge gave to the Society for the Protection of New Hampshire Forests a conservation easement on their 200- acre farm in Keene which ensures that the land will remain forever free from development, even by subsequent owners, and can be used in perpetuity only for agriculture, recreation, and forestry. In an area of the town now under severe commercial development pressure, the land had increased rapidly in value in recent years before George and Midge decided to donate the easement. It is "certainly one of the most generous gifts the poeple of Keene have ever received," editorialized the Keene Sentinel on January 9. "In an era of rapid development and escalating land values, it's rare that people choose to sacrifice their personal economic interest for the benefit of generations to come. The Kingsburys have done just that." That is very well said indeed!

An addendum to last month's report on classmates on Hilton Head Island: the roster is now complete; I did finally manage to touch base with Tom McGrath. Small wonder I couldn't raise him by phone in February; he was away on a skiing vacation. When he returned he got in touch with me, and we met for a small "attitude adjustment hour" in the handsome new house that he and Peggy built last year in Moss Creek Plantation. We were joined for the occasion by Fran and Nancy Worcester, who are close neighbors of the McGraths in Moss Creek. Unfortunately, we missed seeing Peggy this time since she was away on a trip to Southeast Asia. With this social note my Hilton Head news comes to an end for this year. Next week we head back home again for what is left of the Maine winter.

THE-WAY-IT-WAS DEPARTMENT

Hey, hey, it's the first day of May ... so what else but Green Key! From the Dartmouth 50 years ago, May 1, 1937: "SwingClimaxes Weekend at Green Key Prom Tonightin Gym.

"One thousand balloons, a motif of green and white, and a rotating crystal ball will bedeck Alumni Gymnasium as the Key matches swing and sweet music at its annual promenade, from 10 to 4 tonight.

"Representing hot jazz will be Benny Goodman and his fourteen piece band, starring the sensational drummer Gene Krupa and Benny himself on the clarinet. Representing sweet music will be Johnny Long and his orchestra, playing danceable rhythms in the Hal Kemp style

I can hear it now!

From the Green to the green: the '38 golfers, Florida division at Port La Belle, Fla., met in February.See the '38 column for details.

Box 42 Waterford, ME 04088