1947

63 Maple Avenue Keene, NH 03431

This is being written in mid-April for our Summer column. I'm looking ahead to June, when we'll be together, socializing and remembering and reacquainting with Dartmouth and ourselves.

It is fun to browse back into that computer-like memory, and rerun some of the old videos, recalling names, places, and faces as though it were yesterday. I am more apt to recall things I was involved in so most of the pictures have me in them, but a lot of classmates appear in featured roles.

Crosby Hall was a close-knit group of freshmen. John Hawks and I shared a room in 308, across from Marty Marino '46, and Marty shared his room with 47,698 records and another roommate. Marty's chief delight besides preparing for med school was to train freshmen in going astray. He served me my first drink, beer, and it only took only a short while before we were roaring up Main Street, on foot of course about midnight—and I think Bob Motlong and I were exchanging feats of strength. Bob and his roommate Cotton Johnson were out for football, and feats of strength were definitely in. As we walked or vaulted past some sidewalk construction, each of us rattled the parking meters, sitting atop a tall three-inch diameter pipe. "Do we need a parking meter, Bob?" I asked, and grabbed one by a throttle-hold and heaved. Amazingly the meter came aloft in my hands, post and all with a small ball of concrete. They could never convince me it was previously loosened.

Norm Fink will not forget the hours spent working on the Crosby snow sculpture, along with Jerry Franklin, John Slade, Doc Curely, Bill Buckingham, Pete Townsend, and Dee Mallory. We won a prize. Crosby was our "fraternity," since the houses were all closed for the duration.

After the service, I was fortunate to have as roommates Pete Larson and Jack Young. Pete was all-Ivy in wrestling, along with Bob Bach, who is still involved in the sport, and also along with late classmate Neil Beard, another fine wrestler. Jack carried on a fine football tradition, and encouraged me to play spring practice, which I enjoyed but in which didn't move up too high. I was a skin. They had Green jerseys, and white, and then the rest were skins.

Jack and Pete were a big help to me in my music course, under Professor Don Cobleigh. Don used to walk past Crosby to class, and as he went by, Jack would get me to play my guitar and then to comment on the great playing loudly out the window I needed a good mark, but it was the only course I ever failed—probably Don Cobleigh didn't like cowboy tunes. Jack and I also shared a great course under Doc Griggs, Zoology 17, where we drew trees and fished and ate some moose meat with Ross McKenny. Now there's a man for the ages, by gar. That Ross was unforgettable. I also enjoyed Botany 21 in the green-house with Professor "Tiger" Lyons. Buckingham and I made many trips in his old wooden station wagon, into the woods of Velvet Rocks, Mink Brook, under caves near the Bema. We found Christmas Tree ferns, Solomon's seal, twisted stalk, Indian pipe, and I wrote a thesis on the African violet, Saintpaulia lonantha, which is still a model for my grandchildren.

Al Foley made life interesting with Cowboys and Indians covering the important parts of American History. And I sat next to Ed Ajemian in Battle-a-Day, history with Professor Stillwell.

"Where were all the serious courses?" you may ask. Those I took with Buck, Harley Timbers, and his girlfriend Elaine, who was up to Hanover most of the time, and Bill Hallager, all roommates during the serious years at Thayer School. Our engineering class was one of the more intelligent groups on campus at the time, boasting such braintrusts as "Bear" Davis, also the chug-a-lug champion at Tri-Kap, Tom Chace, George Spinney, Paul Henegan, Bill "Red" Scollard, and Don Baisley. Don and I were on that surveying party which was responsible for relocating Baker Hall back to its present site after a survey group with Paul Henegan and Mike Pender had placed the Tower slightly south of the Hanover Inn.

L.B. Richardson, also a legend, ran the scariest classes I ever attended, Chem 1 and 2. He would recall me, not for academic achievement, but as the only undergraduate ever to set fire to his shirt using a bunsen burner.

I remember running early mornings two miles out to Storr's Pond for chin-ups, a dip in ice water, and a trot back to the dorm. Bill Dahlin and Ken Brown were runners also.

And the DDA has a lot of memories for those who worked there. It was great for extra food, some of the dieticians were hot numbers, and the potato throwing was not my fault.

There were many weekends Frank Weber and I spent with the Dartmouth Christian Union (DCU) helping local farmers.

Also some work groups with DOC Hugh Chapin, Bob Nelson, and Nick Nickelson were usually in on this.

If you think all this reminiscing is fun, wait till the year 1997 when we are able to reminisce about our 40th Reunion back in June 1987.

All those who attended will recall a great time was had by all.