1932

The latest in a lifetime of honors for distinguished poet Reuel Denney is the 1987 Hawaii Award for Literature. In May Governor Waihee presented the award "to honor major contributions to the world of literature." Now a professor emeritus at the University of Hawaii-Manoa, Reuel continues to write poetry and is at work on a novel. On your next visit to Hanover, stop in at Sanborn if you are so inclined and ask the nice librarian in charge whether you may examine the Denney volumes. Maybe you'll start with Reuel's first, The Connecticut River and Other Poems (1937), chock full of images to which we can all relate. Turn first to "Norwich Hill" and revel in nostalgia.

Another May event was the 50th wedding anniversary of Francis and Beulah Brown. It seemed as if half the town of Henniker, N.H., turned out to honor the retired physician who had provided their medical services for over 40 years Children and grandchildren returned from Alaska, Florida, and England to help the Browns celebrate.

Have you been in Northumberland lately? A postcard showing a Roman fort and Hadrian's Wall bore this message: "Nine months ago we walked on the Great Wall of China. Two days ago we walked on Hadrian's Wall here in Britain. Not as spectacular as the China job but still quite an effort with the limited manpower available nearly a thousand years ago." This intriguing observation was unsigned. Wonderfully legible penmanship though. A few weeks later came another card with a slightly scurrilous picture and a feeble explanation for the unsigning. This one had to be forwarded and — wouldn't you know it? the Grantham post office pasted their forwarding sticker over the signature. Luckily the franking stamp at the top showed "Essex CT." I'm betting on Bo Wentworth.

Bill Sumner checks in from suburbia (of Concord, N.H.). He and Jeffie, who gallantly battles some of the maladies that flesh is heir to, get around locally. In fact, Bill sometimes fishes trout out of the pond in which Charlotte and I do our summer swimming. Bill does a little golf too, and grows succulent purple beans (as do I).

Box 286, Grantham, NH 03753