1932

Now we have discarded sport shirts for sweaters, looking back half wistfully to summer's unwonted heat. Some of us remember high spots. Ben and Sally Drew cruised out of Edinburgh, island hopping to Iceland. What a coincidence to find Babe and Sylvia Weinberg aboard! Howdy and Dottie Pierpont visited Ed Smith in Bermuda. John and Rita Richardson will regale you with the glories of Norway's fjords as seen from the QE2.Charlie Mayo didn't have to travel to attend the dedication of a bronze plaque marking Eugene O'Neill's 100 th birthday. The plaque happens to be on Mayo property. Charlie well remembers the days when O'Neill's first plays were presented at the Provincetown Playhouse.

Our sterling head agent Milt Alpert and his life partner Lil went to Alaska, there to marvel at "a new surprise every day Eskimos, pipelines, Russian influences, icebergs breaking from glaciers with seals on board." The wildlife alone must have been worth the trip: "bear, caribou, moose, eagles, salmon on their way to spawn, whales in their northern waters."

Ed and Vera Marks spent three memorable weeks on Martha's Vineyard. Ed, by the way, continues to serve on the U.S. Committee for UNICEF and is Chairman of the U.S. Committee for Refugees. "The refugee is a constant in our time," Ed says. "More than 20 African countries have given asylum to refugees from Ethiopia, South Afr ica, Mozambique, Uganda, and other stricken areas. Some four million Afghans who fled from their country await a solution." He also mentions, unresolved refugee crises in Central America, Southeast Asia, and the Middle East. For further information ask Ed for a free copy of "World Refugee Survey."

Ed received a foundation grant "which funded a half-hour pilot tape for a planned series of 13 radio programs celebrating the American comic song. Kaye Ballard and Julie Wilson were our hosts for the pilot, which we will now use to promote funds for the rest of the 'Funny Bones' series." He is hoping you will suggest to him irresistibly funny or zany songs you recall. "Keep it clean," Ed adds. "This is a family show!"

Harry P.Rowe, Box 286, Grantham, NH 03753