1939

It has been a pleasure to write these notes over the past few months without having to record the passing of any classmate. We are not so lucky this month.

Jim MacPherson died on August 26 in Windsor, Vt. This word was received via Jim Corner from Bob Wehmeyer from Kezar Falls, Maine. Bob had roomed with Jim for two years of graduate study at Harvard. An obituary is in this or a succeeding issue.

Gene Weeks writes the following from Tennessee: "In the army if I'd had as good a P.R. man as Bob Davidson, I'd have been a general. He embarrasses me! Otherwise I think he's doing a marvelous job." Gene has had his computer working overtime assisting Davidson in putting together the Class Directory which, if delivered on time, should be in your hands by this reading.

Speaking of Davidson, he has put us to work trying to write a summary of those "golden years of sport" back in the late thirties for our 50th year book. This sent us back to the Aegis issues of 1937, '38, and '39. And in the process of trying to summarize, make it as brief as possible, but entertaining, and all those other epithets that are so hard to come by, we ran across some interesting questions. We could get the answers by a brief phone call in some cases, but it's almost more fun to speculate. Let us explain. We remember fondly the tall and the short on the basketball court, with Moose Dudis and George Hanna combining for a few scores in our junior year.

But in the winter of '39 George seems to have abandoned the court. Why?

We remember that marvelous sack that Joe Pyrtek accomplished at the Yale Bowl at a critical time in end of the game when Yale was threatening. But did you remember that Joe was a pitcher on the baseball team in his sophomore year? One of the regular outfielders in our senior year on the League-winning baseball team was none other than Joe Cotton, better known as a running back in football and a starting forward on the League-winning basketball teams.

Did you remember that Jack Stewart was a letter winner in basketball and track, and that Ace Bailey, an all-American soccer player who captained the Green in his senior year, was also one of the top pole-vaulters in the East? Say, I'm beginning to get quite excited about my nostalgic trip through the world of sports in the late thirties. If the editor doesn't leave the stuff on the cutting room floor, you've got a treat in store for '89.

Ben and Louise Eckerson report that as of September 20 they have moved out of Washington, D.C., to a "home for aged orphans" at Collington Community, 10450 Lottsford Road, Mitchellville, MD 20716, 301/925-7534.

We have seen a bit of Betsy WymanEmmons, Dusty and Happy Rohde, and Jim Powers around the lower Maine coast line this summer, and in our only trip to the great American heartland, to a wedding in hot Des Moines, we could raise no one from the class.

See you next month.

Richard S. Jackson, 777 West Street, Pittsfield, MA 01201