1936

12 Godfrey Road Mashpee, MA 02649

Please note that the address above is once again on Cape Cod. It was a nice winter in occasionally sunny and warm Florida but now the mud flats of the Mashpee River and Pocasset Golf Course are calling.

Unfortunately this copy must be in Hanover several days before the 1988 version of the Babcock Bash held on St. Patrick's Day at the Crescent B Ranch in the remote reaches outside Punta Gorda. In spite of a demoralizing loss that would have floored most people—the complete destruction by fire of his hunting lodge—Fred "Babo"Babcock rolled up his sleeves, put up a big tent, and opened up his wilderness to the class of 1936 for a gathering second to none. A full story will follow in Tithe. Highlights will be reported in the next issue of the Alumni Magazine.

Much space recently was given in Tithe about Bob Button and Jim Conklin in connection with a recent anniversary celebration held by the Voice of America (VOA). I also noted from the 50th Reunion book that Gene Kerns also has been active with them a few years ago.

For family reasons I recently received a copy of the VOA 1988 calendar and it tells quite a history. The VOA's official birthday was February 24, 1942, but its official charter was not signed until July 12, 1976, by President Gerald Ford. From its start in troubled times it beamed programs in English and native tongues to many nations unreachable because of the war. Gradually, as war restrictions and local jamming efforts subsided, the list of countries and languages expanded to close to 50—from Albanian and Amharic through the alphabet to Urdic, Uzbek, and Vietnamese. In 1969 it was estimated that 800 million listened to VOA coverage of man's first moon landing. And just last month even more followed the Winter Olympics in Calgary, Canada. It is good to know that folks from Dartmouth participate in this ambassadorial program.

Of course, the College may not have an equivalent VOA (or VOD) but they sure do cover the Alumni Fund through the DAM, the Printout, the Bulletin, and a new video magazine, "Dartmouth Today," only to mention a few.

The list of May dates in the Dartmouth alumni calendar is quite full of notices of Alumni Fund telethons from practically every corner of the country, so you probably will be hearing from one or more classmates sometime this month. I haven't heard directly from Clay Mellor this winter but I understand that he and Helen have been busy settling into their new found idyllic Vermont retreat. John Sullivan sent me my assignment for the 1988 Alumni Fund drive and said that Clay was suggesting a ten percent increase, if possible. The market shows signs of recovery and the general business outlook is rosy, even for us on the brink of or actually into retirement. So do your pondering now and when Clay callsor your favorite classmate—be all prepared to say "yes."

After the Class Officers Weekend and the 1936 executive committee meeting we will let you know more about our fall reunion, currently set for the second day of autumn, the Lehigh Game, September 24. But before that, even with the anticipated increase in postage, we will let you know about the Lobster Attack at Phyl England's in South Freeport, Maine.

Now winter's over, what's new with you?