1938

Box 42 Waterford, ME 04088

Finally, here it is. By some perspectives it seems to have been a long time coming, by others it seems to have come all in a rush. But, however you measure it, we're there. That indefinite future has resolved into the definite present, and now our 50th Reunion isn't even next year. It's NEXT MONTH.

By the time you read this you will have received not only Dick Francis's final reunion appeal but also our 50-year book. If you are One of those who have decided not to come back to Hanover, or if you are still one of the waverers, these two final mailings ought surely to stir up some second thoughts. And late as it is, you can still join 200 of your classmates at 1938's most memorable event on June 10-12. The time to take the plunge is now. Right now! All that's required is a note or a call to Dick Francis (29 Decorie Drive, Wilbraham, MA 01095; tel. 413/596-6246). Gentlemen: '38 OUT!

As I write this, in early March, the annual '38 Florida winter golf tournament is about to start. Since my copy for this column must be mailed to Hanover a few days before the event, we'll have to rely on Dan Marshall to give us the full details in the Pace Setter. One week before the match, however, PaulFeakins reports that 14 classmates—about evenly divided between permanent Florida residents and winter transients from up North—have signed on: Gil Tanis, BobFoley, Bob Reeve, John Johnson, BillMain, Ed White, Tom Roberts, Rod Washburn, Karl Seidenstucker, Harry Connor,Parker Holden, John Meacham, Bill Jones, and Paul Feakins, with Rog Baker as a probable. Moreover, this year four wives will also participate: Claire Reeve, CarolJohnson, Jean Seidenstucker, and JaneFeakins. They'll all tee off on March 15 at the Ox Bow Country Club, Port La Belle, Fla. En garde, La Belle!

Though Mary and I abandoned Hanover for Maine six years ago, the town somehow seems to have survived without us. Apparently the '38 residents still regularly pursue their appointed rounds. Or at least so said Ev Wood during a recent phone conversation. Woody had just come from a lunch with Dave Bradley, he reported, and he sees Gil Tanis, John Scotford, Earl Ward and others with some regularity.

Now, I beg your indulgence for a moment. Barring some unexpected turn, this will be my last column. I've asked the nominating committee to submit to you, at our June class meeting, the name of a new nominee for class secretary. No trauma, no big deal, no regrets, certainly. Quite the contrary, I've very much enjoyed working with you. It's no secret that '38 was one of those classes that began to cohere rather late in the day, but in recent years we have drawn together in magnificant fashion, thanks to the dedication and effort of many, many classmates. I'm happy to have been a small part of that effort. Now it's time for someone new. But before I go, one final retrospective:

THE-WAY-IT-WAS DEPARTMENT

May 1938. Our last Green Key Weekend. "Dorsey Grabs Horn,/ Whips Mob to Frenzy/' blared the Dartmouth. "Tommy Dorsey hits middle C at 10 sharp tonight, and 'l'm Getting Sentimental Over You' starts the ninth annual Green Key prom." Do you remember who the second band was? Artie Shaw, no less, who brought along a new blues singer just coming into prominence. Billie Holliday. Our four years in college were almost over. But what a send-off we had!

So long, my friends.

RECAPTURE THE RAPTURE 10,11 & 12 June 1988