1944

Our 45th Reunion is now history, a warm-glow history with unending memories in splendid shapes, shades, and sizes.

Not only a warm-glow. A scorching glow. There was a hot time in the old town, all right, as a heat wave with over 95° temperatures broke records all the way from Hanover to Hades. In this limited space we can only touch on a few of our hot items.

We had our reunion together with '42 and '43, and it was a good jawing and sipping with the older fellows at respective tents and joint meetings. We met twice with President Freedman, and we had our own distinguished '44 panel, with Dick Ranger as emcee. Analyst Dick Rice cautioned on making/losing a million on retirement port folios; barrister Buzz Bensinger warned against leaving our millions without a proper will; dentist Eric Barradale suggested lots of TLC for the old molars; and best of all, Doc Ted Mortimer, an epidemiologist, predicted that most of us would live to be 85.

Class meeting, chaired by outgoing president Ben Jones, and peppered with humor, was held in the old Freshman Commons. No sign of butter pats on the ceiling, but we managed to butter up each other pretty well. Bill Craig will be our president for the next six years.

We had a cookout at Storrs Pond, a clambake at Chase Field, and a gourmet lunch at the DOC House on Occom Pond-and the lunch was on the resplendent new '44 patio, one of several class projects we've sponsored over the years. Our final banquet-cocktails, dinner and dancing-was in the equally new John Berry Sports Center, beautifully decorated by Ann McLaughry and a half-dozen other wife-helpers. The '44 stamp was obvious, from one end of campus to the other.

There were golf and tennis tournaments, organized by Joe Vancisin and Eric Barradale respectively (winners too numerous to mention), a paddle-boat cruise on Lake Sunapee, and not many a dry-eye at the Memorial Service for our 136 deceased classmates. Bill Hirons gave the eulogy; Dale Brougher, Phil Brown, and Bill Orr read out the names.

Lots of singing in the tent after hours. Many an old Mill Stream got paddled upon and many a someone got caught in the kitchen with Dinah.

Happily, five widows joined us in Hanover: Mrs. Robert Allen (Jean), Mrs. HapBush (Mary), Mrs. Ronald King (Joanne), Mrs. Edward Knight (Whickey), and Mrs. William White (Muggsie). And a final, world-shaking statistic: we counted three beards and nine mustaches. Also an old baldy or two-but we won't touch that subject with a ten-foot comb.

To reunion chairman Ezz Hale and his score of helpers go our thousand thanks for bringing us all back to this special place, so "miraculously builded in our hearts."

That's it. Blessings.

Lovejoy Hill Cornish Flat, NH 03746