1942

As Carnival approaches the weather turns mild. Marjorie Carlin of Brooklyn is Carnival Queen. Fred Waring's appearance at the mid-winter celebration was term "not desirable" by the Daily Dartmouth. Twelve hundred guests beautified the Hanover Plain. Later in the month Hoppy scored "False Liberalism" by liberal arts colleges as he addressed a New York City audience. February 1940. Fifty years ago.

In the absence of supplied news this month, I got on the phone to the Bay Area of California to check on classmates and the earthquake.

Bill Clark and Ernie Friez were in San Francisco when the quake struck. Bill reported that he was at home to watch the start of game three of the Series. Bill, whose home looks down on the Marina area of San Francisco, said it was "pretty scary," but he escaped with only a broken plate glass window. Bill has been in San Francisco for over 35 years, mostly as a representative of Northwestern Mutual Life. He now shares an office with classmate John Stewart, who is an investment advisor.

Ernie lives at the "solid rock" end of Beach Street, which on its Marina end suffered great damage. Ernie, who was walking home to watch the Series ("The Series was a godsend. It had people home earlier than normal.") suffered little damage but was without lights for five days and only in mid-November did he get gas and hot water back. Ernie is now in "executive search work for the hospitality industry" and working as a paid volunteer for the GOP.

Duncan Williams, south of San Francisco in Portola Valley, escaped "scot free." Duncan has been in California for 34 years, having gone west to develop outdoor skating after teaching engineering at the University of Wisconsin. Dune said his outdoor skating concept is proving sound now, with his "baby" being run by a non-profit organization. He meantime has been doubling by teaching at San Jose State University.

Jim Froude was in Letterman General Hospital, San Francisco, having a highblood-pressure problem checked out, when the earthquake hit. Jim's home in San Bruno, south of San Francisco, suffered no damage. Jim, at age 70, is still flying.

Cappy Rix, in Oakland, was on his way home on the freeway from San Leandro at the critical moment. "My car lurched like I had a flat" Cappy reports, but that was it. Cappy lives about ten miles from the site of the Nimitz Freeway tragedy. Cappy now works for Alamedo County, working to rehabilitate substance-abuse offenders. "The rewards are few," Cappy says, "but the few I do get when someone goes straight are great."

And finally, as I go to press, a note from Jack Harriman in Los Angeles reports on the death in late October of Reed Griffith in Fresno. The class extends its sympathy to Janet and their three children.

P.O. Box 504, Burlington, VT 05402