1936

In a recent "Peanuts" strip Charlie Brown was chatting with a friend whose Grandpa said his ambition was to be a perfect grandparent, which was, as they concluded, somebody who has made at least one hole-in-one. I joined the ranks some two years ago and it has rankled my wife, June, until a week ago when, on January 6, 1990, she became an eligible perfect grandparent by getting a hole-in-one on the 16th at Miles Grant Country Club. Now, back to the drawing board.

The response to the bridge problem in the November issue was delightful. With 36 answers from classes of '24 through '76, the DAM should be pleased to see how readership is not confined to just the issuing class. The distaff members of the alumni joined in with a note from "Bounce" Woodbridge in Florida and Clare (Mrs. John) Hardham in California. Jessie Flouton, sister-in-law of Allen Flouton sent in a solution which she said was by courtesy of a distant cousin from Halifax, Nova Scotia, who is 94 years young. Elaine Little, wife of Ken Little '51, and mother of Christopher '85, got the Dartmouth Women's Club of Boston to field an answer.

Jack Patrick from Portland, Ore., called on the bridge-playing members of his club for the solution. Jack also said that he and Jean were just back from a month's vacation in a farm cottage in the Valley of the Dordogne River—a gorgeous part of France where the weather was perfect, the food magnificent, and the people delightful.

Can't say the same about the Florida weather. Although now it is relatively a good vacation climate, over the holidays a deep freeze hit the area badly so that the trees are mostly bare and all other foliage is an unhappy brown. They say the vegetation will come back eventually; in the meantime, Dartmouth Green will be the outstanding color. I know that the Peninsula is teaming with '36ers, among whom down in Lake Worth is Al Pactovis, who says he doesn't miss the Quincy (Mass.) winters or his little old shoe store which for years treated him so well. With golf and furnishing a new condo, however, I haven't had time to ferret out the other boys in Green.

A note from Norb Hofman says that life in the Bay Area is most satisfying. They don't miss the snow, sleet, and ice that are winter trademarks of the East, and "even the recent quake, which was scary as hell, didn't shake our loyalty to the area one bit. Outside of an emotional jolt, we suffered absolutely no damage. Ditto for our son and his wife in San Francisco."

Back in November the Montshire Museum of Science, brainchild of Robert G. Chaffee, who died in 1986, formally opened its new home in Norwich, Vt. Bob's widow, Dorcas, has continued his endeavors, and along with a group of "local ordinary citizens" has moved the museum from a converted bowling alley in Hanover to a 90-acre expanse across and along the Connecticut River complete with a vast collection of native flora, fauna, fossils, and minerals displays that make a visit exciting for visitors of any age. Come our 55th in June 1991, this new landmark should be included in our tour of the area.

6041 S.E. Landing Way, #16, Stuart, FL 34997