1944

Amongst our budding young authors is Jack Snobble, who had a dandy piece, "The Hole-in-the-Rock Trail Herd," in the September 1989 issue of The Western Horseman magazine. As noted a while back, Jack rides with cowboys every year or so searching out cattle that have spent the winter in the vast desert triangle in southeast Utah, and this is the story of one such ride. "Somehow," writes Jack, "herding cows always makes me think of pushing water with a rake."

Sy Schutz, retired from the building business in Long Island, says that you can go home again, after a fashion. "Last year," he writes, "I took a five-week trip retracing my G.I. tour of duty in Europe, 1944-46, from Ludgershall, England, to Lamnach, Austria. I first researched in the National Archives, so I went 'armed' with information and a meaningful itinerary. I traveled alone, thought much, learned much, and rekindled pleasures and pain. And I contacted several Europeans I met during the war. I recommend such a solo trip to anyone who ever thought of doing it."

Bob and Nancy Colwell also hit the travel circuit last year. Residents of New Rochelle, N.Y., they spent 16 days in La Rochelle, France, celebrating the 300th anniversary of the founding of New Rochelle by the Huguenots, the two Rochelles having maintained a sister-city status for many years.

Nice long letter from Walt Olin, who retired to Albuquerque in 1988 after 24 years in Denver in the manufacturer's agency business (plumbing and heating). He loves the warmer weather and says he and wife Barb play lots of tennis and go hiking every month. Walt is president of the local Shrine temple band and so gets in lots of tootling. Last fall the band played at the parade for the 16th annual convention of Congressional Medal of Honors winners. The Olins also visited the Bruce Deans in South Carolina (Barb is Brace's sister), and they ran into John Peacock coming out of a restaurant in Hawaii.

Obstetrician Bob Wiley, in Laconia, N.H., has had to slow down because of back problems, but he's slated for retirement in early 1991 in any case. The Wileys have 12 grandchildren, ten boys and two girls, and they'll be spending a couple of months this winter near St. Petersburg, Fla.

Jack and Vinnie Jenness have also chosen Florida for wintering. They leave New Hampshire for Ft. Pierce where they bought a little place a year ago.

Perusing The New York Times: An October 8, 1989, letter to the editor from Al Hormel on the subject of subsidized art and the controversial Mapplethorpe photographs; a November 12 letter to the book review section from John Pairman Brown in Berkeley, pointing out an error in the reviewer's knowledge of Greek vases; and a letter from Greg Rabassa January 7, 1990, chiding Vincent Canby '45 and a reviewer for omissions in their discussions of the movie "Glory."

We end on a sad note. Tom Close of Norwich, Vt., died New Year's Eve of complications following heart surgery. Our sympathies.

That's it. Blessings.

P.O. Box 24, Lovejoy Hill, Cornish Flat, NH 03747