1939

From Rog Stanwood comes the sad news of the passing of George Adams in Missouri City, Tex., on January 7. (Obit in this or subsequent issue.)

These notes are being written on the west coast of Florida, where both Math and I have been recuperating from the Northern flu which had us nailed to a bed of pain in Pittsfield for two weeks.

We tried to reach Fred and Ruth Mowatt, who have a winter home in Sarasota, but learned from a renter that for the moment they were back in their quarters in New Hampshire, presumably enjoying the winterscape.

We reached John Gauntlett in his yearround residence in Sarasota. We'd last seen John at our 50th, following which he and Helen went "home" to Ithaca, N.Y., to touch base with old friends and associates before returning to Florida.

No luck on a call to Sid Curtis in Sarasota, but we had a good conversation with Bob Harlan, in Venice, Fla. Bob says he keeps busy fishing out of his 19-foot boat and playing as much golf as he can fit in. He had suffered an operation of his larynx, but appears to be handling the consequences remarkably well if one can judge from our phone conversation.

We had a great conversation with ShirleySpiltoir who reported that she and Chick had just returned from a week a Elderhostel at Stetson College. She explained that they have taken advantage of a number of Elderhostel visits around the country—which combines travel with academic courses. They've also been to Nova Scotia, Kennebunk, Maine, and New York City and are looking into a trip to Denmark and Norway. In the meantime they have been entertaining their new grandson, born on january 5. As Shirley says, "This youngster has done more in a month than I did in my first 15 years."

The Spiltoirs see a great deal of Dick andSue Baldauf, who live in nearby Englewood, Fla.

Pep and Rita Gray are visiting in Bradenton, Fla., for the month of February. From elsewhere around the country, Michigan to be exact, Sam Dix acknowledges a birthday card and in the process suggests that he expects to be around this old earth for some time to come, having two grandparents who lived into their 90s. Because of such a sturdy foundation, Sam is still doing his share of physical work on his Michigan farm having, in the last month, cleared three acres of woods and one of muck in building a trout pond that will have a nine-foot dam. His farm features two holes of a golf course, lots of birds, deer, and even some crop production. Sam sees Mugs Bly, the master politician, from time to time, as he lives not too far away.

Duke Lyon passes on word that MaryDickgiesser and her son Robert (Thayer School graduate) threw a surprise party celebrating Bob's being in the business for 50 years as head of the Charles J. Dickgiesser Company. Obviously this is one of the oldest companies in Connecticut owned and operated by the same family since its inception.

777 West Street, Pittsfield, MA 01201