1948
The autumn leaves on the Hanover hills normally reach their magnificent peak of color in the first ten days of October. Hope many of you find a way to visit the Plain this year during this marvelous fall month.
A '48 couple in Hanover with us after WW II were Jack and Ellie Murphy. I recently reached Jack before he entered a Denver hospital. Jack won his bachelor's at Dartmouth in September 1947, then spent two more years in Hanover before being awarded Dartmouth's first master's in geology in June '49. Both Murphys remember with great affection Professor Dick Stoiber, now retired, probably the most respected and well-liked geology teacher in Dartmouth history—an opinion often expressed by my late roommate, lanMacartnery, who was inspired by the same man. When I was trying to locate Jack by phone at the USGS in Denver, a worshipful young lady said, "You mean THE Jack Murphy, the executive secretary of the Society of Economic Geologists?" Ellie later advised with relief that Jack successfully weathered his painful operation.
It was a pleasure to note the accolade to the "comeback" class of'48 read at last April's Class Officers Weekend in Hanover. Our divided military/civilian origins during WW II were cited, as well as Bud Gedney's hard work in strengthening our unity. The statement that there were only 74 civilian '48 freshmen in 1944, however, troubled some of our historyminded brethren. Dave Anthony forwarded from Tulsa several years ago a copy of an article from The Dartmouth of March 17,1944, which reported that 39 civilian freshmen matriculated that month "as the vanguard of the class of 1948." Then Ted Thornton wrote Sam Wilkinson that he counted 199 '48 freshmen in his '48 Green Book, most of whom he recalls as civilians (well over 200, I believe) who first came to campus just after July 4, 1944, to be gradually joined by other military and civilians over die next several years. Those who can cast farther light on '48 origins, please advise so our history can be clarified.
In the Summer issue your writer congratulated a great fellow, Marve Durning '49. Bing would be the first to acknowledge that it was really our own Marve Axelrod who again led '4B over the top in the recent Alumni Fund drive, when the College overall could not. Sorry for the mix-up, Marves.
A lifted tot of Eleazar's 500 to salute Dr. Jerry Lucey whose pioneering research/treatment work involving a host of children's medical problems has earned international recognition as well as a $100,000 Award of Excellence from Ronald McDonald Children Charities to be utilized by the University of Vermont to further advance his magnificent research. To Dr. Sam Katz for his pioneering research at Duke on children with AIDS and for his chairing several national public policy committees dealing with this horrendous problem (thanks to Tom Huffman on this). To "T.T." Metzel, founder and operator of the wondrous Great Expectations Bookstore in Evanston, for his receipt of the first Service to Society Award from the Northwestern University Alumni Association last April. And to ever-active Wid Washburn, who last May received an honorary degree at St. Lawrence University's Commencement in Canton, N.Y., for his work and writings since 1965 as director of the Office of American Studies at the Smithsonian. These men bring honor to all '48s.
F.R. Drury Jr., 10214 Del Monte, Houston, TX 77042
