1948

Last November's final game of Dartmouth's 110th football season was fought in Princeton's Palmer Stadium, the 71st encounter between these two old rivals. It was a classic showdown, as have been so many of the 37 season-ending games that the Big Green and the Tigers have fought in that same stadium over the years since their first final in 1934. The Ivy championship has been decided several times in these emotion-packed contests. This year's was no exception as underdog Dartmouth prevailed 34-20 over tough Princeton, described earlier in the season as "the best in the Ivy League" by Sports Illustrated. The game was witnessed by a good turnout of almost 25,000, which included a big Big Green contingent. Jim Schaefer tells me that Bob Reynolds was there. Dick Dahl and Don Drescher set up a tailgate party in the parking lot before the game but were disappointed when no other '48 Garden Staters turned up to enjoy some of Dot's chicken. ('48s, look for the Dahls two years from now! Dick believes some among DickBarlow, Bob Bryan Joe Brady, Jim Cleaves,Jack Clemence, Wood Devoe, Bob Heine,Norm Laird, Pete Norton, John Park, DavePearson, Dave Richards, Phil Ruegger,Dan Schuman, Lou Springsteen, BobTarrant, Bill Weir, Charlie Werber, BillWheeler, and Jerry Zins had to be there.)

Dick has attended each of the 31 Paimer Stadium D-P season finals since 1949, and he felt this year's was in the great tradition. He particularly shakes his head in recalling the 1950 wild one when he and old roommate Sam Wilkinson suffered through the famous "hurricane game," which featured a wind so powerful that kicks and passes were impossible. He remembers how the ref had to hand the ball to the center, and how when a ball or towel or helmet or water bucket got loose on the field the wind grabbed it and took it right up and out of the stadium. Dick thinks that contest probably shouldn't have been played, but it was spectacular

While on hurricanes, it was great to hear from Dr. Dwight Burley in Coral Gables and to talk with retired Al Cassin, who lives south of Dwight on Florida's Key Largo. Hurricane Andrew in August cut a horribly destructive swath across the Sunshine State's east coast just south of Dwight and just north of Al. Both families suffered"minor damage but escaped the devastating tragedy of the event which Al feels will be remembered for a long, long time by those who were caught in the area in between. (Your writer lived in the struck area in 1972-76, and I understand our old house in a nice neighborhood is now just a cement slab in a sea of junk.)

Across the state in St. Pete, irrepressible Dick Bredenberg says he has retired a second time, but his busy program belies this. Although he's left the directorship of the Leadership Development Program at Eckerd College, he's both physically active and keeps mentally stimulated by his participation in the college's Academy for Senior Professionals, which has fascinating activities for retirees. Dick invites any '48 "who would like to retire in this area and continue to be active mentally" to join. Dick, keep up the great work.

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