1947

This month Dick Hollerith is again guest columnist. He has done deep research into past newspapers and magazines to uncover what a lot of future class leaders (classes '45 to '48) were doing 50 years ago. Did you know you were being watched?

As you know from Ed Grady's newsletters, there has been good response to the V-12 celebration planned for July 16-18. Since Ed's last, and by early March, the following added their names to the list: Karl E. Becker,Clayton H. Birdsall, Vic Brun, Leroy M.Cahoon, Daniel T. Carroll, Robert E.Cook, Arthur Diemer, Robert Harvey, PaulHenegan, Alfred Hill John Kevill, LeonardJ. Kojm, Larry Laskey, Francis X. Mahoney,Robert F. Marden, Robert E. Mulligan, andW. A. Ragan. Eighty percent will be coming with wives. There will be a review and two variety shows, and a marine-navy color guard will be on hand. As covered in the '42-43 alumni magazines, the V-12 was not the first navy unit on campus. In July 1942 the Naval Indoctrination School began its first eightweek session with 984 officers taking over College Hall, New Hampshire, Topliff, Ripley, Woodward, Smith, and 13 classrooms, and utilizing Rollins Chapel as a study hall. By the time the program was completed 11 months later, 5,000 officers had graduated, including a number of Dartmouth alumni from the classes of '24—'42, of whom one of the most famous was Eddie Jeremiah. In March of '43 the undergraduates on campus were down to 1,250 men, of whom 400 were registered in the Selective Service, 761 signed up for the army, navy, or marine corps reserve, a few waiting for appointments to West Point or Annapolis, and 78 too young for any of the above. Paper rationing had hit the Alumni Magazine, football coach Tuss McLaughry was a major in the marines, and the Dartmouth Squadron had entrained for Nashville as the first college unit of the Army Air Corps. By April the war directory included just over 5,000 alumni from the classes of '07 through '45, up from 3,400 in four months and out of about 20,000 alumni. The College had converted to coal, saving one million gallons of oil per year, and the navy's V-12 decision was pending. The new semester schedule made up of 16-week terms beginning about the first of July, November, and March was introduced, and the undergraduate body was diminishing rapidly with daily resignations. There were Dartmouth "Clubs" in Ft. Benning and Panama, and we had championships in basketball with freshman Aud Brindley and in hockey with the forward line of Riley, Rondeau, and Harrison. Don Burnham was the Phi Beta Kappa track star. By this time many of us were heading into the V-12 program either as college or high school students, or men in the fleet. We had no idea that we would wind up as classmates in the Dartmouth class of 1947.

Should you wish to find out about any of your old V-12 associates call or write Therese Canon, Blunt Alumni Center, Room 304, Hanover, NH 03755, (603) 646-2647. In the meantime, let Ed Grady know you're coming to the celebration and send us the names of anyone you'd like to see there as well.

In a final class note, we are saddened to note the passing, suddenly, of Larry Denton of Bristol, N.H., on December 19.

63 Maple Ave., Keene, NH 03431-1629