1935

Life was real in those days during our freshman year. The October 1929 market crash was followed by years of depression worldwide. Hoover kept insisting that a balanced budget was the key to economic recovery, along with reduction of the Federal deficit (then only $2 billion). Roosevelt, on the other hand, kept promising a "New Deal" which turned out to be an imaginative plan for raising taxes and increasing government spending. With the current political and economic developments in the U.S., it is difficult to avoid a certain deja vu.

All reports indicate that the incoming classes are extraordinarily well qualified. Perhaps many of us would not have been admitted today but it remains to be seen whether these gifted young students will be as successful after graduation as we tend to imagine we have been. One classmate took a course described as an introduction to culture. He heard a symphony played for the first time and ever since has been a devotee of classical music. We remember Orozco perched on a flimsy scaffold in the basement of Baker with his one arm furiously paining the Quetzalcoatl mural.

Freshmen were not allowed to have autos, but one enterprising soul kept his in a White River barn while using a bicycle to get back and forth to Hanover. Unfortunately, the bike was stolen. Nor were freshmen permitted to have dates for Winter Carnival. One of us became the envy of all by escorting a gorgeous blonde to the festivities. This was perfectly legitimate as he had flunked out at the end of our first semester. Another freshman delivered newspapers every day for the magnificent sum of $1.50 a week. Still another, who later became a Trustee of the College, never was able to figure out what became of his weekly package of cookies from home which regularly disappeared during the confusion caused by a hose being pulled off the wall in Wheeler.

Each of us has his own personal memories of that first year, many of which should not be reported even at this late date. However, all of us vividly remember the game in New Haven. We watched every play on a gridgraph set up on the dirt floor of the gym. Dartmouth somehow managed to overcome a huge Yale first-half lead, and Bill Morton drop-kicked a field goal at the very end for the 33-33 tie. This was followed by a food fight in Commons and a rush on the Nugget by 600 students, 200 of whom had tickets.

The sad news is that Jack Auwerter,Woody Curtis, Charlie Haussermann,Gordon Spencer, and Sax Zieman are no longer with us. On a more cheerful note, join us for the Elderfest, October 8-9, to celebrate the 80th birthday for most of us who have already reached that worthy goal.

c/o Gordon Farm, RRI-Box 83 Sutton, VT 05867-9721