1948

(Except for one thing, your writer gains much personal satisfaction from trying to be the '48 secretary. That one thing is the over whelming sadness which comes on when I receive word of the death of classmates. It seems to be happening more and more often. During the past six weeks, for example, I have been shocked by word of the sudden, entirely unexpected passing of Ev Aspinwall, Bruce Crowell, and doctors BozKirkpatrick and Harry Wood. I know some better than others of course, but each notice arouses deep regret that I had not talked to the man lately, had not reviewed with him incidents and memories from his past, particularly his Dartmouth past, which could have common interest for us, his '48 classmates.

I believe Bing, for example, would have enjoyed talking of the pleasure for him and Valerie over much of his lifetime resulting from the marriage of two of his sisters to two Dartmouth men, classmate PenltiSitteri and George Jamison '46. From those unions developed a very long, close group relationship since devastated by his passing. Boz might have recalled some of the laughter in the big room on the bottom floor of North Mass where he and T.T.Metzel and Lou Springsteen roomed together for a couple of years before Bob went on to med school and his career as a surgeon. Bruce could have talked of the fun it must have been for Betty and himself and all the other couples who moved into Wigwam Circle and Sachem Village when the men returned to the College after World War 11. Some of the stories from those long-disappeared temporary housing areas were fabulous. Harry Wood might have thought back to a bright morning after class when he suggested out of the blue, "Sonny, let's go climb Moosilauke!" The weather was perfect, there may not have been enough daylight hours left, but why not? So we quickly found a car, grabbed some sandwiches at Lou's and left immediately for a fast ride via Orford, Wentworth, and Warren for the Ravine Camp. In a great day we round-tripped the summit via the Snapper on foot and still got back to Hanover in time to hit the books for eight o'clocks the next morning. I thought of calling Harry about this earlier this year for old time's sake, but didn't. Too late now. Damn!

The Ravine Camp leads to Ross McKenney and in turn to DickBredenburg and Warren Daniel, both of whom remember a weekend trip in 1944 when six canoes pushed off from Ledyard Canoe Club, ran the Connecticut downstream through the rapids to the White River, then poled up the latter several miles to a camp spot where they rolled out overnight. Warren remembers turning over the canoe with Ross in the rapids where the Wilder Dam was later built after the war. He believes his glasses are still in its base. He thinks Walt Cairns and TedThornton were also along but can't recall the others, 51 years ago!

Warren today still often finds himself in N.H., where he occasionally sees TadComstock near Northwood, not far from Joe Smith in Dover.

Great to hear from Dr. Bill Ivins, retired with Cathy to Salem, S.C., after 37 years in pediatrics in Huntington, L.I., the last 17 as department chief in the North Shore Medical Center. He talked to DickGreene a few months ago, and keeps busy as a volunteer in the local free medical clinic, hikes in the hills to his west, and is himself completing the landscape for a new house. Bill by now has surely contacted Sam Katz at Duke, his fellow DMS pediatrician.

Here's hoping you're getting your '48 dues in to Gil Shattuck. And a tip of Eleazar's tricorn to Paul Mower and "Murphy" Robins for contributing to the Alumni Fund every single year since we left Hanover!

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