1951

Leonard "Red" Balaban, who will be entertaining us at our 45 th Reunion next June 10-13, has launched a novel music project. You probably know that Red owned Eddie Condon's New York City jazz spot for about ten years. During that period, or perhaps since, he learned to play several instruments other than his familiar tuba. They include guitar, bass, valve trombone, baritone, and the Eb brass saxhorn, whatever that is. At his West Haven, Conn., home, Red has a recording studio and the capability to record sound-on-sound. What else to do, then, but produce an audio (would that it were video) cassette of 100 Years of Popular Music. Red's done it, playing various combinations of the instruments to accompany his own husky vocals. From "The Old Oaken Bucket" and "Shuffle Off to Buffalo" to "Thou Swell" and several that you'll know but haven't heard in a long, long time. Whether we'll see live performances by this group at Reunion is a mystery that only Red can answer. Meanwhile, it's definitely a "first." Your scribe has collected records since Deccas were 35 cents and has never heard anything like it. Look for an ad somewhere in this issue.

In the mailbox: Bob Chittem '30, writes to let us know that Bob Koski, founder of Sun Hydraulics in Sarasota 25 years ago, is being honored by Sales and Marketing Executive International with induction into its Academy of Achievement. We've written about Bob's innovations before; Sun has no job titles, reporting relationships, or job descriptions but 450 employees in Florida and Coventry, England, prosper nonetheless. Bob is also secretary of the Sarasota Dartmouth Club.

Another awardwinner was DickMcFarland. He received the Distinguished Service Award of the United Way of Minneapolis. Dick is a past chairman, a board member since 1979, and has worked on every campaign since 1976. Dick had been chairman of Inter-Regional Financial Group (Minneapolis) until his recent retirement.

John Clayton and Dick Price organized a 45th Reunion planning meeting in August. We met in Blunt Alumni Center, which also houses the archives of the Aegis, The Green Book, this magazine, and other college publications. It is Dartmouth nostalgia's mother lode. Opening the 1917 AEGIS, for example, revealed my dad's senior photo and, in the adjacent panel, Bill Boynton's father. A look at the July 1957 DAM included our class picture from the Fifth Reunion and our then-Secretary Loye Miller's report. Everyone wore green 'sl hats; Chattanooga JimRobinson was heard drawling, "Ah haven't met anybody in ouh class in the whole six yeahs." Dorie Balderston and a number of others reminded us that no one looks better than-an expectant mother. (Those babies are older now than we were then!) Loye suggested that there was some heavyduty partying, precious little sleep, and many, many laughs; plus a pleasant interlude with John Sloan Dickey in the President's Garden. We may be marginally more discreet next June, but only because times have changed. WE have not. The Brookses missed that reunion, but it won't happen again. Mark your calendar for June 10-13, 1996. (Next issue, we'll revisit the Tenth Reunion.)

We have just learned of the death of John W. Burgess, M.D., in Blooming-ton, 111., on July 4. An obituary will appear in a future issue.

It's Christmas letter time. Again this year, if you'll include the column on your mailing list you can be sure that we will only use highlight material, not the minutia that fascinates Cousin Emily and Uncle Oscar. Meanwhile, happy holidays to you and yours.

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