1942

A much appreciated letter from Harry Jacobs, inspired by his reading of the "Moments of Peace" article in the December DAM: "I first saw Marie at Gilbert's Ski Tow, Woodstock, Vt., mid January 1942 took one look at her and said 'I'm going to marry her' and so I did December 31,1942, at San Antonio Aviation Cadet Center, Chapel #3. That lasted 48 years, nine months, and eight days. Mike deSherbinin was best man. Last summer I flew all over the U.S.A. in a King Air B-100 with Garrett engines. (I only fly now with a professional pilot.) The first stop was Tulsa, Olda., where I visited Margaret Ray Smith and her husband. She was Marie's best friend from Wilder, Vt....Other stops included Kremling, Colo., where my granddaughter was a chambermaid at a dude ranch. Then on to Sun Valley to visit an ex sister in law and Vail, Colo., to stay with John and Annie Glenn. So, am still flying, still working hard, and still serving on boards. Also hope to ski in Lake Placid next week."

Are you ready for the next chapter in the Ed Stafford Saga? He writes: "You may remember that my maternal grandfather, Robert E. Peary, was an Arctic explorer whose 25 years of work in the far north resulted in the discovery of the North Pole in 1909. Well, it seems that in the course of the dozen years he actually spent in the field...he fathered two sons, both by the same (by all accounts, irresistible) Eskimo woman. This was known in my family as I was growing up but remained far below the surface...Then, in 1985, a friend visiting in the high Arctic returned with a report of a whole tribe of fine people up there who called themselves Peary...In the summer of '87 I caught a ride in an Air Force C-141 from Maguire AFB in New Jersey to Thule Air Base in Greenland, and a helicopter to their village, and spent several days visiting my relatives up there. (See National Geographic Magazine, Sept. 1988.) The next year we had a Peary family reunion in Maine and were able to arrange for eight of our Eskimo cousins to join us....All of the above to say that in August of 1994 I spent another week in the village of Quaanaaq (500 souls) with my Eskimo uncle (now 89 and the only surviving son of Admiral Peary) and about 30 of my Eskimo cousins, who turn out to be bright, warm, engaging people and the leaders of their little community, the most northerly, permanently occupied human habitation on earth."

Many thanks to Joe Logan and DickBaldwin for registering support for our class contribution to the memorial gift in honor of Allan Dingwall.

56 Cityside Drive, Montpelier, VT 05602