1937

Al Romanov made comments at the October class meeting about the legacy of the class of '37. Al was kind enough to write them to the secretary and here they are. "As I sat at the 61st reunion of our class of '37 and looked at those assembled, I realized that our story was the lesson learned from Horatio Alger—rags to riches! We arrived as freshmen in the middle of the Great

Depression, many of us with nothing more than the enthusiasm of youth and the great uncertainty of how we would cope with what lay ahead. By the time we were the senior members of Dartmouth College, not only had we struggled with the worst economy in our country's history, but were soon to be candidates for the next great struggle—World War II.

"The class of '99, like each class before it, faces its uncertainties. The economy is faltering, and although while by no means to the extent of the depression of '29, it encompasses the entire globe. The unrest in the world is everyone's problem because the world has shrunk to become one large 'neighborhood.' Thus the class of '99 will play a part as 'keepers of the peace' and in so doing will also wonder how to plan for 'moving on' with their lives. In every generation there is turmoil and conflict. To be sure, each is different, but the inherent problem is the same—how to rise above the obstacles and attain one's goal! Like our boyhood heroes, Horatio Alger and Frank Merriwell, we learned that determination and a positive attitude could indeed move us from 'rags to riches.'"

Apropos of the above, I saw Charlie Rose interview Tom Brokaw, anchor of NBC Nightly News, when they talked about Tom's new best-selling book The GreatestGeneration. The first two bookstores I tried were sold out and, finally, at the third I found a copy. I intend to give it to my son-in-law, an ex-marine helicopter pilot in Vietnam, on Christmas. Today is December 23 and I've read almost every story. It's a great book which each of us can relate to, just as Al Romanov said. A quote from page 246: "In the nineties, young men and women often talk of using their twenties to find themselves, to explore the options of life. Their grandparents at the same age found themselves in a hurry." Happy New Year.

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