1956

Happily discovered in the mailbag: Bill Davies, a classmate some of us lost, responded to an earlier inquiry about our favorite campus building. For him it's College Hall. "I was a ping-pong fiend. Played many, too many, hours at the game. When I came back for my junior year in the fall of'57, there was enough interest to set up an ongoing ladder tournament. I quickly settled into my proper place—fourth (out of 20 or so). Recently read Steven Kings Hearts in Atlantis. Uncomfortably parallel. Got fairly good at shooting pool, too. Mostly eight ball or rotation. Did fairly well at straight pool when I played it. Ran the table a couple of times. Both these activities were not permitted at home. The joy of indulging in the forbidden.

"My fondest memories of College Hall were of the Barbary Coast rehearsals in the ballroom. In the three years I was out between sophomore and junior years, I had gone to the Berklee School of Music in Boston. Learned quite a bit about mainstream jazz and big band arranging. Gave the Barbary Coast a copy of an arrangement of 'Angel Eyes' that I had produced at Berklee. My teacher there was Herb Pomeroy, a jazz trumpet player who led a very successful big band in Boston, in a place called The Stables across from the Hotel Copley. They played every Tuesday and Thursday night. I was told that they played my arrangement at each session for months. A few weeks before my graduation in June '59, we (Barbary Coast members) gave ourselves Zippo lighters with our signatures engraved, and the Dartmouth seal soldered on. I treasured that lighter for many, manyyears. Having it was as satisfying to me as it might have been to have a Big Green varsity letter."

Sad news reported in the class newsletter was of Ewing P. "Huff" Goff's death in early October last year from the rare disease amyloidosis.

Several issues ago I fouled up a report about Gerry Finkel and Joe Gonnella. It was Gerry who retired back in 1999 and after moving to Seattle from Philadelphia volunteered to do some teaching at the medical school at the University of Washington. He was recruited to take a part-time position practicing pathology as well and acknowledges it's "a lot more fun without the administrative hassle." For his part Joe "stepped down as dean two years ago," but continues to be full time at the Jefferson Medical College, Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia.

Emerson Houck reports that the Rev. Lonnie Dring was one of only two Oak Park High School class of''52 graduates recognized several years ago by their alma mater. He was honored for being a humanitarian and civil rights leader, an award justly deserved. Your secretary has learned that for the second consecutive year the DAM was awarded the gold medal for general excellence by the Council for the Advancement and Support of Education—no small feat! Make it even better, drop me a note!

P.O. Box 968, Quechee, VT05059-0968; (802) 295-5912; stewwood@aol.com