1941

Here's a gentle reminder to send in your reservation for the annual Florida minireunion being held on Wednesday, March 12, and Thursday, March 13, in Spring Hill (35 miles north of Tampa/ St. Pete). Stu May (352-688-6903) and Hans Froehlich (352-666-2803) are awaiting your call in case you didn't receive their detailed announcement. Accommodations are available at Best Western Resort Inn; call (800) 490 3268 for reservations. Dinner will be held at the Country Club of Timber Pines on Wednesday night. The reunion should be a memorable event to mark the new year of 2003.

The November '02 DFTD described the dedication of a memorial plaque on the wall of the Hopkins Center courtyard. The bronze plaque was planned and financed by the class of 1941 and paid homage to the 36 members of the class who gave their lives in WW II. Among those present at the dedication ceremony was Dr. Peter Beck '45, who was honoring his brother, Adrian Beck, better known as "Skip." The two boys had emigrated from Lucerne, Switzerland, and grew up on a farm in Vermont. Skip worked in Commons, lived in President Hopkins' chauffeurs quarters and made a name for himself as a poli sci scholar and debater. He was named a senior fellow and spent his senior year as an intern in the Department of Agriculture in Washington, D.C.

Skip could have stayed Washington but he chose to join the Marines and was soon commissioned as a lieutenant. Lt. Beck led a team of the joint Assault Signal Cos., 3rd Marine Division in their landing on Guam on July 21,1944. A burst of machine gun fire snuffed out the life of this young man who was certainly marked for greatness. Dr. Beck has now ensured that his brother will be remembered by future generations via his donation of a Lake Champlain property to the Vermont Boy Scouts. The waterfront tract will be used for an Adrian Beck High Adventure Base in honor of his brother, Skip. A three-story "big house" and a caretakers house and bam are included in the valuable property. The Beck Base could very well be the first Venturing Base in the country.

Dick Jachens, 5975 Camelot Drive North, Sarasota, FL 34233;jachensr@aol.com