1934
It was sheerest happenstance that placed us smack in front of Paddy's Emerald Bar on St. Patrick's afternoon just as the parade broke up. But it was downright inevitable that two breathless seconds later we should find ourself flattened against Paddy's back wall, deep-man in the gol-dangedest welter of Celts you ever did see. Now, there's an old saying that goes "When in Dublin do as the Dubliners do," and that, me lad, is the advice we heeded. In no time at all there was Kelly green in our heart and Ruby red on our nose and we were the highest DAMN bernian in the place. Sure and we exhorted several lads to shake hands with their Uncle Mike, me boy, we remarked on the similarity between the shillelagh we were brandishing and one our pop had imported long ago, we jigged and we jiggered, we sang Down By The Bushmill Stream a dozen times, we climbed effortlessly onto the broad antlers of Paddy's sad-eyed moosehead and there,. finally, mercifully, we passed out.
Well, from that little Donnybrook it's not such a sharp shift to another happy time, just as green-tinged and far more appropriate to these columns. Let's modulate into it by way of Erin, where Bill and Norma Gilmore are currently (as we write) enjoying a welcome change of scene from their recent (and now happily ended) troubles. Bill is cutting up old touches with generations of relatives over there and at the same time storing up energy against the final leg of his preparations for the most swell-elegant Sweet Sixteenth that ever drew a capacity crowd of .... that's the Happy Time we've been aiming for all the while.
Look here, fellas. Do you realize that in a few short months we all will have known each other for twenty years? Jeezl from 1930 to. 1950 That's a span, man! And it offers just one more good reason why every last one of us should bend every effort to get there this June. But, comes a voice from the balcony, in my case this "twenty-year friendship" deal is less fact than fancy. Here I've been, way up in Plentywood, Montana, all this time; everybody's forgotten me and I've forgotten most of you.
To which we retort "Bushwah!" Look, Sport, you and your ever-lovin' make some arrangements for the kids, see (if they're old enough bring 'em along), throw some comfortable clothes in a satch, shrug off all those petty cares and woes, hop into the old buggy and Head Home for Hanover. Once you don that '34 costume, and pin on that BIG name tag, and trod the good old campus paths, those sixteen annums will fade away so fast. And you'll be saying, like Bob Hope, by gosh, I never left home! Honest you will, Sport. Honest.
But there we go, sloppin' over again. And here we are, with a basketful of news. Let's disseminate.... right now.
Had a nice note from Stan Neill awhile back. He's hard at work in the wool business, still living in Winchester, Mass., and plans on attending Reunion. Is not sure he ever reported the birth of Nancy Chamberlin Neill back on August 11, 1947, and we're delighted to spread the word. Joe Lehmann sends in an enviable dispatch on the housing situation: "On Nov. 3, we moved into our new house here on Saugatuck Shores which we built after selling thg place at Silvermine. It's modern and has a view of L. I. Sound on three sides. Lots of wind, and bell-buoys, and blinking light-houses—good sailing (summer) and (same time) swimming." Bud Yallalee advises that he's "With Corn Products, selling for a good company for a change. From Elizabeth, N. J., to Point Pleasant. You can be sure the point will be very pleasant during the summer. Get the point? Corn! Okay, Corn Products! Mazola, Karo syrup, Kre-Mel puddings, Argo starch and corn starch. And Linit."
Following football season there came a niftynote from Hank Peirce, and we're just getting a chance to pass it along. Let's look. "Flew East with Betty and Roger for Princeton game and Thanksgiving. Tossed in a little business. Only saw one classmate, DickGruen, the whole time. Where do you all hide? Since last report I've joined the great army of mortgage slaves. A beautiful home in a nice suburb replete with most modern conveniences. The only difference between my slavery and most others is mine will be forgiven if I do not outlive its course. (There's a life insurance man who believes in his product.—Ed.) Dr. Bill Clough and wife Louise spent the night with us on the way home from a surgery conference in Chicago. This was the first time Bill had been west of the Hudson—wonders will never cease! Sure hope to make Reunion."
If Hank had been in Manhattan on the last day of February he could have found twelve of those elusive metropolites at the Dartmouth Club for another of the Class Dinners. Walt Blood, Dick Gruen, Bud Yallalee, BillScherman, Dr. Em Day, Harry Wallace, BillGilmore, Art Grimes, Bob Smith, George Copp and Charlie Armes made a merry little quorum whose decibel content more than made up for the modesty of the number. Charlie was a surprise starter, he having checked into town the day previous for some orientation sessions with Dick Gruen, Agency Secretary of Home Life, for whom he is now an agent in the Baltimore territory. Sounds like a winning combination to us! Bob had news of Charlie Kehoe whom he saw in Florida during February. That worthy, not content to own a one-time world-championship Lightning Class sloop, went out for bigger game this winter and skippered the winning boat (one of the famous line of Malabars) in the annual Fort Lauderdale to Cat Cay blue water race.
Every once in awhile we get some bad news in with the good, and so it is now. Fortunately, though, the follow-up in each of these cases is the kind we like to hear. In January Nels Krogslund, who has been working unsparingly for his family, his business, his community and for Dartmouth, got the old slow-down signal in the form of a touch of ticker trouble. He's back on the job now, in fact was before the end of February, and all is well. On February 15 Willie Leveen's car tangled with a trailer-truck and he had a mighty near thing of it for awhile. Multiple fractures and a concussion combined to keep the irrepressible Willie out of action temporarily, but as you read this he should be emerging from the casts. Long since he has slipped back into that gorgeous sense of humor, if indeed it ever left him. Address cards and notes to Room 802, University Hospital, 20th St. and Second Ave., New York, N. Y.
The other day Les Reeve heard his son, Mark, quoting from Daniel Webster and he lost no time in pointing out to the youngster that Black Dan had gone to Dartmouth. Whereupon Mark looked up with adoring eyes and asked "Gee, did you interview him. Daddy?". Well Les has headed an interviewing committee in the Montclair area for almost that many years, and so have others of our gang, in many parts of the country. Here's a list of just the chairmen.... plenty others have served as committee members. Charlie Armes, Pret Belknap, Tom Clark,Dick Gruen, Ward Harvey, Herb Heston, RayHulsart, Charlie Kehoe, Nets Krogslund,Harry McCann, Max Palmer, Hank Peirce,Bill Scherman and El Thomas. The College is rightly proud of the contribution represented by the efforts of these workers in this all-important job, and so is The Class.
Have some clippings here which add still more candlepower to the luster of '34 in The Business World. Dave Calloway, vice-president and director of the First of Michigan Corp., has been placed in charge of the municipal bond department of his firm. Although he will continue to operate from the New York office, Dave's is the responsibility for this department on a country-wide scale and he will oversee that aspect of the firm's dealings in all their headquarters. An assist for this intelligence goes to Rollie Morton, who kindly called our attention to it.
From up in the Berkshire hills comes an announcement by the directors of the Berkshire Mutual Fire Insurance Company to the effect that Ducky Gilmore has now been named assistant treasurer in addition to his duties as investment officer and chief accountant. This clipping from the Berkshire Evening Eagle, complete with photo, was forwarded through the kindness of Harry Johnson '04, secretary of the Berkshire County Dartmouth Club. The Worcester Gazette for December 14 makes fine reading in a piece, also suitably illustrated, telling of a promotion in the New England Electric System. Hero is John Foley, advanced from executive assistant in the Maiden office to the post of district personnel supervisor of the Central District in Worcester. John has been with the outfit since 1934.
And now, by gosh, we're going to scoop the übiquitous Newsletter. In February a new assistant circulation director of Time, Inc. (that's the whole empire, not just Time Mag) was appointed. His name: Bill Scherman. Trump that, Newsletter editor!
Bob Brown's "Editor & Publisher" is our authority for the word that Orv Dryfoos is in charge of the advertising and publishing firms, the entertainment and sports fields of New York in the 1950 Red Cross Fund campaign. And Bob Allabough, whose membership on civic and charitable boards in Paterson and Ridgewood in New Jersey is an old established story, has just been elected to the board of trustees of Montclair Academy Foundation for a life term. Bob is a member of the legal firm of Evans, Hand and Evans in Paterson.
Time to quit once again, Men. Dolly in on us next month will ya? Till then, Peace!
Secretary and Treasurer, no Fulton St., New York 7, N. Y. Class Agent, 1038 Clay Ave., Pelham Manor, N. Y.
