1921
Wilde Brainstorm Hits Jackpot
With the slogan "MAKE YOUR DOLLAR COUNT DOUBLE" our jockey has firmly planted himself in the saddle and is now riding off into the wild blue yonder on the first lap of this crucial Derby. The idea has caught on and the smiles on the faces of the 20 anonymous capitalists are already looking a little strained. Installment plan giving to the Fund has picked up. The idea of scraping the barrel once a month until June seems to make it easier to up the. total and many are doing it that way. Let's keep it going and go back for our 30th with another blue ribbon in the bag.
The Class turnout at the Annual dinner of the Dartmouth Club of Boston on March 7 was smaller than usual, largely because of the flu bug which had laid several regulars low at the last minute. At the pre-dinner gathering at the Viking Restaurant, Dick Barnes, TomCleveland, Tom Norcross, Don Morse, DonMix, Leon Bateman, Reg Miner, Walt Prince,Charley Stickney and Jeff Lawrence were on hand. Later at the Copley Plaza we found JohnSullivan gracing the head table as President of the Alumni Council, Bill Perry presiding at the drums and Bill Fowler, Phil Noyes, JackCampbell and Chan Symmes with the rest of our crowd. It was a good time and the Boston gang have another coming up in May when the Class meets for dinner for Dartmouth Night at the Pops. Watch for the date and plan to be there. The attendance of Classmates and wives is usually from 35 to 40 and the party gets better each year.
On March 18, by the dawn's early light, the natives were astounded to observe four ancient stalwarts of 1921 chasing each other down Sunapee Mountain on skis. Making all the gates were Ernie Wilcox, Tom Cleveland,Randy Childs and Tom Norcross.
Bill Marcy, Chairman of the Board of Hotels Statler Cos., Inc. has been made an honorary life member of the Buffalo branch Internation Geneva Association. Just learned that DonSawyer's daughter Betsey was married last August to Allen F. Hodgen, Princeton '48. They live in Hartford where Allen is a jet engineer with Pratt & Whitney. Don's younger daughter Sally is a freshman at Wheaton.
Tracy Higgins has added the job of parttime bank President to his title of president of the company which makes that black black waterproof ink which has been standard equipment for draftsmen since 1880. Tracy is president of the Bank of Suffolk County in Stony Brook, L. I. As president of the Board of Education in the Village of Smithtown Branch, he presided at the dedication of what is said to be the most advanced elementary school in New York state.. Busy fella. Wants us to remind the Class that the Higgins' latchstring is always out at their home between Smithtown Branch and Stony Brook.
Our scouts tell us that the Bob Mayos are settling down to enjoy their 40-acre estate in Ballard Vale, Mass., complete with sheep and a beautiful old house which they have restored from sills to ridgepole. Seems Bob is speeding up instead of slowing down as he whizzes by the half century mark.
Miss Jean Francoise Peter and Thomas Morrill Ruggles were married on March 3 in the Appleton Chapel of Harvard Memorial Church in Cambridge. Tom graduated from Dartmouth last year. His brother, Daniel B. Ruggles, III, was best man. Probably no connection of course, but Father Dan was laid low by the flu bug a couple of days later and had to miss the Dartmouth dinner on March 7.
in Coronado, Calif. Mrs. Harris is the daughter of a Navy Captain. Joe Harris, 19, is studying engineering at the University of New Hampshire. Their daughters, Judy and Marylin, are in high school. George and Madeline Harris' boy, George III, returned to the west coast last fall after five months in Korea with the Navy. He was married on December 9, 1950, to Jane Reynolds
Mac Johnson, our traveling reporter with the Federal Reserve Examining Board, reports that on a recent trip to New Orleans he had a pleasant visit with the Bob Elsassers. Bob is head of his own Industrial Management Company. He is active in local affairs and president of the local Chapter of the Society for the Advancement of Management. Mac plugged the 30th reunion and all of us hope to see the Elsassers in Hanover come June.
Charlie and Mrs. Gilson as previously reported are back in this country after a long sojourn in Shanghai. So many Classmates have requested news about Charlie, we asked him to give us something for the column. Here it is:—
"If I tried to tell you of all I saw and learned about China, and the Chinese people, even though I was only there a little over four years, I would fill volumes. Almost all my life I had thought of. going into the ministry of our Church (the Episcopal Church) but there was always something lacking to give the final push, or the courage I needed. When I was asked to go out there, early in 1946, I realized it was, at least, the chance of a lifetime to do something in which there was absolutely nothing in it for me, personally, other than satisfaction. I knew nothing about China, my nearest contact having been the neighborhood laundryman, and the extent of my acquaintance with him was to ask when my shirts would be done. So I went out there determined to make a go of it, probably to spend the rest of my life there, and to study, and learn, and like—if humanly possible—the Chinese people. At first it seemed as if it would be impossible to ever really get close to a Chinese, but as soon as they became convinced of my sincerity, and respect for them, I—and my family, my wife and two boys—realized that we had more completely close, and intimate friends than we had ever had before, in our lives. Believe me, in a friendship with a Chinese there is nothing that can possibly be more completely 'all out.' We had evidences of this day after day.
"Another thing I learned about the Chinese is that they are, as individuals, mentally and intellectually brilliant people, no matter what their background may be, even those who have never, for generations back, ever had any education whatever, and whatever their social level may be, or have been.
"I remember writing letters back home, from time to time, often speaking of coolies or laborers as amongst my best friends, and of things we were sometimes able to do for them. I know people sometimes wondered why we should waste our interests and resources on people like that, when 'they would never amount to anything anyway.' The fact is—and I proved it many times—any of those people, and especially their children, given half a chance at an education would become a substantial citizen, and I would stack any of them up against the average western youngster, in their comparative scholastic abilities and accomplishments. Of course, there were exceptions, but not many.
"The Chinese had a rough time of it for a good many years up to the end of the last war, and for a couple of years after. They had been practically bled white by the corruption in the government, and their general feeling that 'anything—com- munism or anything else, must be better than what we have now.' Of course there were very few of them who know anything about government, or politics, or communism. As a whole they have never had any personal interest in politics, other than as they might be affected personally.
"We left because in being regarded as American imperialists, as spies, the Chinese with whom we associated were naturally subject to suspicion. I tried to convince an official that I was in China only to do whatever little I could for the Chinese people, and so from an unselfish, humanitarian point of view the individual's political inclinations were of no concern to me whatever. He said 'there is no such thing as neutrality. If you are not wholeheartedly for us, you are against us.' I was interested to notice that his comment was almost word for word an identical quotation from the New Testament. He (and I heard the same thought expressed by many others) also said 'you Christians cannot, or at least you certainly do not live what you profess to believe. We do.' I have thought of that latter statement a great deal, at least the first part of it, and I am convinced that that is the basis of the controversy between communism and Christianity, and will very likely be the deciding factor as to which is going to win out.
"I'd sure like to make reunion, and, of course, will if I can. However, most of my time for a long time ahead is pretty completely plotted out, so I can't tell now what I can do some three months hence."
The Class as usual has been active on interviewing committees for the Admissions office. The group includes Hal Braman, HerrickBrown, Norm Carver, Vance Clark, MaurieCole, Bob Elsasser, George Forman, Ort Hicks,Don Mix, Bill Perry, Dan Ruggles, Ken Sater and John Woodhouse.
Some late address changes: Al Green, 9004 Manchester D., Apt. 14, Silver Spring, Md.; JohnnieMeans, 420 S. Delaney St., Orlando, Fla.; LeighTracy, 35 Shady Glen Court, Apts. 20 DE, Shore Rd., New Rochelle, N. Y.; Charlie Gilson, Church Mission House, 281 4th Ave., N.Y.C. 10; Dr.Dave Seegal, Goldwater Memorial Hospital, Welfare Island, N.Y.C. 17.
Again this month it is our sad duty to report the death of another Classmate, Jay Fuller of Contoocook, N. H. Jay passed away at Mary Hitchcock Hospital in Hanover on March 5 after a short illness. He was born in Springfield, Mass., and was with our Class through junior year, leaving to take up public account- ancy in New York. Jay was with American Optical Cos. in Southbridge until 1926, when he moved to Littleton, N. H., with Pike Manufacturing Co. and in 1931 he went to Contoocook in sales work, first, leather goods, then worsted yarns and since 1934 selling cotton yarns. We wrote here several years ago that Jay had found great happiness in his work and his home, with 40 acres of land and a half-mile of brook. He also had a camp on Lake Suna- pee. He was devoted to his family, his church, his community and the Class. To Jay's wife Ethelvn, and his daughters Barbara and lean the Class extends sincerest sympathy. PaulRichter '20 represented our Class at the services on March 8 at the Methodist church in Contoocook.
1921 COCKTAIL PARTY: Present for the event, March 7, at the Viking Restaurant in Boston were: Seated (I to r)—Dick Barnes, Don Mix, Tom Cleveland, Tom Norcross, Don Morse; standing—Leon Bateman, Reg Miner, Walt Prince, and Charlie Stickney.
1921's 30TH THE WINNER Green Derly 1921 HANOVER JUNE 1951
Secretary, 340 Main St., Worcester 8, Mass.
Treasurer, 2519 Ridgeway, Evanston, Ill.
Class Agent, Rm. 1870, Merchandise Mart Plaza, Chicago 54, Ill.
