1939
This is a thankless job. I spend all my time trying to do nice things for people and look what happens!
It seems only yesterday that I reported nothing but the facts on Jerry Beatty's new book and his lofty eminence as Associate Editor of Collier's. Well, hardly had I put down the quill and blown the sand from my copy when somebody yanked the rug. As Mr. Beatty explains it in his most recent communique:
"Say, I do want to thank you for the swell plug you gave me and my book in the ALUMNI MAGAZINE. My boss was so envious that he decided to go into the book business himself. In fact, he figured the best way to do that would be to stop publishing his magazines entirely.
"You will easily understand that the company has saved a lot of money by such a move, and the board of directors, seated virtually alone in their big, bare building, is pleased. And I am saving money on commutation books not purchased.
"I would like to tell you the nature of my present employment, but you might mention it in your column and - well, I am superstitious."
In the next paragraph Jerry relents and confesses that he now is a free lance writer - and I am sure that the entire class joins me in predicting that Jerry soon will prove that you can't keep a good man down. Yea, verily!
That Beatty book, once again, is "Sex Rears Its Lovely Head" (Bantam Books, N. Y.). It costs only two bits, and Jerry can use the royalties - to give to the Red Cross, of course.
To go on with my troubles, a couple of months ago I very nicely reported that Don Bridge had been appointed Assistant Secretary of Albany Felt Co. of Canada, Ltd. Now I receive a letter from Douglas P. Bridge '41 pointing out that he, not Brother Don, is the new Asst. Sec. Fortunately, Brer. Douglas is a gracious gentleman who not only forgives, but supplies a little news about the inarticulate Donald: "Don worked for about seventeen years with a wholesale hardware company here in Albany, N. Y. However, he very recently accepted a new job as Sales Manager of Bommer Spring Hinge Com- pany in Landrum, S. C., and just today (Feb. 14th) his family is moving to join him, to live in Tryon, N. C. the address being P.O. Box 1521 in Tryon. Quite a move for him but he seems delighted with his new job of directing national sales for the Bommer Company."
A couple of months ago I wrote lots of sweet things about 1' Doc Brooks and his move from Westport, Conn, to Exeter, N. H. Now I have a letter from 1' Doc: "Many thanks for the squibs in the '39 column, but I have to make a correction. The move to Exeter ended up in a legal snafu and as we could find no other desirable property there other than the one spot, we called the whole thing off.
"As you said, this was much to the sadness o£ the Westport citizenry as I am a Town Meeting Representative and there was some vague connection between me and the kickback scandal on the purchase of the town's new bulldozer. Seems the thing came through with heads of the Jackson Twins painted on either side just above the Caterpillar."
Oh, well! Head unbowed, let me try to do something nice for somebody else. As reported in The Keene (N. H.) Independent, the Old Fort No. 4 Associates have chosen as chairman of their restoration campaign committee, Stanley M. Brown of Bradford and Manchester, N. H., "widely known in New Hampshire legal, civic and political circles. Old Fort No. 4, you remember, was the great French and Indian War bastion on the banks of the Connecticut at Charlestown, midway between the package stores at Bellows Falls and Windsor.
The Associates have announced that they are "delighted to get the acceptance of a man of Brown's demonstrated abilities." They also will be delighted to receive $200,000, the amount they estimate it will require to construct an exact replica of Old No. 4.
All the papers in the land, so it seems, banded together to spread the news that Bill McDonald has been named personnel manager of the Bristol, Conn., plant of New Departure Division of General Motors Corp. However, leave us let The Bristol Independent Republican tell the story. A native of Putnam, Conn., 01' Ball Bearing became associated with New Departure's engineering department in 1941. Upon his return from service as a Captain in the Marines in World War II, "he functioned as a safety investigator with New Departure ... and soon thereafter became ... safety supervisor. In 1949 he entered labor relations work with the Bristol plant's personnel department, an activity he later directed on a divisional level. In a program of broadening his overall experience with the ball bearing firm, he returned to Bristol three years ago as an assistant to the superintendent of grinding operations, duties he vacated to assume those of general foreman, shortly before being advanced to his new position."
And this brings us to the announcement that Dot Darby has graciously accepted leadership of the Class of '39 Ladies Auxiliary, making plans for the Second Annual Spring Frolic of the Classes of '37, '38 and '39 at the Dartmouth Club on May 17. This is your advance notice. Mark it on your calendars. Now that Seattle is only three hours and forty-eight minutes away there is no excuse for anyone's absence. Dancing! Drinking! Eating! Refined talk! Door prizes! Spring! Reunion practice! And the price is right! Don't forget: May 17, Dartmouth Club, 6:00 p.m.
Secretary, American Bankers Association 12 East 36th St. New York 16, N. Y.
Class Agent, „ 25 St. Stephen's Lane, Scotia, N. Y.
