The Tremendous 20th
THE TREMENDOUS TWENTIETH has come and gone. And with it '21 has hung up another set of new records for the class to demolish at the end of five years. Not only has a new high for class fellowship and unity been established, but we went on to undreamed-of heights on the score of attendance, which is significantin th in the light of the first-time-on-record staging of Reunion over the week-end following Commencement. This reunion period proved such a success that there is under way serious discussion by many returning '21ers of the advisability of petitioning the College for permission to hold our Twenty-fifth Conclave on the corresponding week-end. Under the existing set-up, we would revert in 1946 to the traditional Commencement date.
The basic facts are simply told. Starting on Friday, June 20, with a five o'clock reception and cocktail party on the Inn lawn, the Tremendous Twentieth gathered momentum and climbed through a series of carefully-planned events to a big climax when 121 classmates sat down to dinner at eight o'clock on Saturday evening. Come Sunday, we tapered off with a grilled-steak picnic on Oak Hill such as only Ross McKenney can put on. This last event consumed about three hours,
with entertainment features included, and thereafter the classmates merely unlaxed. As dusk settled down over the campus, two knots of '21ers were visible: on the Senior fence, and outside the big '21 Tent pitched on the turf in front of Wheeler and Richardson Halls, class headquarters. As this is written, complete silence is the order of the day (better described as night).
The statistics stack up as follows: Attended by 121 classmates, or 50% of our total of 244 living graduates; by 58 wives, which was 48% of the number of men on deck for the occasion; by 13 sons and 11 daughters; by one girl guest, and by one dog. Deducting the canine from the grand total of 205 leaves a net figure of 204 persons. As a matter of record, the dog was a registered '21er with Chairman Dan Ryder, who did not, however, take into his calculations the numerous native mutts in evidence from time to time, chiefly in and about the big top. The weather was warm and sunshiny throughout the entire Reunion, except for a few clouds early Sunday afternoon which soon blew over. If any deviation from perfect weather occurred, it must have been on the side of high temperature.
Those boys who showed up for the First Session of the Twentieth Congress were: Bill Alley, Art Anderson, Roland Auger, Pete Bailey, Russ Bailey, Ingham Baker, Bill Barber, Dick Barnes, Dutch Bausher, Ken Bean, Hal Bolles, Dave Bowen, Hal Braman, Bob Burroughs, Jack Campbell, Harry Chamberlaine, Ike Chester, Fat Childs, Vance Clark, Warrie Clark, Tom Cleveland, Bill Codding, King (Maurice) Cole, Hank Cook, Fran Cosgrove, Norm Crisp, Jerry Cutler, Mason Dickinson, Jimmie Dodge, Bill Embree, El Fisher, Speedy Fleet, Doc Fleming, Joe Folger, Corey Ford, Bill Fowler, Ray French, George Frost, Ky Frost, Kemp Fuller, Harry Garland, Hal Geilich, Russ (Snake) Goodnow, Lorin Goulding, Furb Haight, Gos Halsey, George Harris, Cliff Hart, Howie Heath, Bord Helmer, Walt Henshaw, Ort Hicks, Tracy Higgins, Walter Holt, Warren Homer, Jack Hubbell, Erl Hunt.
Also Charlie Johnson, Mac Johnson, Connie Keyes, Rex King, Joe Lane, Jeff Lawrence, Cory Litchard, Bob Loeb, Bandy Lowe, Norm Lowe, Ed Luedke, Walt Lundegren, Bob Mac Donald, Gene McCabe, Hugh McKay, DeWitt Mallary, Bill Marcy, Line (Dink) Miller, Bill (Best) Miller, Reg Miner, Don Mix, Skinny Moore, Hewitt Moore, Don Morse, Tom Norcross, Oky O'Connor, Henry Palmer, Stan Parker, Cape Payson, Ralph Pendleton, Gus Perkins, Bill Perry, Dave Plume, Roy Pollard, Ned Price, Walt Prince, Howie Ransom, Bumpus Ridlon, Hubert Ripley, Dan Ruggles, Dan (Franklin) Ryder, Jack Sercombe, Sev Severance, Mick Shoup, Jim Smead, Red Stanley, Jim Stanley, Ralph (P.M.) Steiner, Charley Stickney, Chick (M.C.) Stiles, Doug Storer, Johnnie Sullivan, Chan Symmes, Jim (Kelvinator) Taylor, Ben Tenney, Bill Terry, Ken Thomas, Leight Tracy, Dave (Squeeze-Play) Trainer, Joe Vance, Joe Walker, Jim Wicker, Rog Wilde, John Woodhouse.
The first issue this fall will carry the names of all returning wives, sons, and daughters. By that time this department hopes to have had time to complete his research on their Christian names; all that stands out right now in retrospect is a picture of the best balanced and most pulchritudinous troupe of girls and children that this reporter ever saw assembled under one big spread of canvas.
Your scribe pulled in to Hanover on Thursday evening, nearly 24 hours in advance of the opening gun, only to find a complete dearth of '21ers. Reconnoitering soon established the fact that all classmates in town (and there were some dozen or more men, with a generous complement of wives, on hand for the Hanover Holiday alumni lectures) had evacuated in favor of a precipice on top of a mountain, for an off-the-record dinner. Discovery of this state of affairs coincided with the return to town of the truants. Friday morning saw the influx of '21ers begin in earnest. As the class reception got under way upon a strictly informal basis on the side lawn of the Inn, about five o'clock, classmates were still pouring in by all modes of transportation. This lead-off event proved unusually popular and seems destined to be a fixture at future reunions. That evening the final lecture of the alumni college was given in 105 Dartmouth, with widespread attendance by both visiting firemen and wives. This was followed by a dance on the Inn Terrace and by movies of the famous Fifth Down episode projected in the Nugget.
Saturday morning was devoted to golf, Softball, tennis, and just loafing; excepting for the Treasurer, Class Agent, and Secretary, who were busily attending a joint meeting of similiar officers representing all Dartmouth classes and regional clubs. At this joint session Ort Hicks presented and had approved a resolution described elsewhere in this MAGAZINE, a matter which had been precipitated at a dinner of the same officers the previous evening by what The Dartmouth for June 21 described as a "bombshell" motion proposed by "chesty, strident-voiced Orton H. Hicks 'si." There had also been meetings on Friday afternoon of the several officers' groups, so that most of the sideshows of Reunion prior to Saturday noon were not observed by this observer. We are reliably informed, however, that the '21-'26 softball game of Saturday morning was tied up at 45-all. At one o'clock President and Mrs. Hopkins tendered all reuning classes and all class officers in town a barbecue luncheon on the grounds of their home. Later a ball game was staged on Memorial Field in honor of Jeff Tesreau Day, a Dartmouth Varsity and Alumni team playing Springfield, Vt. The girls and children of '21, some 83 strong, gathered at half after six for a special dinner at the Outing Club House on Occom Pond, after which they attended The Players' presentation of Our Town in Robinson Hall.
At eight o'clock the men of the class descended upon the Inn for the highlight of reunion, the Class Dinner. This affair defies description. Seated at the head table were Prexy Hopkins, Prof. Harry Burton, Prof. Jim Richardson '99, Prof. "Cheerless" Richardson 'OO, Ex-Prof. Clifford P. Clark, now of the Clark School, Head Football Coach "Tuss" McLaughry, Charlie McGaughran '20, "Oley" Olsen '22 (Dean of Tuck School) plus classmates Embree, Hicks, Hubbell, Ryder, Sullivan, Wilde, and the scribe. Corey Ford, Secretary of and candidate for election to honorary membership in '21, was obliged by professional affairs to pull out of town shortly before the dinner and was unable to be present to receive the honor in person. The business got under way with Bill Embree, chairman of the Class Dinner committee, as toastmaster. Prexy delivered an off-the-record talk on the gravity of the international situation and his work with the OPM. Embree then showed some slides of various classmates, both "in the days" and as they are now. Probably the highlight of the series was a picture, in "still" Technicolor, of the Chairman of the Committee of Fifteen, in Chicago, seated at his desk. A number of classmates commented on the resemblance of this gentleman to our toastmaster.
Following the introduction of the bigwigs seated at the head table (with semiserious comment), John Sullivan was called upon to delve slightly into the political situation, whereupon he proceeded to demonstrate that the passing of the years has, if anything, improved the touch of the old master. The No. 1 talk was made by "Cheerless" Richardson, who for assistance referred from time to time to his little black book of Chemistry grades in years gone by. Following this both serious and entertaining talk, Pres. Jack Hubbell took over for the duration of a brief business meeting. He announced receipt of an invitation from '22 for all our classmates who may be in Hanover next June to attend its 20th Reunion. Following tributes to Ryder, Embree, and other members of the Reunion Committee, for the hard work done and the fine results achieved, he called on Ort Hicks for a report on his Fund work this year climaxing six years as '21's class agent. Corey Ford was elected by acclamation an honorary member of the class. Bob Booth '22 sneaked past the sergeant-at-arms and made a scurrilous motion from the rear with reference to revision of the official '21 roster for Alumni Fund purposes. Ort Hicks was a gentleman and withheld comment.
The next piece of business was the chairman's report by Hank Cook of the Resolutions Committee, whose work was approved by acclamation. This was a resolution of felicitations to Prexy. Next to report was Dan Ruggles, on behalf of the Nominating Committee, whose slate reading as follows was unanimously elected: An Executive Committee consisting of Bill Embree, President; Tom Cleveland, Vice President-, Charley Stickney, Secretary; Rog Wilde, Treasurer-, Hal Braman; El Fisher; George Frost; Don Mix, and Doug Storer. After this snappy business session, Jack "gave the sledge hammer right back," as he put it, to Bill. Investigation after the tumult and the shouting had died disclosed that the gavel was in reality a machinist's hammer (probably borrowed from the tool box of Bill's gasoline buggy). Embree, upon embracing this tool again, announced in his capacity as President the appointment of Ned Price as Class Agent, and of Dutch Bausher as Agent for the Class in Connection with our 25-Year Gift to the College at the time of our next reunion. With the showing of movies taken at prior reunions (both in Hanover and elsewhere) the meeting came to a close upon a high note which speaks volumes for the thought and effort put into the dinner by our new class president.
Furb Haight and Jerry Cutler drove East together from (respectively) Los Angeles and Adrian, Mich., the former projecting a triple tie for the honor of coming the greatest distance to reunion, with Bumpus Ridlon from Seattle and Jack Sercombe from Portland, Ore. These three gents were closely pressed for honors by Merrill (Mick) Shoup, who came plowing in from Colorado Springs. ....Among the more recent brides present were Ruth (Mrs. Skinny) Moore and Molly Luedke Probably the highlight of Reunion, in sound effects, was the new crashing-skyscraper imitation perfected at 4:30 A.M. on Sunday by Bill Barber and Bill Perry, the swing artists, who developed their technique in successive corridors of Wheeler On Friday night a local canine paraded around the big tent in a '21 sweater, one of the few times any reuner was seen wearing the class costume during this unusually warm June weekend Harry (Good Housekeeping) Chamberlaine, breezing in from Chicago with Ike Chester, of Kokomo, proved himself the real advertising man he is by being an exemplification of the Maxwell House slogan, Good to the Last Drop. Harry, you will recall, was our Minister of Propaganda for Reunion and throughout the festivities was constantly being showered with congratulations on the remarkable job he turned in.
Judy Heath (aged 7) up from Trenton, N. J., was elected Queen of Reunion Bill Fowler is the author of a poem inspired by Reunion and entitled Dartmouth College, which appears elsewhere in the columns of this MAGAZINE
Kemp Fuller and Bill Marcy (directing genius of the Statler Hotel chain) drove in from Buffalo Roland Auger, Jim Wicker, and Ort Hicks were scheduled to play tennis on Sunday morning with Hilda (Mrs. Warrie) Clark, and the first three named parties had a nice warm up while waiting for Hil to appear. As we go to press, a report has it that Auger is still on the courts (and presumably still waiting) Dr. Norm Crisp was up for the purpose of sizing up and discussing the football prospects Vance Clark showed; reported the purchase of a new home in Chester, Vt., as companion news to his new job with the Vermont Savings Bank of Springfield Pete Bailey brought his two Dartmouth-bound boys all the way from Duluth Mick Shoup endeared himself for all time to the heart of your scribe by volunteering, out of a clear sky, to "cover the West" for this column. "Cub" Shoup's first assignment is to get the story on Rock Grundman of Cody, Wyo..... Russ Bailey, after having done a swell job on Ruggles's nominating committee, was very much in evidence throughout the gala week-end Also on this Blue Ribbon Jury were Walt Lundegren, Ralph Pendleton, and Chick Stiles.
Hal Bolles and Walt Prince, the two basketeers, put in an appearance and proved their loyalty to '21 One of the best of the impromptu acts to come off in the big top was Fat Childs with his accordion and his "Seeing-Eye" (the latter doubles as Asst. Secretary of the Treasury whenever in Washington) Much of the news gathered at the T. T. can't be printed in this (or any other) MAGAZINE; we plan to have the material mimeographed and delivered personally to each classmate by Western Union messenger, so as not to run afoul of the U. S. Postal Rules and Regulations "Names make news." It was news to see Bill Codding, Ing Baker, and Ken Bean mixing it up with the boys Our '21 big top was the center of attraction for nearly everyone in Hanover; we were hosts to all other reuning classes and to the scouts from '22 on deck to find out (if they only could) how Dartmouth's Grandest Class goes about putting on a show of such stupendous proportions. Advice to '22: Better give up; your only trouble is that you were born a year too late.
George Harris, Chairman of the Sunday Vespers, flew in from a West Coast business trip just in time to make the grade on Saturday Bill Terry and Artie Anderson were right in the thick of things Snake Goodnow was in evidence wherever a sufficiently large group of pretty girls was congregated to make it worth while In the Hanover Holiday Tennis Tournament, prior to Reunion, Dutch and Mildred Bausher, up from Reading, Pa., reached the finals of the mixed doubles, and Ort Hicks won the singles Jack Hubbell was basking in the contemplation of taking it easy for a while, having earned a richly-deserved rest after many years of continuous service to Dartmouth and to '21, as Chairman of the Alumni Fund Committee of the Council, Vice President of the Alumni Council itself. Class President, and other responsibilities too numerous to detail here Charlie Johnson, RegMiner, and Hal Geilich carried on moviesnapping activities more or less continuously Dan Ryder received the greatest applause of the whole week-end, for his indescribably fine handling of the Chairmanship of the T. T. Reunion.
(To be continued in the October issue.)
PART OF THE RECORD BREAKING GROUP AT CLASS OF 1921 REUNION, SUNDAY NOON BARBECUE AT ROSS MCKENNEY'S CABIN, JUNE 22.
