Class Note 1948

Guest columnist Sonny Drury writes this month’s column: In December we lost two of our most popular Marines when Don Drescher in New Jersey and George MacGillivray in Maryland passed away. Don (who will forget his great smile?) never fired a shot during WW II, but Mac boarded a troopship in Panama in 1942 and weeks later in August landed on Guadalcanal in America’s first major Pacific counteraction.


After most fighting ended on Luzon in 1945, ’48 Army men Rog Tenney (of Richardson stairwell fame) and Bill Warnock plus pianist Bob Pilsbury met for celebratory beer. Also nearby was ’48 soldier and now class secretary Dave Kurr, who months later on September 2 was on a troopship in Tokyo Bay near the battleship Missouri where General Douglas MacArthur plus other Allied leaders and Japanese signed papers to finally end the war.


Pillsy returned home after the war, and 40 years ago joined the great Black Eagle Jazz Band, which in September for the first time will play at the Newport Jazz Festival.


Now 85, professor Carl Felsenfeld still teaches full time at N.Y.C.’s Fordham Law School and expects to attend the ’48 mini in Hanover the first October weekend being organized by old faithful John Hatheway aided by Ray Richard. Will you go?


For years beyond count our class efforts in the annual Dartmouth Fund drive were led by Marv Axelrod and Bill Scott without the thanks due from us classmates. Warren Daniell took over the thankless job and notes sadly that our old class is down to about 130 active men. 


Football lineman Finn Siiteri still recalls with horror that due to a V-12 transfer he played twice in 1945 (for Big Green and Cornell) against Penn’s great Chuck Bednarik, the roughest guy he ever met. Now in Sonoma, California, Finn may see fellow ’48 M.D. Ed Kelley of Petaluma.


While time allows why not phone (right now!) an old ’48 pal you haven’t seen in years! Simply dial the alumni records office in Hanover at (603) 646-2253 for his number and give him a call. It’s so easy and you both will enjoy it!


—Dave Kurr, 4281 Indian Field Road, Clinton, NY 13323; (315) 853-3582; djkurr@verizon.net