Class Note 1955. It is the end of June, and we are moving forward to celebrating the 250th anniversary of the birth of our country. Activities are ramping up here in the greater Philadelphia area with the World Cup matches and the All-Star game. Ben Franklin visited us here in the retirement home with his kite, but he did not remember meeting Caesar Rodney on July 2, 1776. June reunions and graduation are complete with the class of 1976, the first all coed class, present for its 50th reunion. This reviewer felt that President Beilock addressed the graduates perfectly saying that they “can be agents of change” from both inside and outside an organization.
Mabel and Hod Symes will fly to the family home in Wells River, Vermont, for the two-state parade from New Hampshire into Vermont for the 250th celebration. Hod says he is in a wheelchair now and will let the airport folks guide him around. He has been in touch with Sally and John Stoughton and is looking forward to meeting up with them.
Read any good books lately? The Economist tells us this would be a good time to get into Democracy in America, the famous work of Alexis de Tocqueville. Although done in the 1830s, it has meaning today. Reading the two volumes is a bit of a slog we are told. Reading in dips like a recipe book is recommended.
Jack Doyle, the only classmate to serve two terms as president and be named class president of the year in each, died on June 13 while in hospice following a battle with cancer. He had a distinctive, inclusive, and noteworthy leadership style which led to 1955 being named “Class of the Year” in 2015. He noted in our 25th book that “I have continued to be influenced by John Sloan Dickey’s teachings and made time for community and civic activities.”
Sadly, in addition to Jack, we report the passing of Nick Anthonisen, M.D.
—Ken Lundstrom, 1912 Marsh Road, IL, Apt. 132, Wilmington, DE 19810; (919) 641-5219; kenlundstrom@yahoo.com

56The muse of Brattleboro, Vermont (Charlie Morrissey), has once again favored us with words of interest. The length of the offering will require judicious manicuring. “Allen F. Davis ’53 was a Dartmouth senior when all of us were pea-green freshmen. Davis is the author of a recent memoir, The Lucky Generation: Growing up in Depression and War, published by the Green Writers Press in Brattleboro and available on Amazon. Members of his class were successful, not because they were hard working but because they were born in 1931. At first, they rejected the luck factor as a key to their success. But then he sketched the demographic context of their times, and classmates began to admit the year of their birth had helped the trajectory of careers in business, law, and medicine. He quotes Calvin Trillin, born in 1935, calling his generation ‘demographically blessed.’ ” Charlie tells us that as a longtime friend of Davis, he is one of five readers of the entire pre-publication manuscript. Charlie also contributed a quotable puff on Davis’ book. He admits, “This is the first and only time in my life someone asked me to puff a book. I’m aglow in the aftermath of this achievement.” (Secretary’s note: Use of the words “puff” and “aglow” in consecutive sentences might make classmates somewhat dizzy.)
Word of the day: snollygoster—a shrewd, unprincipled person, especially a politician. Tempted as I may be, I refrain from further commentary to avoid the scathing denunciation of my slightly but ingeniously hidden reference to you know who, with credit given for one-third of the true meaning of shrewd.
H.L. Mencken wrote: “The kind of man who wants the government to adopt and enforce his ideas is always the kind of man whose ideas are idiotic.”
With sadness I report the passing of Gordon K. Lenci.
—Chuck Woodhouse, 6 Glenbrook Way #159, Medway, MA 02053; (508) 202-2447; kirk8202@gmail.com

57Herb Roskind majored in English and became a successful global trader. He never retired and still travels the world. He founded a global chemical trading enterprise bought by Koch Industries and built businesses in Amsterdam, Japan, and China. Now in his second career, he is on the faculty at Arizona State University lecturing on global mobile trading strategies. He still takes various classes there and attributes his success to Dartmouth English classes that taught him the value of being inquisitive and the importance of viewing situations broadly. His credo is speak well, write well, and dress well. Arthur Manthey was a premed chemistry major. Freshman year he formed a musical quartet with Randy Aires, Gordon Bjork,and J.R. Saphir. Arthur said Dartmouth gave him the skills that helped him attain a Ph.D. in physiology at Columbia University. He started at the University of Tennessee medical units in Memphis and continued as an associate professor until retirement in 2000. Arthur received awards from the National Science Foundation in nerve-muscle physiology. His wife, Laura, was a professional violinist and they both played in the Memphis Symphony.
Bob Rex, along with Mike Brown and John Donnelly, planned a get-together this fall with Bob Adelizzi in San Diego. These are the four remaining 1957 Dartmouth varsity football players. Bob, who was team captain, lives in New London, New Hampshire. He retired as a managing director from Smith-Barney after 26 years in sales specializing in IPOs. He served on the New London Hospital board of directors for 10 years. He said Dartmouth friendships were unique and everlasting. Gary Gilson was an English major who became a national writer and journalist. He says lessons in Greek tragedies about moral issues influenced his work on journalism ethics. Fraternities that practiced racial and religious discrimination strengthened his commitment to racial justice and led to his work on the Columbia summer program for minority groups. He taught journalism at seven colleges, including Yale, Columbia, and Colorado College. Gary has five Emmy Awards for public TV work in New York and L.A. See Gary’s Substack platform at garygilson.substack.com.
Sadly, we have lost classmates Hugo Hartenstein Jr., Donald Hutchins, and Ted Jennings.
—Ron Read, 18711 Monte Vista, Villa Park, CA 92861; (714) 998-1479; ronread1@aol.com