Class Notes 1942

Ginia Allison sent me an article from the local paper of the new ownership and opening of the Ruggles Mine, which Robert Searles and his wife owned and operated for some 20 years.

I have had some wonderful emails from progeny of ’42s and want to share them with you. I also want to encourage more stories and emails. These alums should seek out the publication Dartmouth at War to get a sense of what their fathers endured.

Below is an email from Nicholas Hunt ’75, son of Charles Hunt.

“I have always enjoyed reading class news of the great class of ’42 because of my father and because I knew a few of his classmates. Dick Hill was a trustee when I was attending. Hugo Schnabel was a close friend of my father. Hugo married the carnival queen as I remember. My father had never visited Dartmouth before arriving as a freshman. The first night on campus, the hurricane of 1938 hit. He woke up thinking he was in hell and a long way from Iowa! He did three years undergraduate and one year at Tuck before going to war as second lieutenant in the Navy. He was responsible for loading ships with shells and bombs at Port Chicago in Oakland, California, and later in the South Pacific. Fortunately, he left Port Chicago before it blew up.

“After the war, he farmed and fed cattle with his brother. It has always amazed me how a man with his education would choose to farm when he could have made more money on Wall Street and with a lot less manual labor. Times have changed because today, farming is a big business and a lot less manual labor. In 1977, my dad suffered a stroke which severely handicapped him. I took over the farm and still farm today. He lived until 2002, despite his doctor’s predictions. My daughter, Elizabeth ’05, was in ROTC and graduated as second lieutenant in the Army. She served in Afghanistan and earned a Bronze Star. Thank you for writing the ’42 column and thanks to all the great classmates of 1942 who fought for the freedom we enjoy today.”

—Joanna Caproni, 370 East 76 St., Apt. A 406, New York, NY 10021; caproni@aol.com

Exciting news: The Paris Olympics are 100 days away as I write this!

And I just read of the $25-million gift to the arts at Dartmouth. The gift from Daryl and Steven Roth ’62, Tu’63, is the largest ever to the Hopkins Center! I don’t know if you see these announcements. I get them on my email daily and try to report them to you.

Jon Mendes (age 103) is being treated for an infection—he has his usual happy positive attitude. And when people ask how he is doing, he responds: “If it got any better, I couldn’t handle it!”

I tried to reach Tom Harriman to put in a word from him. No reply thus far.

It is getting harder and harder to get news. My “contract” is to keep ’42 in each issue of the alumni magazine as long as there is a living classmate. Every so often I get fan mail from younger classes. That helps!

I would really like to hear from widows. It’s an opportunity to connect with old friends. Just send me an email.

—Joanna Caproni, 370 East 76 St., Apt. A 406, New York, NY 10021; caproni@aol.com

As I write this column at the end of December, I have just been diagnosed with Covid. When you read this it will be February—and I hope all of you had a wonderful holiday and are settled in to 2024 and what that brings us.

I do have a story for you: On November 4 I attended a wonderful party celebrating Jon Mendes’ 103rd birthday a day late. It was held at the building where he lives, 1185 Park Ave., New York City. There were about 30 to 40 of us—wine was served and Jon addressed the group on his longevity. He remarks that one day one of his neighbors invited him to jog around the reservoir in Central Park. From that day on he has never missed a beat and thus has maintained that routine or something like it daily—and becoming the oldest marathoner (at 96) to officially complete the N.Y.C. Marathon (in 11 hours). He tells that eating proper foods, and completing the day with a good slug of scotch, is key. He has published a pamphlet on how he does it. You can obtain one by getting in touch with him directly.

Let me tell you, at 90 I could not even come close; however, I am privileged to report this event. He tells all, “See you next year!”

I am eager to hear news from the remaining class members and widows—your story will appear in the next column.

—Joanna Caproni, 370 East 76 St., Apt. A 406, New York, NY 10021; caproni@aol.com

July has been very hot with many days in the 90s—August was normal.

Ginia Allison just forwarded an article from The Valley News announcing an auction for the Ruggles Mine. That was a local tourist attraction owned by Gerry and Bob Searles. And then Ginia sent a follow-up article reporting it has been sold, keeping that local historical site open.

I am blowing my horn and letting you all know that I get fan mail from younger classes and that is extremely rewarding and touching. The class of ’42 is important. This provides an opportunity to ask widows and children of ’42s to send me family updates.

Jon Mendes reports that he is alive and well and looking forward to visiting Dartmouth in early October with his son and grandson and enjoying the beautiful colors of the leaves. He would be happy to share with anyone who is interested his thoughts on living healthfully.

I need more news to keep me from reporting weather statistics. Let me hear from you!

—Joanna Caproni, 370 East 76 St., Apt. A 406, New York, NY 10021; caproni@aol.com

Love the news regarding global warming. For all you baseball fans, I “clipped” the following news and it is fascinating.

“Global warming is juicing home runs in Major League Baseball,” an assistant professor of geography says about the new study finding major league sluggers are sending an extra 50 or so home runs a year over the fences due to climate change.

A call to Jon Mendes is always a pleasure: “I am 102 and grateful to be here. Every day is a blessing—happy healthy and dancing the slow shoe.” Jon reports walking every day. He is doing better than me.

You all are almost certainly 100-plus, having given much to this country and the College. Please, other class members or wives of classmates, send me some news that I can pass on to your classmates and the College.

It always feels good to receive fan mail of the ’42 column from much younger folk. It means it is being read—I have received emails from younger classes and even got one in the mail.

Tom Harriman, I have tried to reach you for news—help me out for the next column.

—Joanna Caproni, 370 East 76 St., Apt. A 406, New York, NY 10021; caproni@aol.com

As many years as I have been writing this column, I never get used to writing it during the holidays and know it will be spring when you read it, so bear with me. First it is freezing—14 degrees on Christmas day—coldest in two decades. It’s starting to warm now.

My first news is a letter from Stu Finch’s daughter, Ellen. I reported on his death earlier. In case you missed seeing it, I am repeating it here.

“Dear Joanna, I wanted to let you know that my father, Stuart Finch, died July 24, 2022, a couple of weeks short of his 101st birthday. He remained entirely alert and amazingly energetic to the end, passing me scientific papers to read and playing poker, and he lived a very full life. Dartmouth was such an important part of his life and formed I think a key aspect of his core identity. I know he very much appreciated you taking on the job of class secretary (one he proudly held for many years) as the ranks of the class of ’42 naturally diminished.”

On November 3 I had the honor of attending the 102nd birthday party for Jon Mendes. I was one of 30 or 40 of his friends all asking how he does it so they can follow in his footsteps. He spoke to the gathering about how to do it. He has a booklet on diet and exercise that you must do to achieve 102. If you google him, you will find it. He will gladly send you a copy. He tells me today “all is well, no complaints.”

As your class secretary I receive all announcements from Dartmouth. One such is the 50th anniversary of admitting women. It prompted me to think about how you men had to drive far and wide to have a date with a woman—or import women to the College for the various activities. You still can do that; however, you also have women in all of your classes.

I need your news. Please help me out or I will start writing about myself. A happy healthy 2023 to all of you!

—Joanna Caproni, 370 East 76 St., Apt. A 406, New York, NY 10021; caproni@aol.com

Whenever I go about the city by bus, I always carry a bag labeled “42s 65th Reunion.” On more than one occasion it generates a conversation from a fellow passenger. Sometimes it will be someone who went to Dartmouth. The other day it was from a gentleman who said he had just been to his 50th at Cornell and his father had also graduated from Cornell. He would then ask if I had just attended the 65th—because the ’42 is not as evident as the 65th. The bag is worn but carrying it makes me proud and I do enjoy the conversations. Sometimes they crop up in medical waiting rooms.

Exciting news: Dartmouth has elected its first female president! Let’s all welcome Sian Beilock as Dartmouth’s new and first female president.

I had a letter recently from Ollie deFabio’s son asking if the living class members remember him and could tell him anything about his father during his Dartmouth years and about Dartmouth then. I tell you this story so that any of you who may remember him can get in touch with me.

I regret having to report that Stu Finch died July 26, just a little shy of his 101st. I have been chatting with him regularly and especially as I begin to file each column. He will be missed.

Jon Mendes continues his daily walks—alone—to Central Park, weather permitting. I have told him that I want to join him on one of those walks.

I just heard from Ginia Allison, who had a medical issue of her own that is being resolved. Most important, three of her children are fighting cancer.

I thought I had Covid, but after four negative tests, no. But I do have a virus—during the pandemic, we all forgot about the common cold.

You all will be reading this at or about Thanksgiving. Please each of you send your news. Nothing is too insignificant. There are only a few class members left.

—Joanna Caproni, 370 East 76 St., Apt. A 406, New York, NY 10021; caproni@aol.com

News is scarce during the pandemic, thus the ability to gather news has been dramatically reduced. Weather, in the part of the world where I reside, has been a mixture of the very warm (80 degrees one day) to the very cold. Spring is sort of here with below-average temperatures—is it finally going to stay with us?

I just spoke with Jon Mendes, who told me his fondest memories of the Connecticut River are canoeing. He went on to canoe after Dartmouth.In 1979 he canoed down the Mississippi River. Then in 1980 Jon canoed the Yukon River.

His favorite president of Dartmouth is Phil Hanlon because he makes you feel welcomed. Jon is active walking in Central Park every day the weather permits. I plan to join him.

On a call with Stu Finch he reported that his favorite president was Ernest Martin Hopkins, who perpetuated liberal arts. The Hopkins Center was developed to honor his focus on artistry.

Stu’s favorite memory of the Connecticut River was of a friend who had a car at Dartmouth. They would drive to one of tributaries (wonderful places to study), and he mentioned the beautiful covered bridges. The only time Stu actually canoed was when the College invited students from a women’s college to campus. He canoed to make an impression—his first and last!

Stu continues to be active where he lives. He holds a jewelry repair clinic every Friday from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m., and then Friday afternoons he attends a poker club of seven participants (for seven-card stud), where the stakes are pennies. He says the most he has won is 36 cents!

—Joanna Caproni, 370 East 76 St., Apt. A 406, New York, NY 10021; caproni@aol.com

Oops, I have never waited this long to file the news of the ’42s. Perhaps it is because I didn’t get any or maybe it is because your secretary fell on her way to Thanksgiving dinner with her extended family. On the train just pulling into the station, my old habits kicked in and I got up before the train stopped. Before I could grab the seat handle—the train was lurching forward and back, and I hit the floor on my proverbial “tail,” fracturing two vertebrae. I didn’t miss the dinner. I have been prescribed to stop “jumping rope” till they heal. This may have something do with almost letting this date slide by. I made a promise not to miss a column.

In return for that promise, please, please send me news for the May-June column (due April 28).

While I wish all of you a great 2022, by the time you read this, we will be well into 2022. As I write this on December 28, the days are already longer—as they began on December 21 to gain a minute of daylight each day.

I have had the pleasure of chatting and gathering news with three centenarians—Stu Finch, Jon Mendes, and Tom Harriman—in the past three months. I know there are more, and I will try to speak with you.

I also am going to start interviewing spouses of ’42s in 2022, so feel free to send me news. I will be calling or emailing.

—Joanna Caproni, 370 East 76 St., Apt. A 406, New York, NY 10021; caproni@aol.com

I asked Jon Mendes what contributed to his choice of Dartmouth and did it play out? His answer in his own words: “At 11 I was fortunate to acquire a pair of toe strapper skis that I would carry to the top of the golf course hill and then slide down. By age 17, in high school in New Rochelle, New York, I became a ski instructor. When the alumni interviewing committee came to my high school, the alumni thought they had the next captain of the Dartmouth ski team and admitted me to the class of ’42. However, the prep school boys were so good I did not make the freshman team. I did win the four-event intramural ski trophy, which on my 70th reunion I placed in the trophy cabinet of the Dartmouth Outing Club.

“During the course of my life from age 11 to 93 I skied in more than 80 places winter and summer—even was flown to a snow field at the top of a glacier in New Zealand and skied down.

“While at Dartmouth I had intended to apply to Harvard Business School; however, WW II intervened so I spent four years flying for the Marine Corps. At the end of WW II I was able to apply to the Harvard Business School’s class of 1947 and was accepted.”

Stu Finch reports that his two daughters and one son helped him celebrate his 100th birthday on August 6—with a party of 30 of his friends brought by bus from his retirement home. Stu used to do magic, so a magician was hired to entertain. The menu was surf and turf. There were two significant gifts. Stu never officially graduated from Dartmouth due to the fact that he left after three years to start medical school and then WW II started. His daughter wrote to the College, which looked up his records: Indeed, he had enough credits, and so Dartmouth granted him his official diploma in time for his 100th birthday. The second daughter looked up six generations of Stu’s and his wife’s ancestors to create a family tree in beautiful calligraphy and presented it to him as the second significant gift. Stu was thrilled.

Please send me news for the next column.

—Joanna Caproni, 370 East 76 St., Apt. A 406, New York, NY 10021; caproni@aol.com

We are slowly coming out—today we can walk in the street without masks!

I noted a piece of news: What do you think of our fellow alum Larry Jaffe ’46 producing his first movie at the age of 98?! As he says, you are never too old to start something new. Amen. I asked the daughter of the late Bob Gale for her recollections so the class and others would know how he felt about his Dartmouth experience. “Dad was very brave, leaving Iowa as a teenager to travel so far to attend college in a place where he knew no one. He grew to love his time at Dartmouth, getting to know roommates who became lifelong friends; being humbled by working during his college years in the cafeteria, serving his classmates; and learning to be the type of professor he became by the examples given by his respected professors at Dartmouth, keeping in touch and mentoring his students long after the classes ended. A graduate, Dr. Freddie Fu ’74, in Pittsburgh used to host parties in August to honor the new Dartmouth students, and Dad and I loved attending to wish the new students the good fortune that Dad experienced. He loved the Dartmouth reunions and he and I so enjoyed his 75th reunion. I’m so glad he was able to experience that. I indulged him with Dartmouth items—blanket, sweatshirt, cap, tie, belt, mug, etc.—and he enjoyed them daily. Dartmouth always has a strong and treasured place in his heart.”

Jon Mendes tells me he is doing well—and walks to the park daily. Today he sat down and two women sat on either side of him—and were amazed when he told them he was 100. He tells me he sent his program on longevity to the podcast Marathon Training Academy and the episode is called “Health Tips from a 100-Year-Old Runner.” The podcast has 30,000 likes on Facebook and 17,000 followers on Instagram. The program is available on Spotify, Omny, and several others.

Stu Finch reports that he is about to welcome his first great-grandson in September and hopes he will attend Dartmouth when his time comes. Stu continues to work in the shop, plays pool, and, now that all are vaccinated, dining together has resumed.

—Joanna Caproni, 370 East 76 St., Apt. A 406, New York, NY 10021; caproni@aol.com

Editor’s Note: The first half of this column was inadvertently dropped from the November/December issue. We regret the error.

When you all read this column it will be on or close to the eve of the most historic election of our time. Please vote! It is the most important thing you will do on November 3.

I read in the Dartmouth news that Dance Theater of Harlem has forged a new partnership with Hopkins Center. I just read good news that Dartmouth, after much consideration, has decided to open the campus so that the incoming class will get a campus experience, though reduced in size. I know we all have been reading and hearing of colleges that have opened only to close, such as Notre Dame, because of an outbreak on campus. Dartmouth feels with its well-thought-out plan for safety and control it can accomplish an on-campus experience.

I spoke with Jon Mendes—he continues with his daily walk to the park where he sits and otherwise stays safely in his apartment. I also talked with Stu Finch—who just celebrated his 99th birthday. He is still doing repairs of small items, such as jewelry for fellow residents, some pool (not swimming) exercise, and he and others contributed to a putting green for all to enjoy.

Today I spoke with Bob Gale, who is writing his 67th book, about Walter Noble Burns, whose notable works include Tombstone, Iliad of the South West, and The Saga of Billy the Kid. Bob is unstoppable. I wish I had half his intellectual energy. Your secretary in Manhattan is experiencing a little more freedom—outdoor eating has opened up and it makes the streets look quite festive toward dusk. Waiters wear masks, most patrons wear masks, and people are pretty good at social distancing. I reduce my people-to-people contact except for shopping for household supplies. I spoke with Ginia Allison, who is healing from wrist surgery. She also had Mohs on her nose, which fits right in with the need to wear masks.

For this March/April column, written at the end of December, I wax emotional. With next to no interaction other than phones, emails, and Zooms, a new social app to me, and a few medical face-to-face meetings, it’s been more than nine months. First, I wish all of you a Covid-free 2021 and a much better year. I’m not sure I even know how to interact. We are all looking forward to getting the vaccine that will finally put Covid-19 in the rearview mirror. For Zoom events, I attended Jon Mendes’ 100th birthday with 12 or more of his friends and family. It was fun with lots of reminiscing and laughing. His birthday was November 3, yes, Election Day. He held a Zoom party the weekend before with 25 of his family. The one I attended was the weekend following. Jon continues to walk daily to Central Park and live by his health doctrine. You can receive a copy by emailing me or Jon.

I am sad to report the death of Bob Gale, age 100. He was a member of the executive committee and one of the six editors of Dartmouth at War as well as a contributor. “His body of work, an astonishing 68 tomes written over decades, includes biographies of literary giants such as Mark Twain, Henry James, and Nathaniel Hawthorne. He was penning yet another book when he fell November 11—Veteran’s Day—severely injuring his hip. He died November 26 of complications related to his injuries.” I attended the funeral via FaceTime. We hope to bring you his entire story in more details in the class newsletter in the spring.

I spoke with Stu Finch at the end of December. Three of his four children attended or graduated from Dartmouth. He has two sons, one retired and living in North Carolina, the second retired and living in Austin, Texas. A daughter who lives near him spent a semester at Dartmouth while attending Smith and wanted to finish at Dartmouth, but Smith would not let her. His fourth, a daughter, lives in Houston—her husband is CEO of the Texas Medical Center, the largest medical facility in the world. They don’t fall far from the trees.

I need your news!

—Joanna Caproni, 370 East 76 St., Apt. A 406, New York, NY 10021; caproni@aol.com

This is the 97th day of March or at least that is how it feels after being isolated for 111 days. In fact, Phase 2 just happened this past Monday, permitting us to eat outdoors in restaurants and get a haircut. There have been some peaceful marches in my neighborhood. Every night at 7 there is clapping, cheering, and horns blown in thanks to the medical workers caring for Covid patients. Social activity for me has been shopping with mask and gloves infrequently. I miss the personal interaction but have survived with emails, phone, and Zoom visits.

In spite of isolation Jon Mendes gave a virtual presentation on longevity June 2 at the Dartmouth Club of New York. More than 45, including me, attended. Jon has a booklet of his program titled “26 Miles at 96 and Why I Enjoy Good Health and You Can Too.” Jon would be delighted to send a copy to you. It details diet and exercises.

I spoke with Stu Finch the other day, who reports he holds a meeting every Friday for people in his senior living residence to bring items for repair—Stu also raised money to create a putting green—all of which can be done with proper social distancing and masks. Covid-19 has created positive things. He says at cocktail hour the residents go out on their balconies with a cocktail or glass of wine and wave at each other.

I received a letter from Bob Gale expressing concern over the removal of the weathervane from Baker Library. To Gale the image was that of Wheelock teaching an American Indian—the basis of the founding of Dartmouth. I called Jon Mendes and Stu Finch—who registered similar feelings, though they also said if the image was objectionable to Dartmouth Native American students, faculty, and graduates who want its removal, they would go along with its removal. Stu wondered if the song “Eleazar Wheelock” was to be eliminated from the songbooks and various other musical programs.

I have the sad duty to report the death of Harry Jacobs May 5 and John C. Harding May 8. The class of ’42 extends condolences to their families. I also noted the passing of Charles Kreter ’78, son of Warren Kreter. Our condolences to his family.

—Joanna Caproni, 370 East 76 St., Apt. A 406, New York, NY 10021; caproni@aol.com

As I sit this day, I am looking at a blank page. That is not unusual, but today it is because earlier this week I wrote this column and saved it—or at least I thought I did. Know that this is the second version, which is never as good as the first. On that note, let me begin.

In my last column I spoke about Bob Gale’s 100th birthday and the party being thrown by his daughter Christine December 27, 2019. Today I am pleased to report about the event. Christine has sent photos and a copy of the toasts, some of which will appear in the class of ’42 newsletter, due out this spring. I wrote a toast from the class of ’42, which Christine read. I also sent a class of ’42 pin. Some of you will remember it depicting Eleazar Wheelock. Bob wore it at the party. You will see it in the newsletter.

The party was “fabulous,” in Christine’s words, with a TV tribute on the Pittsburgh Today Live show. There were 128 guests, consisting of family and friends from 11 states. Some of the guests provided music for the evening, and Bob received a personally signed letter from President and Melania Trump and a certificate from the Pittsburgh Sen. Pat Toomey.

The other day I was talking to Jon Mendes on the phone and he told me he is coming out of retirement as the oldest to run a marathon in N.Y.C. at the age of 96 to best that record by entering the 2020 marathon at 100! He has been accepted, subject to his doctor’s approval. He also told me he is addressing the Dartmouth Club of New York on longevity and why completing the marathon at 96 was not an accident.

On the Dartmouth news website I read that Forbes ranked Dartmouth among the top colleges producing volunteers for the Peace Corps because the College emphasizes the value of being global citizens and being service-minded. I stop here to point out that the New York City College of Technology, where Leo Caproni was a professor, developed the Leo F. Caproni Global Citizens Award, which is awarded annually to a deserving student. Clearly Dartmouth influenced Leo. I am privileged to present that award in Leo’s name.

The class of 42 has the sad duty to announce the loss of Franklin S. Cushman November 28, 2019, at age 99. The class sends condolences to the family.

—Joanna Caproni, 370 East 76 St., Apt. A 406, New York, NY 10021; caproni@aol.com

Fall is here—the leaves are turning. Weather is cool in the 40s at night and low 60s by day.

Bob Gale, executive committee member will celebrate his 100th birthday December 27. Don’t forget he is still actively writing books and is on his 66th! His daughter is throwing a party in his honor. She writes: “One hundred sixty-six will be invited, so I am hoping for a big turnout from many states. It will be family, friends, attorneys, judges, former students—five guests, including a concert clarinetist and a concert violinist, will provide musical entertainment.” Give Bob a rouse and send him a card when you read this column.

On the Saturday of Homecoming, I had a wonderful call from a student of Leo F. Caproni, my late husband. He called to say, “I have just finished a tour of Dartmouth with my middle son and wife. At the end the student taking us around asked if we knew any alumni. I said yes, my professor, Leo Caproni, whereupon we were taken to the Rauner Library, where the archives reside of deceased alums. I saw Dartmouth at War and a manila envelope containing everything from the day my professor entered Dartmouth to his death.” Leo was his professor at the New York City College of Technology. Leo was a professor in the hospitality department. He got his start at the Hanover Inn back in 1947.

Rauner Library is a wonderful place to visit when you are in Hanover.

One of the Class of ’42 scholars, Svati Narula ’13, grandniece of Guy Swenson, has just joined the Dartmouth Alumni Magazine as digital editor—keeping Dartmouth in the family. Thirteen Swensons since early 1900—a record!

Jon Mendes, his son, Joshua, and I will have attended the Dartmouth-Princeton game at Yankee Stadium when you read this—a first for Dartmouth in celebration of the 250th. I will report on that once-in-a-lifetime experience in my next column.

Once again I must report classmate deaths: Joseph P. Logan on September 6, 2019; Allison S. Hall in 2014, we have just learned; and William S. Richards on April 10, 2019. We have also just learned of the death of Peggy Rugen, widow of Dick Rugen. The class of ’42 extends condolences to each family.

—Joanna Caproni, 370 East 76 St., Apt. A 406, New York, NY 10021; caproni@aol.com

It would be hard to start this column without mentioning the moving ceremonies at the 75th anniversary of D-Day, June 6, 1944, in Normandy. Makes you pause to reflect on the class of ’42 entering the war in December 7, 1941. The class lost 34 out of the 669 matriculated students. Seems a small, albeit tragic number when you reflect on the crosses at Normandy. Some classmates went on to serve in Korea and Vietnam.

I was pleased to receive a newsy Green Card from Barbara Newell, widow of Gus Newell. Her note congratulates Irenee DuPont on celebrating his 74th anniversary and about to celebrate his 75th. She writes that she and Gus made it to 74-plus years. They both live at Heatherwood in Yarmouth, Massachusetts, with Doris and Bob Keeler. Barbara reports it is a great place to live for widows in addition to couples. Please send more Green Cards.

Some time ago I asked Bob Gale to help me make some links between the classes of 1911 and 1942—WW I vs. WW II. The reason I focused on 1911 was because a small group of ’42s had fathers in 1911. My exploration may have been a stretch. Why were the 1911s concerned about WW I even though it did not start until 1914? Rather, Bob told me what his father thought about the coming of WW II. He said his father encouraged Bob’s older brother to join the Iowa National Guard to “stay safer.” When Pearl Harbor was bombed the Iowa National Guard was federalized and Bob’s brother, age 24, went with the 34th Division aboard the Queen Mary to Belfast. He hurt his back permanently on maneuvers and was returned to Wisconsin for limited duty. When the Battle of the Bulge started, his brother was sent overseas again, to Manheim, Germany, but limited duty kept him from danger. Bob served in WW II, and I refer you to his memoir in Dartmouth at War.

I just spoke with Jon Mendes, who continues his 40-minute walks each morning and reports good health.

I send a new plea for Green Cards and stories to pass on to you all.

—Joanna Caproni, 370 East 76 St., Apt. A 406, New York, NY 10021; caproni@aol.com

You will be reading this column with the warm weather having arrived. However, I write as snow is falling outside my window.

I had lunch the other day with Jon Mendes, who continues his daily walk around the reservoir—he even tried it at 2 degrees, though he admits he had to turn back. We shared WW II stories that he and Leo experienced—including an amusing tale after he joined the reserves and was courting his wife. He “borrowed” a corsair and flew three weekends into Provincetown, Massachusetts, where his wife was summering—on the third he proposed. He has published a pamphlet on how he has enjoyed good health at 98 and how you can too. He remains true to his book. His lunch was right out of his book. If any of you are interested, you can get a copy by emailing Jon.

Other news I have for you are recent happenings from Dartmouth Today.

“Undergraduate Applications: A New Admissions Record,” says that Dartmouth has hit a new record for the number of undergraduate admissions applications, with a preliminary total of 23,641 students seeking admission to the class of 2023, an increase of 7.3 percent since last year. This happened in part because the admissions officers visited nearly 1,500 U.S. high schools and more than 50 countries to encourage applicants.

Also in the news: “Tuck Ranks 12th Worldwide for Highest M.B.A. Salaries for 2019.” The website BusinessBecause.com noted Tuck has the highest percentage (45 percent) of female students in the United States and some of the most generous graduates, with more than two-thirds of alumni donating to the school. Finally, “Gillibrand ’88 Returns as a Presidential Candidate. The 2020 presidential campaign trail through Hanover brought Democratic candidate Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand ’88 (D-N.Y.) to Alumni Hall in February for a town hall-style event that became a celebration of the women of Dartmouth.”

I have the sad duty to report the loss of Robert Moser Campbell December 23, 2018, just seven weeks shy of his 100th birthday. The class of ’42 sends condolences to his family.

—Joanna Caproni, 370 East 76 St., Apt. A 406, New York, NY 10021; caproni@aol.com

Since it is almost the 75th anniversary of the end of WW II, it seemed fitting to explore Dartmouth at War once again. One of my editors has been helping me and presented two contrasting biographical essays.

Guy Swenson wrote a vividly detailed, 6,000-word account of his varied experiences. After basic, then specialized training in Miami, 1942 to 1943, Guy was commissioned a second lieutenant in the U.S. Army Air Corps, as cryptographic specialist. He served in California, India, and finally China, and learned of peace following atomic bombings in Japan in August 1945. He was treated in Shanghai for hepatitis, returned to the United States by sea, and recovered slowly in Concord, New Hampshire. He attended Harvard Law School, married, raised three sons, and enjoyed a splendid civilian career. Guy died in 2013.

A relative prepared a 34-word account of the career of John Lee Williams. “Jack” became a member of the U.S. Marine Corps in January 1942, was leader of a rifle platoon in Guadalcanal, and then New Britain, and died in 1994. Editors in a postscript report that Jack was married June 1945. He was recalled to duty on September 1950, served in combat in South Korea, and survived an air crash in January 1951.

This very same editor made history this month with the following headline from the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette: “At 98, Scholar has Written 64 Books”—and he is still writing. That is our very own Bob Gale. Give Bob a rouse!

In other news from Dartmouth, “Dartmouth Hires Female Football Coach.” Buddy Teevens ’79, the Robert L. Blackman Football Coach, announced the hiring of Callie Brownson to be the offensive quality-control coach for the Big Green. Brownson becomes the first known full-time female football coach at the Division I level.” I invite Andy and all writers to help me fill this column. I have one for next column. Stay tuned. In the meantime, Merry Christmas and a peaceful 2019!

—Joanna Caproni, 370 East 76 St., Apt. A 406, New York, NY 10021; caproni@aol.com

I have uncovered more statistical folklore. There were seven ’42s whose fathers were in the class of 1911. One wonders if these men faced WW I in 1914 the way the members of the class of ’42 faced WW II in their senior year. Those with 1911 fathers include Leo Caproni, Huntly Allison, David Heald, Edwin Hawkridge, Arthur Henderson, Ed Stafford, and Frank Wheatley. I wonder if they all knew about each other. I do know that four of them did because they talked about it at mini-reunions. There were four students commissioned in the ROTC this year. Each of those graduates received a copy of Dartmouth at War, handing of our legacy to our future military and acquainting them with the greatest generation.

I had a nice letter from Bob Gale with news of his family and his continued writings. I need to hear from you all. If I can get permission from Jon Mendes, I want to tell you of an inspiring booklet that he wrote titled “Why I Enjoy Good Health at 96—and You Can Too!” complete with photos, recipes, and illustrations. I know he would be pleased to share it with you.

The class of ’42 and its legacy of supporting scholarships with a gift started long ago. Two students—Abubakar Kasule ’21 from Saudi Arabia and Emily Zurcher ’21 from Elkins Park, Pennsylvania—were awarded this privilege in 2017. Some statistics about our 1942 Scholarship Fund: In June of 2017 the historic book value was $549,082.20; the market value was $855,323.44. During the fiscal year ending June of 2017, the portfolio experienced an investment return of 14.6 percent, resulting in an increased market value for the period. During the longer period of the last 10 years, we have continued to outperform two other bench marks with a 6.4-percent return over the 3.7-percent return for the MSCI All Country World Index and a 4.5-percent return of a general 60-percent global equity/40-percent bond benchmark over the same period.

I have the sad duty to report the passing of another member of the class, Ed Finn, in May. The class of ’42 sends condolences to his family.

Please, classmates and widows, send me some news of you and your family. I can’t make this up.

—Joanna Caproni, 370 East 76 St., Apt. A 406, New York, NY 10021; caproni@aol.com

The weather has turned a corner in New York.

I had a nice email from Stu Finch, who spoke with many of you before our 75th reunion. I need to hear from you so I can fill this column with news from you.

I speak with Jon Mendes on occasion. We spoke at the end of February, and he is doing well. We are neighbors. I also spoke with Mary Lindstrom, Guy Swenson’s widow, recently.

Quoting from Dartmouth News, here are some of the highlights from the campus. “Undergraduate Applications Hit Five-Year High,” according to one report. The 22,005 applications for admission to the class of 2022 are an increase of 9.8 percent over last year and represent the fourth-largest applicant pool in Dartmouth’s history. The strong rise in the overall applicant pool—which includes both early-decision admissions and the current round of regular-decision admissions—is the largest one-year increase in seven years. In an article titled “Hanover, New Hampshire: Could You Live Here?” Yankee Magazine was quoted as reporting: “Town and gown thrive side by side in Hanover, New Hampshire. This just might be the best college town of all.” It goes on to quote a town resident who says the town offers “a concentrated shot of culture.”

The news this season is also filled with Olympic accomplishments from Dartmouth. “Most Dartmouth Athletes Ever to March in Opening Ceremony,” reported Dartmouth News. “With the addition of Alice Merryweather ’21 and Tricia Mangan ’19, Dartmouth will have 16 Olympians in the opening ceremony, the most ever for the College. And, with Paralympian Staci Mannella ’18 set to compete next month, that brings to 17 the number of Dartmouth athletes taking part in the Olympics.” Also, “Jeff Shiffrin ’76 watched his daughter accomplish what she went to Pyeongchang to do: win the gold. It was a come-from-behind victory for Team USA’s Mikaela Shiffrin in the second run of the giant slalom, which isn’t usually her strongest event.” Finally, “the legendary Canada-U.S. women’s hockey rivalry added another thrilling chapter in Pyeongchang with Team USA’s 3-2 win. Canada—led by Dartmouth hockey coach Laura Schuler and featuring former Big Green forward Laura Stacey ’16, No. 7—took silver, ending Canada’s 20-year gold medal streak.”

I have the sad duty to report the loss of Gordon Newell and Robert Brower. The class of 42 sends its condolences to the family.

—Joanna Caproni, 370 East 76 St., Apt. A 406, New York, NY 10021; caproni@aol.com

My promised report of the 75th Reunion follows: The Dartmouth team treated us to an historic game overtime September 23 not seen since 2013 and 2009 and won in the last minute, 27-26. The shouts in the Hayward Lounge at the Hanover Inn were heard throughout the Upper Valley. The team has gone on to dramatic victories such as Homecoming: The Big Green came from 21-0 down to a historic 28-27 win against Yale October 7. This was the largest comeback in the history of the team. The weather was perfect, albeit like a mid-August weekend. Your classmates Stu Finch, Jon Mendes (with son Joshua ’84) and Bob Gale (with daughter Christine) were there to represent you, with yours truly, Ginia Allison, Gaby Elitov-Berman and Louise Clark.

President Hanlon addressed the attendees about what is being done to address campus drinking and former President James Wright provided an excellent war history of those who served in WW II, North Korea and Vietnam. The College provided exposure to students from the Hill Wind Society, giving us a chance to learn about their experiences at Dartmouth. It is always special to hear the Aires singing the alma mater, and “Dartmouth Undying” always brings tears.

We also had a presentation on the new Moosilauke Ravine Lodge. Very impressive.

We held a class meeting, the final one for the class. There are 30 of you left and it is up to you to provide this column with news. Our class continues to provide scholarships for deserving students and that will go on. Our class newsletter will feature two letters from this year’s freshman scholars. In addition the newsletter will show pictures and other details of the reunion.

I realize when you read this you will be getting ready for Christmas and New Year’s, having just celebrated Thanksgiving. Hard to believe it in the middle of October.

I have the sad duty to report the loss of three more ’42s: Warren Carlson in 2016; John Brooks in August 2017; and Leroy L. Eldredge October 5, 2017, who provided Dartmouth with six family members. The class sends its condolences to the families.

—Joanna Caproni, 370 East 76 St., Apt. A 406, New York City, New York 10021; (212) 988-6012; (212) 988-6715 (fax); caproni@aol.com

The weather has warmed up and real spring is in the air and yours truly is recovering from knee replacement.

This year 2019 is the 250th anniversary of the founding of Dartmouth and in celebration of that year, on November 9, 2019, Dartmouth will play Princeton at Yankee Stadium. Who’d have thought?

Some of you may have read about Abbey D’Agostino ’14 and her heroic gesture during a qualifying heat in the 2016 Olympics, when a New Zealander clipped D’Agostino, causing both of them to fall. Abbey helped her running mate to her feet and encouraged her to complete the race. Abbey, having torn both her meniscus and ACL in the fall, managed to finish the race. She received worldwide praise for exhibiting what the meaning of Olympic and American spirit is all about—and what the Dartmouth spirit is all about.

In February there was an effort to try to make Hanover a sanctuary city after President Trump came out with his executive order restricting immigration. This order is and was a concern since so many students are immigrants. It received positive attention but was inconclusive. One point made was that the police do not ask for citizenship information when they are called in to investigate something.

I need to hear from you to report your news here, so please help me out.

The class just received the mailing for the 75th reunion with a copy of the agenda and it looks like an excellent two days. We encourage as many of you as can to return to the campus.

When you receive this issue, you have a few days left to contribute to the Dartmouth College Fund—the amount is not as important as your participation.

I have the sad duty to report the loss of Richard Remsen, Ed Chalfant and Murray Latz. The class of ’42 offers its condolences to their families. Look for more details in our next class newsletter.

—Joanna Caproni, 370 East 76 St., Apt. A 406, New York City, New York 10021; (212) 988-6012; (212) 988-6715 (fax); caproni@aol.com

As our ears and eyes are filled with the Washington, D.C., scene, I am going to take you away from it for a few minutes. If you missed the last column, this is to remind you to save September 22-24 for our 75th reunion.

This column thrives on news from classmates, widows and children of classmates. No news, no column. Don’t worry, we will always find something to share with you. First, Bob Gale writes, “I accompanied my beloved attorney-daughter, Chris Gale, from Pittsburgh to Saint Kitts; she worked four days while I loafed.” Bob recently published a book on American poet Robinson Jeffers, class of 1918, and his narrative poems and is now doing research on Mark Twain’s friend George Washington Cable’s Louisiana-based fiction.

While I cannot explore them in depth, there are some interesting headlines coming out of Dartmouth Today, an online newsletter: “Jake Tapper ’91, award-winning journalist and CNN news anchor, will deliver the main address at Dartmouth’s Commencement for the class of 2017 on the Green June 11.” There’s a story from Ema Reid, Tu’17, from the February 21 issue telling firsthand what it really was like to be a refugee from Bosnia and dispelling the stereotypical notion that refugees are people in ruins and tatters and rags. She details how her family, professionals, escaped as her city and their very apartment building were being blown up, never to be able to return to that home again and the important contribution her family made to starting over in America. Thayer professor Eric Fossum won engineering’s biggest prize, the Queen Elizabeth Prize, for his camera on a chip. Finally, students have launched the Pulse app—a new, student-centered confidential platform for gathering public opinion on a range of topics. Students can take surveys via computers or mobile devices while learning their peers’ “views about Dartmouth.” Incentives might be a pizza or a poster.

—Joanna Caproni, 370 East 76 St., Apt. A 406, New York City, New York 10021; (212) 988-6012; (212) 988-6715 (fax); caproni@aol.com

As many of you may know my husband and your class president, Leo F. Caproni Jr., died September 4 in New York after a brief illness. He was 97. I am now filling two pairs of shoes.

Leo left Dartmouth before graduation to join the Army Air Corps after the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. He was sent to the Pacific where he piloted transport planes to Iwo Jima and other besieged islands. He returned to Dartmouth to complete his degree in 1947. As an undergraduate he was a member of the Dartmouth Outing Club and Sigma Alpha Epsilon and served on the Jack-O-Lantern. Classmate David Heald was managing the Hanover Inn and hired Leo as his assistant and trainee. This began Leo’s odyssey in the hospitality industry. For the next 30 years Leo operated and managed an extraordinary number of inns, hotels and hotel groups, including New York’s Carlyle Hotel when President John F. Kennedy was a frequent guest. I met Leo in 1960 when I stayed in a hotel he managed on the Caribbean island of St. Croix. We were married later that year.

I introduced Leo to Cape Cod, Massachusetts, where he fell in love with Truro; we built a house and became devoted summer residents for more than 40 years.

For 20 years Leo taught courses in hospitality management at the New York City College of Technology in Brooklyn, achieving his doctoral equivalency and the title of full professor. He found teaching more rewarding than management, seeing his students go on to achieve successful careers in the industry. Teaching also gave him summers off to pursue some of his passions—fishing and half-hull modeling. His works in modeling were shown in a small gallery in Truro.

As you will recall, in December 2011 our class published Dartmouth at War, a book of 103 WW II memoirs Leo and I initiated and directed and that former President James Wright called “masterful.” Leo’s devotion to Dartmouth was reflected in his service on a wide range of class and College committees, including overseer of the Hanover Inn, Alumni Fund volunteer, class president for eight years and member of the 50th reunion committee.

Leo is survived by his wife (me) of 56 years and three children from two previous marriages, Peter, Carol and Leo III, 10 grandchildren and 10 great-grandchildren. We held a memorial gathering at the New York City College of Technology in New York.

It is my sad duty to report the loss of Myron Tribus and Robert Wyman Rich.

—Joanna Caproni, 370 East 76 St., Apt. A 406, New York City, New York 10021; (212) 988-6012; (212) 988-6715 (fax); caproni@aol.com
 

The deadlines come faster. Summer is in full swing along with its delightful weather.

In our last column we promised to go into greater detail on the new residential communities recently created at Dartmouth. Rather than rewriting, the quote following is from Dartmouth Now, an e-newsletter issued by the College, and it briefly explains the new and exciting program.

“The new residential life model, a cornerstone of the Moving Dartmouth Forward plan, is designed to transform the undergraduate living experience, bringing more continuity to students’ on-campus living experiences and presenting greater opportunity for faculty-student interaction beyond the classroom. In May six faculty members were appointed house professors. They will live in single-family homes assigned to each of the six house communities. A seventh professor will serve as faculty director of the McLaughlin Cluster, where the living-learning communities will be located. The house professors are serving a four-year term, which began on July 1. The house professors and their families will live in a College residence within a short walk of their house community. In the start of the program each student can name up to five fellow students with whom they would like to share this new community residence.”

We are pleased to announce that Ginia Allison, widow of Huntly Allison, will be our new class newsletter editor. Please send her your news and congratulate Ginia.

We received a delightful letter from Bob Gale, who continues writing and publishing, and latest news of his children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

In our next column we will report the performance of the great class of ’42 in the Dartmouth College Fund.

For those of you with family in the area, Homecoming is October 28-29 and it will give you all a chance to watch Dartmouth defeat Harvard.

Please take a minute to send us your news. This column thrives on your news.

At this writing it is our sad duty to report the loss of William Uptegrove. You can read his WW II memoir in our book, Dartmouth at War.

—Leo F. Caproni Jr., 370 East 76 St., Apt. A 406, New York City, NY 10021; (212) 988-6012; (212) 988-6715 (fax); caproni@aol.com

So where are those great moments that stand out from your years at Dartmouth? I told you mine.

Somehow the weather has provided something to cheer or complain about since Christmas. A bunch of extremes, such as today near 60 degrees and recently -1. It should not be hard to convince the global warming naysayers.

We can count on Bob Gale and Chuck Herberger to give us news in one form or another.

For Chuck Herberger, youngest member of our class celebrating his “24th” leap birthday. He was born on February 29, 1920. We wish him a wonderful day!

Bob Gale writes that he is planning to work on the narrative poetry of Robinson Jeffers. Robinson Jeffers was so important that Time magazine featured him in a cover essay and the U.S. postal service issued a commemorative stamp on Jeffers. Stand by for Bob Gale’s book on him.

I know we mentioned the dedication of the new stadium in November and the plaque honoring those who served. Our class made a contribution to that plaque and the up-and-coming newsletter will provide a nice photo of the plaque showing each class year, including the class of 1942. It’s something about which to be proud.

If you want a longer column with more news you are going to have to send us your news. I understand that I am not allowed to make up stories. So help me out for the next column!

The class of 42 sends it condolences to the family of William Winternitz.

—Leo F. Caproni Jr., 370 East 76 St., Apt. A 406, New York City, New York 10021; (212) 988-6012; (212) 988-6715 (fax); caproni@aol.com

It is remarkable how two months can seem like two days (by that we mean from the last time we submitted a column).

In Hanover there was the dedication of Dartmouth’s newly renovated Memorial Field November 6. The great class of ’42 made a substantial contribution to a plaque that will memorialize our class, together with other war classes. Perhaps we will be able to show a photo in our class newsletter for those of us who cannot be there.

Just checked with Jon Mendes and he is “good to go” for the 2015 New York Marathon on Sunday, November 1. We have been asked to provide refreshment at Mile 17, where we actually live. We will certainly provide a photo. You will hear or read more about it in our fall class newsletter.

We were surprised and pleased to receive the following and first-ever fan mail.

“Dear Mr. Caproni, My name is Jeff Krolik, Dartmouth ’78. I just wanted to send you a quick fan letter on your Class Notes, which I always find engaging and insightful. I always thumb back to your section because my father was Dick Krolik, class of ’41, and it became a habit to read his Class Notes and the years immediately before and after. My father loved Dartmouth and stayed close to his Dartmouth friends his entire life. All of those friends—John Hess, Tom Braden, Charlie McLane, Ted Gates, Mike Ellis, Charles Bolte, the list goes on—became important parts of our lives and our paths crossed countless times. I was close to my father and Dartmouth brought us together from the very beginning—road trips to the Yale Bowl, checking the temperature gauge on a Christmas visit to the Hanover Inn, buying a job interview suit at Campions. He always drove so that we could approach the campus coming up Main Street and the first sighting would be the Green and Baker Library. And he would always say: ‘Isn’t that just great!’ Yes, it was, then and now. Thanks for your notes, and know that I will remain a faithful reader.”

Once again we have the sad duty to report the loss of another classmate, David M. Davis, on August 30, 2015.

—Leo F. Caproni Jr., 370 East 76 St., Apt. A 406, New York City, NY 10021; (212) 988-6012; (212) 988-6715 (fax); caproni@aol.com

We have found our survey of classmates and what experiences stood out most about their four years at Dartmouth a stimulating project. Most recently, Jon Mendes writes his three experiences: The hurricane of 1938, building the Eleazar Wheelock sculpture and professor John Moffat Mecklin and his saying, “There are no absolutes.”

As for Professor Mecklin’s statement, it caused me to Google that statement. Please send us your thoughts. Ours: “There is no right or wrong.” I remember clearly arriving the night of the hurricane of 1938. My mother and father drove me to Hanover and we took a fellow classmate out to dinner. All was calm at that point. When we finished our dinner and walked outside we ran head-on into the storm, with trees down along the road and, of course, much wind and rain.

Some of you may remember our scholar, Neha Narula ’03, who says, “The mentoring I received at Dartmouth helped me succeed in my field.”

Five members of the class of 2015 received their commission, and each one received a copy of our book, Dartmouth at War, in recognition of their accomplishment.

David Brooks, New York Times columnist, spoke at Commencement. Before Commencement he met with 25 seniors and offered some good advice. “Life after college can be a shock to many,” he said. “After 22 years of structure—you are the most supervised generation in history—suddenly you will be released into the wild. “Nurture friendships, don’t judge yourself against your friends’ Facebook highlight reels” and pick a moral hero to emulate, Brooks says. Please send us your news, especially your recollections of the most important and influential experiences you recall of your four years at Dartmouth. None of us will forget being uprooted in the first semester of our senior year by WW II, its profound influence on us then, how it shaped our future and, for that matter, how it shaped the world.

Once again it is my unfortunate duty to report the loss of a classmate, John Stewart, May 2.

—Leo F. Caproni Jr., 370 East 76 St., Apt. A 406, New York City, NY 10021; (212) 988-6012; (212) 988-6715 (fax); caproni@aol.com

As we write we are headed to break another record of the coldest February 20 since 1950. Maybe 1888, too. Frankly we would rather not break that record unless it is in reverse, as in hottest.


Some time ago we invited classmates to reflect on experiences that stood out most about their four years at Dartmouth. This column features Warren Carlson, who was one of our editors of Dartmouth at War.


“Reading the Sunday paper I noted that the comic strip Orphan Annie first appeared in 1924. I always looked forward to the funnies, and Annie was one of my favorites, along with Moon Mullins, Smitty, Harold Teen and Gasoline Alley, to mention a few. I had my own Sandy, an Irish terrier-Airedale, and when I was about 4 years old, inspired by Annie, we ran away from home once for all of a half hour.


“Today I have a Pekingese, called Peaches, who gets me out for a walk each morning that lasts close to an hour. At the age of 94 I consider that one of the blessings life has given me, and when I look back through the years I have had many.


“For the opportunity to go to Dartmouth I owe a lot to my parents as well as to Bulkeley School, headmaster Homer K. Underwood and the Dartmouth grads who interviewed me.


“As for my college experience, the classes at Sanborn with professor Sidney Cox stand out, along with The Dartmouth and the fellowship with, among others, Jim Farley, Mike de Sherbinin, Proc Page, Alex Fanelli, Jerry Tallmer, Ed Rasmussen and Joe Palamountain, who later became president of Skidmore College. (I can also thank The Dartmouth for starting me on a new athletic career when I volunteered to take the position of catcher in the annual softball game with the Jack-O-Lantern.)


“I was fortunate in having been able to work on newspapers for almost half a century, including a great one, the New York Herald Tribune (albeit my job there as copyboy added little to its fame).


“Finally, the greatest blessing of all, my wife, Marge, who was my first love, partner and support for close to 65 years. Although she has passed away she is still, and always will be, my inspiration.”


I have the sad duty report the following losses: Richard Ensor and Charles Weinberg.


—Leo F. Caproni Jr., 370 East 76 St., Apt. A 406, New York City, New York 10021; (212) 988-6012; (212) 988-6715 (fax); caproni@aol.com


Jon Mendes just called us and said he had passed his stress test and the doctor said he is good to go for the marathon next Sunday. Would we have two cold cans of beer ready? Our apartment is at Mile 17 and apparently the doctor prescribed the beer as “fuel.” Go, Jon. Go, Dartmouth.


While gathering news for this column I had a nice phone visit with Ed Chalfant, who said he broke his hip a month before we spoke and that it has healed well. We began to reminisce about Dartmouth in our day that today’s students may find interesting. Do you remember when we entered Dartmouth we ate in the Commons and were not allowed to choose our dining partners so that we would get to know everyone? We soon learned our way around that. We found a place in an alley off Main Street where we could get two meals for a small amount of money and have what we liked and choose our dining companions. It was less expensive. We think it might have been called Ma Smalleys.


Then we began talking about the historic fifth down against Cornell. How many of you remember this?


Ed recalled he was eating lunch when Pearl Harbor was attacked on December 7, 1941. At his table there was a Japanese student. Ed said we all turned to him and said, “What will you do?” The fellow replied curtly, “My family will take care of me.”


Ed reminded me of the uniqueness of Dartmouth compared with Harvard in our day. Because there were no grad programs it meant that we were taught by professors, not assistants as at Harvard. We thought we were really privileged to be taught by professors.


Ed taught at Dartmouth in the early part of his career. For any of you who have some interesting recollections of your early days at Dartmouth, please email or call me for the next column, due in December.


At this juncture I have the sad duty to report the loss of Huntly Allison and Fred Ellwood Huntley.


—Leo F. Caproni Jr., 370 East 76 St., Apt. A 406, New York City, NY 10021; (212) 988-6012; (212) 988-6715 (fax); caproni@aol.com


Summer is here—we have traded umbrellas for shorts.


In our recent column we made mention that Chuck Herberger was the youngest member of our class when he entered Dartmouth and even today due to his birthday being on Leap Year. It prompted a call from Tom Harriman, who thought he was the youngest. Of those of us still around, a search of our available data shows the Rev. William Bishop as the youngest, born May 10, 1922. Tom then told an interesting story about how he and his three brothers all went to Dartmouth. He promised to write that story for our newsletter.


Bob Gale keeps in touch on a regular basis. And this month has published yet another book, titled Characters and Plots in James Welch’s Novels. 


Our class honored the three ROTC military officers commissioned this year at a luncheon hosted by Huntly and Ginia Allison. We presented each man with an autographed copy of our book, titled Dartmouth at War. The full story will appear in our class newsletter.


We received a wonderful letter from our class scholar after completing his first year, an amazing man whose accomplishments will appear in our newsletter. 


Other Dartmouth news: George Packer, of the The New Yorker, writes that Phil Klay ’05, in his book Redeployment, presents the “best literary work thus far” from our two recent engagements in Afghanistan and Iraq. Packer writes Klay is a writer who happened to be a Marine and went to Dartmouth. Klay served during the violent months of the surge in 2007 in Anbar Province.


When you get a call from me wishing you a happy birthday, I am also calling to get news of you and your family. I need this news to help in writing this column.


As I conclude this column I regret to inform you of the loss of the following classmates: Theodore Dunn and George Rushton, both contributors to our book, Dartmouth at War; Richard Cardozo, M.D.; Edward Rasmussen; Robert Temple; and Arthur Henderson. The class extends its condolences.


—Leo F. Caproni Jr., 370 East 76 St., Apt. A 406, New York City, New York 10021; (212) 988-6012; (212) 988-6715 (fax); caproni@aol.com


It is remarkable how quickly the deadline for submitting class news comes around. It seems like August was yesterday. As you know, I end each column with a plea for news from classmates that I can pass on to you. I heard from three of you: Stu Finch, who is still involved in the U.S.-Ukrainian study of radiation-induced leukemia, Charles Herberger and Bob Gale. In fact they sent so much news that we could not fit it in our column, which allows 350 choice words. You will see the details in our newsletter. Bob Gale and Charles Herberger, both former English professors, are prolific writers—Herberger most recently about Shakespeare and Gale about Walter Van Tilburg Clark.
Bob Gale sent a very moving piece about Dick Ensor. It was a copy of the Bronze Star Medal citation by President Roosevelt in October of 1945 that Dick Ensor received in WWII “For heroic achievement in connection with military operations against the enemy in Luzon, Philippine Islands, from 23 October 1944 to 20 May 1945. Ensor voluntarily landed by submarine behind enemy lines in Luzon and traveled by sailboat to southern Luzon, where he trained guerrillas in demolition and jungle fighting. Ensor made and important contribution to the liberation of the Philippine Islands.” You can read more about Ensor in his memoir in Dartmouth at War titled “All We Did Was Blow Up Bridges.” Many of our classmates did heroic deeds and have been reluctant to share them. 
We attended the Inauguration of President Philip Hanlon in conjunction with Class Officers Weekend. In early October Jon Mendes and I attended Hanlon’s first visit to New York City as the new president. 
This year’s Homecoming saw Dartmouth beat Yale followed by a spectacular Homecoming bonfire. The class of ’42 was represented in the Homecoming parade by Ginia and Huntly Allison a 1946 red Willys Jeep chauffeured by our adopted classmate John Carroll.
I end this column with a plea for news and a regret to report the loss of Guy Swenson, a loyal participant in alumni activities for more than 20 years.
—Leo F. Caproni Jr., 370 East 76 St., Apt. A 406, New York City, New York 10021; (212) 988-6012; (212) 988-6715 (fax); caproni@aol.com



Got a newsy letter from John Brewer. After four years of ranching in Colorado he bailed out in 1966, then became a newspaper editor and worked in public relations. Then another nonprofit ranch in Montana, after which he and Sally set up a real estate brokerage in Idaho. Then he was able to retire at age 75 back in Colorado. John and Sally have seven children, five grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.


Could this be a class record?


—Bob Schoonmaker, 685 S. LaPosada Circle, G.H. #2603, Green Valley AZ 85614-5156; (520) 648-7989


Thanks to your generosity, we had a 54.8 percent participation in the Alumni Fund. Sixty-three donors contributed $34,003. Next year let’s shoot for 100 percent.


The WW II project is being met with enthusiasm, according to Leo Caproni’s report. We have more than 50 stories and they are still coming in. By the time you read this issue we should be ready to start the printing process. For some of you who may think you have missed the deadline of July 15 and want to be part of this fascinating collection of memoirs, give Leo Caproni a call. There may still be a chance to be included. All of you will be kept up to date either through the Alumni Magazine or our newsletter that comes out more frequently.


Alumni relations visited New York June 27 to meet with officers of each class in the New York area. Leo Caproni attended. There is to be a new lineup in alumni relations.


Fellow classmates, we need to hear from you in order to make this column news about you and your colleagues.


—Bob Schoonmaker, 685 S. LaPasada Circle, G.H. #2603, Green Valley, AZ 85614-5156; (520) 648-7989


As we write from New York City we have exceeded snow totals by double for the year accompanied by insufferable cold! Moving around requires hurdling 4-foot mounds of ice and snow or hip waders to overcome either Lake Michigan or Mississippi River-like bodies of water at some corners. Hanover was never like this! And yes, we are expecting a little more snow.


Spring is top of mind as were the Olympics. Twelve athletes with ties to Dartmouth were competitors at the Olympic Games in Sochi. In fact, Andrew Weibrecht ’09 won a silver. Congratulations, Andrew.


A couple of newsworthy items from Dartmouth: The College has a new center that will focus on sexual assault and violence protection. Progress continues in reducing high-risk drinking. Geisel School of Medicine received a $6.25 million gift.


I spoke with Chuck Herberger the other day to wish him a happy birthday a few days early. He is our youngest classmate at 23 and entered college as possibly the youngest at age 4. Lest you think I have lost my mind, He was born on February 29, 1920, leap year. He gets to celebrate every four years. He reports his continuing efforts on Shakespeare, which you will read about in our next newsletter.


Dorothy Baldwin, Dick Baldwin’s widow, called the other day to chat and to announce that she is moving to an assisted living complex in New Jersey. She says cooking for one is no fun. Every so often we get a glimpse of Ed Chalfant and his wife on Facebook.


My columns continue to bring sad news about losing classmates: Bradley Bowman; William Parmer, whose daughter writes how much Bill loved Dartmouth; and Cmdr. Edward Stafford. Both Parmer and Stafford wrote chapters in our book Dartmouth at War. Some of you may remember Ed was a successful contestant on the famed quiz show $64,000 Question.


I have called some of you to gather news for this column and left messages. Please call me back. I need to hear from you so I can pass on your news to your classmates.


—Leo F. Caproni Jr., 370 East 76 St., Apt. A 406, New York City, New York 10021; (212) 988-6012; (212) 988-6715 (fax); caproni@aol.com


It has been quite a summer in the Big Apple. A week of near 100 degrees in July caused some phone lines to go down, ours included. Verizon reports the copper cables now 80 years old are wearing out. Then rain. Our phone is back, the weather has improved. Fall is in the air.


During a premature birthday call to Dick Cardozo in Sarasota, Florida, Dick reported all is well—children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. He volunteers at the Y, also the Botanical Gardens, and he gives the beach a good “workout.” As we talked he mused about our war class made up of 18-year-olds and 25-year-olds, an odd mix due to the war. Our cardiologist reports a similar experience in his med school class.


Called Ed Chalfant to wish him a happy birthday, his wife answered and reported all is well.


Dick Higgins, head agent, did our class proud. The participation rate was above the overall College rate by 1 percent. Not bad for a group of 90-plus-year-olds. 


In fact, Chuck Herberger writes, “The business of a scholar is to research and write. At 93 I am still at it. I just published an article on the Shakespeare authorship question.” 


Bob Gale is proofing his latest book, Walter Van Tilburg Clark Companion. Gale attended an event in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, hosted by Freddie Foo and David Schribman, with 45 to 50 Dartmouth grads of all ages. Foo is a distinguished orthopedic surgeon, Shribman an editor of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette.


Gale talks with Dick Ensor and Ed Chalfant now and then. 


As of June 30 we are a class of 86 men and 186 widows. We are depending on you to hold this number until June 30, 2014. 


Jon Mendes just called to report the sad news of the death of Don Meads. For those of you who have Dartmouth at War, read his memoir!


I regret to have to report the loss of one more classmate, Armand Guarino, June 17.


Please send your news, your classmates are asking! 


—Leo F. Caproni Jr., 370 East 76 St., Apt. A 406, New York City, New York 10021; (212) 988-6012; (212) 988-6715 (fax); caproni@aol.com


Seventieth reunion: We will be guests of the College in a few weeks.


Many of your classmates have signed up. We hope all will sign up now that you have seen the list in our recent newsletter.


As you may know, the Hanover Inn has been completely renovated and we will be among the first to sample the new decor and amenities.


For any of you who may be concerned about how you would get around easily, the College has taken that concern away by providing transportation everywhere. 


Although we will miss having President Kim at our reunion, we will have ample opportunity to see his influence on the campus.


On June 6, the anniversary of D-Day, the Dartmouth Club of New York sponsored a book-signing event for Dartmouth at War by the class of ’42 and Those Who Have Borne the Battle by James Wright, former president of Dartmouth. We had approximately 100 in attendance, including Dick Ensor, Jon Mendes, Jerry Tallmer and yours truly. I read an excellent critique by Ed Chalfant titled, “Why You Should Buy and Read the Book.” We sold all copies that we brought.


We like to think the class of ’42 has started a trend. The class of 1964 is doing a book on Vietnam experiences. We encourage other classes to focus on Korea, Iraq and Afghanistan. We think it provides an important legacy for the College as well as the alumni who served in each. It will demonstrate how each war was viewed. It will preserve forever those who valiantly served and died.


See you September 14!


—Leo F. Caproni Jr., 370 East 76 St., Apt. A 406, New York City, New York 10021; (212) 988-6012; (212) 988-6715 (fax); caproni@aol.com


This writing finds us almost speechless. We are three weeks from the 70th reunion! So far we have a little more than 40 returning. The mix is actual alumni, spouses, widows and children. We will be reuning with 1939 and 1947.


Bob Gale wrote us to say he had spoken to Al Britton, who had been his roommate at Crosby. Both are returning and have not seen one and other since May 10, 1942. We hope we will see more of you who will decide at the last moment to come. Stay tuned for the next column for a full report of the festivities.


Don’t know about you folks—we were glued to the TV during the Olympics. While we watched the Games, we were proud to know that four of our own from Dartmouth were competing. Pretty exciting. 


Some recent Dartmouth news you may have missed….Your College continues to be one of the leading academic arts communities and “a model for campuses across the country,” says President Carol L. Folt. Those of you returning will get a firsthand opportunity to experience some of this. An abstract sculpture was installed recently at the Hopkins Center. 


And 10 professors from the Dartmouth faculty were honored for exceptional achievement in scholarship by the faculty of arts and sciences.


Send us your news. This column is only as good as your news, be it about children, grandchildren, great-grandchildren. Tell us.


See you on the 14th of September!


—Leo F. Caproni Jr., 370 East 76 St., Apt. A 406, New York City, New York 10021; (212) 988-6012; (212) 988-6715 (fax); caproni@aol.com


The winter doldrums have settled in. We were spoiled in Manhattan in 2012 by having had a warm winter, but 2013 has provided every weather phenomena that 2012 missed. We start with a Hurricane Sandy in the fall of 2012. We sail into 2013 with a cold snap, followed by a blizzard named Nemo that spawns a small follow up, the groundhog does not see his shadow and we are still being served “weather.” All this seems to have you keeping to yourselves, which means we have little to report. 


Again, we ask each and every one of you to go to Amazon and write a short review of Dartmouth at War. You do not have to use your name, you can create a nom de plume—the more reviews the book receives the more attractive it becomes to the browsing buyer of World War II stories.


We received a wonderful thank you letter from President-elect Hanlon in response to our giving him an inscribed copy of Dartmouth at War on behalf of the class. He wrote that he was “honored and humbled by our gift” and asked that we extend his “most sincere thanks” to each of you. 


We regret to report the loss of three more of our classmates: Armstrong Stambaugh (and Ricky Stambaugh, his wife, within 11 days of each other), Gardner Bridge and Bert Anger. Longer write-ups will appear in our next newsletter.


—Leo F. Caproni Jr., 370 East 76 St., Apt. A 406, New York City, New York 10021; (212) 988-6012; (212) 988-6715 (fax); caproni@aol.com


Here we are living through what seems like the longest winter in history. Snow 60 inches here in New York. Cold that just won’t go away. The groundhog promised an early spring. So much for that tradition.


Does it seem possible that Winter Carnival had its 100th anniversary? Our classmate Jake Nunnemacher, captain of the ski team, led the Carnival in February of 1942 only to be killed in action in WW II. You will read about him in our WW II memoir book. The students went all out with a snow sculpture contest and a castle on the Green inspired by a sculpture created in 1929.


Four Dartmouth alumni were sworn into the 112th Congress, that makes six total. And, including those six, 170 Dartmouth alumni have served in Congress since its founding.


Our Dartmouth alum Molly Bode ’09 was responsible for 51 medical professionals and 40 tons of medical supplies being sent to Haiti in the past year.


More than 21,000 students applied for the class of 2015!


Our WW II memoir book is marching along to the finish line with the help of some of our classmates and younger class alums. In March the book went to the editors and in April to the printer.


I am sorry to report we have lost three more classmates—Herbert Dietrich, Arthur Stuckey and Walter Elcock.


I am still looking for a volunteer secretary to write these Notes and the obituaries for the Internet. In the meantime send me your news, whom you have seen, etc. I do the hard part.


—Lemo F. Caproni Jr., 370 East 76 St., Apt. A406, New York City, NY 10021; (212) 988-6012; (212) 988-6715 (fax); caproni@aol.com


Happy 2012. By the time this reaches you it will be well into the new year.


Dartmouth at War is out! Tell your children; it’s important history! It’s a bestseller. Many of you have already received an advance copy. We hope it met your expectations. From the early reactions it exceeded your expectations. In addition to each of the authors and the generous donators, six key people deserve our thanks: the editors and proofreaders Barbara Bullock, Warren Carlson, Ed Chalfant, Chuck Herberger, Bob Gale and Jerry Tallmer. We have book events on the calendar or in the planning stage at various key Dartmouth clubs. The first event is February 5 in San Francisco (combining Silicon Valley and San Franciso); Bill Clark will preside. This event will honor all Dartmouth veterans and will feature Dartmouth at War. Other events in the planning stages are in Boston, where Ginia Allison will preside; Chicago, where Dick Higgins will preside; and we are working on New York. Each of you should get in touch with the key people to be included in the event.


If you have not purchased your copy, hurry up before we run out of the first print run.


Seventieth reunion reminder: Mark your calendars September 14-16. It will be here sooner than you think. We are planning all kinds of fun and interesting programs.


Once again I have the sad duty to report the deaths of some of our classmates since last writing as follows: Malcolm Garfink, October 24, 2011; Jim Ingersoll, November 14, 2011; Ralph Tyson, M.D., November 16, 2011.


—Leo F. Caproni Jr., 370 East 76 St., Apt. A 406, New York City, New York 10021; (212) 988-6012; (212) 988-6715 (fax); caproni@aol.com


Just as we were getting ready to go to press with a low level of news, we get in the mail a newsy note from Bob Gale, who quite coincidentally had heard from Dick Ensor and Ed Chalfant on the same day. Dick reminds Gale of a boat he and a brother built in Belize and sailed it to its delivery. Ed Chalfant reports doing research for a fellow in California who is writing about the 1863 Trent Affair. If you have forgotten it, google it. How did we ever live without Google? Ed’s main subject, Henry Adams, wrote about the diplomatic trouble with the Brits over Trent.


Other Dartmouth news you may have missed: Carol Folt, interim president, has just been named chancellor of UNC-Chapel Hill. 


Dartmouth admitted 2,252 students to the class of 2017, including a record number of Native American and Asian American students.


Your class president once again attended the Stephen Mandel dinner in April, when we were privileged to meet and briefly chat with President-elect Philip Hanlon ’77. He again thanked the class for our book, Dartmouth at War.


And today I have the sad task of reporting the deaths of Jack Zimmer, who wrote one of most dramatic memoirs in our book, and Sam Frank and Bert Anger. More about them in our class newsletter.


—Leo F. Caproni Jr., 370 East 76 St., Apt. A 406, New York City, New York 10021; (212) 988-6012; (212) 988-6715 (fax); caproni@aol.com


It is spring on the calendar, not in the atmosphere. When you read this we will probably be in the middle of a heat wave.


Lest you think that one of my great-grandchildren has begun writing the Class Notes, namely “Lemo” Caproni, it is not so. It seems to be a function of the now becoming age-old software problems.


The World War II book keeps progressing. We just reviewed covers and options were submitted to various members of the executive committee. One was selected. It will be a handsome book. The edits are still in process. We are looking to go to press some time in June. Soon we will be sending advance purchase orders. At this point we need to repeat our thanks to those who have donated to the book (we are still in need). A special note of thanks to the classes of 1967, 1966 and 1973—thanks to Sam Ostrow ’67, Chuck Sherman ’66 and Tom Markey ’73. See their Class Notes in the May/June issue. We also need to thank Steve Waterhouse ’65, who has counseled us through this process and kindly contributed an entry on Jake Nunnemacher.


We attended the annual Mandel dinner here in New York in which three alumni were honored for extraordinary service in raising funds. 


Our own professor Dirk Vandewalle has helped frame discussions on Libya. Another professor, John Rassias, was honored during the Peace Corps’ 50th anniversary.


I regret having to report the loss of another member of our class, William Doty. We need your news.


—Leo F. Caproni Jr., 370 East 76 St., Apt. A406, New York City, NY 10021; (212) 988-6012; (212) 988-6715 (fax); caproni@aol.com


The WW II memoir book is here! Its here! Well almost. Our book is titled Dartmouth at War. Your class officers attended the annual Class Officers Weekend and received a wonderful surprise—our book and the class received a Pursuit of Excellence Award and a standing ovation. All of you should feel very proud of the book and your contribution. By the time you read this you will have your copy.


Seventieth reunion alert! Save the dates: September 14-16. You will be guests at the newly renovated Hanover Inn. For this reunion your only responsibility will be to get yourself there. Everything else will be taken care of by the College. We have some nice events in the planning stage. It will be a good opportunity to visit with classmates and see new developments on the campus. And we promise a small dose of education, good food and conviviality—possibly a football game. You won’t want to miss it. More information will be forthcoming.


One of our own, Michael Arad ’91, as some of you may know, was the architect of the new World Trade Center Memorial. You can see a video on him and the site commemorating 9/11. Very moving.


Dartmouth did quite well with Hurricane Irene. Nothing like the Hurricane of ’38.


Dartmouth Aires “rocking it” on NBC’s The Sing-off. We do get around. You can watch their performances online. 


I regret once again having to report the loss of two more great classmates: Herbert Swain on September 18, 2011, and Frederic Main in May 2011.


—Leo F. Caproni Jr., 370 East 76 St., Apt. A-406, New York, NY 10021; (212) 988-6012; caproni@aol.com