Class Note 1956

I recently received an extensive email from David Hallagan ’85 reporting on the many interesting activities of his father, David Hallagan: “This summer my father, 85 years young, traveled to Helsinki to compete in a world championship sailboat regatta. He qualified for this championship by placing among the top competitors in last year’s North American Championship, held in San Diego. The boat he races is a Lightning, 19 feet in length and with a crew of three. He has been racing this type of boat since the 1960s. In the world championships this year father, son, and another crew member competed against 50 other boats from 13 countries. Our boat placed 21st overall. My dad did this while fighting a recent onset of mild Parkinson’s disease. This did not stop him from traveling to explore Iceland after the regatta.”

I received notices from the College of the passing of two classmates, Stephen E. Katz and Richard S. Taylor. In addition, I got a note from John Nordling letting me know that Paul Gingold also recently passed. All three of these classmates follow the Barbary Coast jazz band as it marches up Main Street and we all bow our heads in silent tribute.

I also received from the College a copy of a lengthy and very interesting article by Breck Viets printed in the Naval History magazine. It begins, “A naval ROTC midshipman on a summer cruise to Havana meets his literary idol. It was a beautiful Cuban summer day in July 1955 and a Dartmouth fraternity brother (a native of Havana) arranged for us to drive to Ernest Hemingway’s estate. We ended up drinking glasses of champagne with one of the world’s greatest writers. What an exciting and memorable experience.”

I close with the last stanza of a poem titled “DAM” (Dartmouth Alumni Magazine).

Campus stories and old anecdotes,

The president’s views, recent quotes;

Local ads and obits,

Humor of Dartmouth wits,

And, of course, many DAM fine Class Notes.

—Joel D. Ash, P.O. Box 1733, Grantham, NH 03753; (603) 863-3360; jash_125@comcast.net