Class Note 1942

We are about to start the beginning of the 250th year for Dartmouth. By the time you read this it will February; however, it will not stop me from wishing you all a Merry Christmas and a happy healthy 2019.

Whenever I get fan mail I feel really good. A few weeks ago I received a letter from Richard Tucker ’86: “I enjoy reading notes from earlier classes and I like your ’42 column and your writing style. For years I have been reading early Class Notes and always enjoyed your husband’s contribution. It is interesting to recognize that there are so many connections of fathers from (maybe) WW I and those involved in WW II. Learning about the wars is always very important—and I believe there remains much to learn.”

I received an amusing story from Gordon Newell’s widow, Barbara: “When I arrived in Hanover for a house parties weekend in 1939, I was a very excited 19-year-old. My date for the weekend was Gus Newell (later my husband for 74 years, 10 months) and he had invited me. Wow—I was at Dartmouth! When I looked up at his room in College Hall, I saw he had a large sign hanging out his window that said, ‘Get the Big Red!’ for the football game with Cornell on Saturday. I took that sign home with me.

“Years later, when our daughter, Betsy, was at Wells College and dating a Cornell boy, we decided to drive out and go to the Dartmouth-Cornell game. Believe it or not, I had kept that sign all those years. So I took the sign with me and brazenly walked into the Cornell stands with it, whereupon two boys grabbed and stomped on it. After it had completely bit the dust, they apologized profusely. I assured them it was okay and it was time for it to go. And so it was—a happy memory.” Thank you, Barbara.

Keep the letters coming.

I have the sad duty to report the loss of David Sargent Hazelton on October 31, 2018, and Roger Dean Robison on November 8, 2018. The class of ’42 sends its condolences to their families.

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