Mike, you no doubt have read the news about the Old Man falling May
3 which has some interesting Dartmouth connections:
In the 1970's Thayer Engineering student rock climbers mapped
the Old Man--providing valuable information for the current Govenor's Task Force studying the feasibility of restoring
the profile or creating a suitable memorial tablet.
In 1948, current alumnus and Olympic skier Brookes Dodge was
one of the pranksters who hung a pine tree off his chin.
In 1955, the prank was repeated by a group of Appalachian Mountain
Club hutboys and trail crew-- this time with a bundle of brush. A photograph was
taken and Dartmouth students were inadvertently credited
with the prank.
Both "bearding" incidents were described in articles that appeared in the
Old Hutman's Resuscitator, a newsletter that is sent to the 1,000 former employees and friends of the Appalachian Mountain
Club Hut System.
The Dartmouth Alumni Magazine isn't interested in the bearding incidents, but have been reminded that there is a connection
between the AMC, the White Mountains and Dartmouth: 1) The Cog Railway and Mt. Washington summit were once
owned by the college 2) Dartmouth graduates have become AMC club presidents 3) Two graduates were among the four
founders of the Mt. Washington Observatory in the 1930's, 4) classmate Al Koop (and current history professor)
while working for the AMC huts in the 1960s learned of the WWII prisoner of war camp in Stark, NH and subsequently wrote a
book Stark Decency and arranged a reunion of guards and prisoners--5) And the list goes on and on with many Dartmouth students
working in the AMC Hut System and for the Mt. Washington Observatory and as conductors and brake men on the Cog Railway.
See the Old Hutman's Assocation (called OHA since women have become a integral
part) website www.ohcroo.com which has reprints of the Bearding of the Old Man.
Jim Hamilton
