The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1922-01-07
NOW AT
IOWA STATE COLLEGE
Recalls Famous Football Team of 81
Years Ago and Calls BrattIebOrO
Best Town In the Country"
Editor of The Reformer -

Editor of The Reformer =
1t has occurred to me that it might be
of interest to my old friends IN Brattle
bOro to know that this fall l was elected
to the position of associate professor of
English in Iowa State college, after serv
ing for nine years on the faculty of
Franklin college. Franklin, Ind. The col
Iege here has an enrolment of $500
students and is considered the best col
lege of its kind in the world. 1t is
largely technical in its training and it is
a very pleasant place to work. Ames is
on the Northwestern railroad. about 800
miles from Chicago, and the Lincoln
highway passes through here within two
blocks of my house.
We meet very many people here whose
parents had come here from Vermont.
was very much surprised to meet see
Ond cousin here. whom / never had heard
of, until his mail began to come to me
after | came. His father had come on
from Halifax after the Civil war and
had settled here in pioneer days. The
same story could be told of very many
others with whom we have become ac-
quainted. Nothing can be falSer than
the conception which most of us in the
East have held regarding conditions in
the Middle West. The stories of Indians
and buffaloeS and prairies belong to a
long forgotten past Farming is very
highly developed and land sells at fab
foreign population seems to me to be
much lower than in New York and New
England.
{ / often think of our old high school
football team, with Hugh Whitman,
Arthur Monroe. Louis Thomas. Dan
Stolte Judy" Parkhurst, Pete Shields,
Earl Mellen, Billy Pom POM Thomas.
Bud Ferriter. Denny" Tasker and yours
truly composing the team and squad.
For an uncoached team. that team
surely played good football and | am
proud to have been one of the members
of that team. In all my football expert
ence | do not think | ever enjoyed any
thing more than watching "Archie" Mel
len play against 420-pound "Bobbie''
blanchard of Hinsdae. \. II. We had
all heard so much of Blanchard'S gigan-
tic size that there was n considerable
tremor of fear among the fellows con-
corning the ferOcity of the giant. Archie
took two or three savage looks Mt the
boy giant and then announced that Bob
bic and he weren't going to have any
trouble, but We're the best of friends. As
was always the case in those games,
Brattlehoro won both games. The real
test of the season came in the Il. III. s
and Dartmouth freshman" game, in
which Louis Thomas carried the ball, in
two and three-yard plunges, the entire
length of the field for a touchdown. In
'all my college playing / never saw a
guard who had the natural qualifications
; for player that Louis had.
( And speaking of players, / would like
to know what college would not have
welcomed the team TO their football
squad l have followed the successes OF
the town and the high school with much
pleasure and trust that some day II
may be possible to return for a visit to
/ the town which / have ever considered
the best town in the country.
/ Very sincerely your friend
! JOHN MELVIN THURBER.
! Associate Professor of English
Ames Ia, Jan. 3, 1922.