Adams, Lowell Honor Conant, Baxter, Whitehead at Dinners

Taking time out from his multifarious activities in Washington to return to his former haunts, James Phinney Baxter III, President of Williams and erstwhile Master of Adams House, spoke last night to the members of Adams at their Tenth Anniversary Dinner.

President Baxter told how more than a decade ago, he and six other potential House Masters drew lots from the pocket of Professor' Chester Noyes Greenough for the headship of each House, "and I was particularly lucky to get Adams."

Adams Portraits Pre-empted

"I was also lucky in the distribution of the portraits," he continued, "for although they also were to be chosen by lot, I claimed all the pictures of the Adams family as being ours by nature. Furthermore, on the first round we snatched the portrait of General Washington, and later claimed one of John Marshall, because with one exception he held all his offices under President John Adams."

Apparently the plans for the House were about to go up in smoke, President Baxter continued, because he was told one day that the whole House was on fire. Racing to the scene, he was somewhat consoled by the fact that the smoke was only pouring out of part of Westmorely, and by the fact that at least half of the House could be saved. He was considerably relieved, however, to find that the huge clouds of smoke were merely emanating from one oil-saturated and odoriferous pair of overalls.