Bedford High School - Peaks Yearbook (Bedford, VA)

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CLASS WILL We, the dignihed members of the Senior Class, in this year 1949, being about to pass out of this sphere of educational activity in full possession of well-crammed minds and almost unforgettable memories, do make this instrument, in writing, to be our last will and testament, thereby revoking and making void all former wills and promises made by us at any time heretofore. To the faculty, who have so patiently instructed us, we give and bequeath restful nights and peaceful dreams, well deserved after years of contending with the present Senior Class. To our principal, Mr. Borden, we leave our profound admiration for the help he has given us in solving problems that have confronted us during our four years of high school. To our sponsors. Miss Patterson and Miss Bibb, we bequeath our deep appreciation and our hope that the oncoming seniors will be as worthy in their sight as we have been. To Bedford High School as a whole, we give the following advice, the acceptance of which will lead them to glory: Learn to work if not to win; development comes sooner through overcoming failures than through successes. To the Junior Class we bequeath the following; 1. Our seats of honor in assembly, where each Thursday our chewing gum was disposed of. 2. The glory of appearing in the Senior play. 3. Our two Senior homerooms 22 and 2 3, where the day’s lessons were frantically prepared during the first ten minutes of school. 4. Our ability to shoot bull” on history tests. To individual members of the class of ’5 0 we leave the following, which may prove to be valuable assets to those who receive them; 1. To Nancy Huddleston, Helen Wilkinson’s title as the best looking girl. Failing to find an individual sufficiently qualified, we leave to the Junior boys as a whole Dickie Roberts’ good looks. 2. To whoever deserves it, P. W.’s chair in the hall, where he greets the girls every morning. (Apply early and avoid the rush.) 3. To Betty Dearborn, Margie Newman’s love of the Army. 4. To Jimmy Sublette, Steve Perrow’s title as brain child.” 5. To Mary Jean Carlyle, Ruby Lee Wells’ ability to play the piano. 6. To the young Romeo, R. B. Nance, Gene Turpin’s love for the fairer sex. 7. To Lois Foster, Cherie Jantz’s well-worn Virgil book. 8. To whoever needs it, Graham Powell’s seat in English, where he catches up on his lost sleep. 9. To Mildred Parker, Joan Caudle’s ability to get along with the other students of B. H. S. 10. To Jennings Rowlett, Lloyd Parker’s ability as a baseball player. Maybe the Senior Class next year will beat the present Eighth Grade team. 11. To Mary Jane Drumheller, Pat Baker’s title as most conceited. 12. To J. B. Karnes, Bobby Overstreet’s ability to run the low hurdles. 13. To Dicksie Nance, Norma Jean’s appetite and seat next to the window in the cafeteria. 14. To Betty Creasy, Dot Coleman’s ability to draw cartoons and football heroes. 15. To Joanne Agee, Alice Chaplin’s pretty smile. In witness whereof, the class of Forty-Nine, have to this, our last will and testament, set our hands this 3rd day of June 1949. — Jean Moore, T cs tutor d 19 b

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CLASS HISTORY Let us draw back the curtain of time to September of the year 1945, and imagine the student body of B. H. S. assembled in the high school auditorium to begin another session of books, tests, and detention slips. A feeling of ruefulness seemed dominate among the majority of the assembled students.” No such mood, however, was disturbing the spirit of the eighty-four red-faced freshmen seated in the rear of the building. For them the opening of school was no tragedy, because they were so enthralled by the idea of being high school freshmen that it never dawned on them that doing so meant work. To make a long story short, this was the beginning of the high school career of the class of 1949. Our Freshman year was one continuous chain of events. Never before, and I hope never again, has such an abundance of wit and mischief been brought together. As a mild example, I’m sure you remember the time Bobby Overstreet tied Mrs. Elliott’s chair to her desk. Mrs. Elliott came bounding unsuspectingly into the room, and made a valiant attempt at pulling her chair from beneath the desk. So vigorous was her effort that the spring in the rope jerked her right off her feet. It is needless to say that this incident, sparking Mrs. Elliott’s claim to irritation, entirely altered the class’s idea of good joke. W ' ith the evolution of time our class progressed slowly, but not always surely, to the rank of sophomores, and a consciousness of class strength was apparent among the individuals. H. A. Scott’s voice could be heard on all of the six halls at once in his expression of this feeling. Malcolm Marsh had completely mastered the art of omitting his homework, and very seldom was his neglect discovered. It was also evident at this time that P. Vi’. Craighead was well on his way to be- coming the most perfected dancer of our class. There were, however, those who were opposed to our unfair use of this new power: IDavid Bornstein and Steve Perrow continued their search for higher learning. Steve — I.atin books. David — Eatin books and numerous manuscripts” by alt Disney. Through this panorama, Alice Chaplin, our president, did a magnificent job of run- ning the affairs of our class. The beginning of another year found our little group holding the proud title of [uniors, and the realization that our high school days were well on their way to an end. The Junior-Senior Prom was easily the highlight of our third year at B. H. S. I feel that it is proper at this time to tell of a very amusing incident which befell me in collecting the history of our Junior year. Upon asking Joan Caudle if there was any funny event that remained in her memory, the subtle Joan replied: ' X ' ell, I did go with Earl May that year.” And now our last year of high school is almost at a close. As I look back over the year I realize that it has been one of the most active and fun-packed of my life. Never a dull moment, that’s our motto. It would be impossible for me to record all of the happenings of the year, but there are a few incidents that I believe will help to typify our class and always serve to remind us of our Senior year, -[ 18 1-

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CLASS PROPHECY Hey, David, do you think we will have a quiz tomorrow?” Of course, the answer was, Well, I don’t know. Maybe yes, maybe no.” Many of my classmates will testify that I frequently would inquire about the possibilities of tests, quizzes, or other sadistical techniques employed by our teachers. The truth is that it was done only to confuse and conceal my true secret — a secret which I have revealed to no one, but which I shall unveil now — I, dear friends, always knew, although I never seemed to know. Every minute, every second that I could spare, 1 studied. What?” you may ask. No, not lessons, but the oracles of Nostradamus — Nostradamus, the greatest of the great prophets, a man whose prophecies have never failed. Do not think for a moment, however, that I neglected the prophets of the Bible, not at all! Neither did I forget our great con- temporary mind reader Dunninger. Yet it was the study of Nostradamus that helped me most, for in one of his more obscure works I found a hidden chapter, one pertaining to the founding of a high school near two mountains — the name of the school, Bedford High, Nostradamus seemed particularly interested in the class of 1949. Making use of my studies I will use his writings as an aid to my predictions. The first thing that I predict is that fifteen years from June 3, 1949, there will be a small dilapidated country store about eleven miles north of Bedford. The name of the store — Route 122 General Merchandise and Drug Store.” In the center of the floor I see a group of well-to-do farmers consisting of Paul Updike, Jack Patterson, and Roy Elliot. In the midst of these three, perched on a barrel, a’ wad of tobacco in one cheek, a jug of corn likker” over his left arm, is the proprietor and druggist. Waller Stephen Perrow, oratorically reciting the wanderings of Aeneas in the wilderness to the intent listeners. Annie Byerle will have started a nationwide movement entitled “The Society for the Prevention of the Telling of Slightly OfT-Shade Jokes.” Another active club member will be Helen Sines, who will have membership in seven clubs and will be one of the most renowned church singers in the United States. Hugh Bond, after completing a four-year course at Washington and Eee, will have set up a real estate business in St. Louis and will try unsuccessfully to sell building sites which are two feet under water. Many of the girls of our class will be added to the ranks of the happily married. Among these there are Jean Harris, Jean Powers, Nancy Hatcher, and Dora Jean Cole- man. However, all will not be happily married. Norma Jean Elliot will be in Reno securing her sixth divorce and making preparations for her seventh wedding. Douglas Catlin will be happily married within four years after his graduation and within eight years will be the owner, chief newscaster, main actor, and singer of his own radio station — WMCW of Thaxton, Virginia. In a decade Alice Chaplin will be the main attraction of a dingy night club in New York as a blues singer and pianist. In the same club there will be a pair of up and coming comediennes, namely Billie Jean The Laff” Albert and Minerva Nut” Mayhew. These aren’t the only ones who will have been attracted to the big city. Billy Jones and Lewis Gipson, after having been in New York several months, will go into business, and by 19 34 they will have sold the Brooklyn Bridge to unsuspecting yokels at least 5 9 times. Nancy Luck and Elorence Marshall, attracted by the glitter of the lights of Broadway, finally will break into the legitimate theater. As for the engineers of our class, 1 predict that in 193 8, Bobby Overstreet will be trying to get out of P. 1. The one and only subject that will hold him back will be trigonometry. Gene Turpin will graduate in 19 37, and will be carrying on a one-man lobby in Congress, trying to convince that body of the necessity of constructing a cana ' across the middle of the United States. Out of every class, there are a few fortunates who will have the honor of serving in the armed forces. Those from our class will be Graham Powell and Lloyd Parker, who. J 20 h