Bedford High School - Peaks Yearbook (Bedford, VA)

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CLASS PROPHECY Here it is 1961, and tonight we were to have had our Class of ’51 Reunion Banquet. But as usual at reunions, last minute excuses began to pour in to explain why so-and-so ” could not attend. In fact, there seems to be an excuse for each member of the class. Here’s the way they sound. Barbara Fixer, our former May Queen, sends her regrets from New York, where she is a double-career woman, combining marriage and the presidency of a nationally known model agency. Martha Witt, one of Barbara’s famous models and friends, is modeling W. A. F. uniforms in London, Eng- land, and couldn’t make it home for several months. Lois Witt, one of our square-dance crazy girls, married one of those figure-callers and, of course, we know Lois couldn’t give up a square dance for food or money. Ann Croft, our famous girl athlete, has just signed a Major League contract with the Brooklyn Dodgers, the first woman to do so — and it ' s just her luck to have a big game scheduled tonight. Speaking of successful girl athletes, Becky Moseley had a winning team of Girl Globe-Trotters this winter, and she just couldn’t make it because of a big banquet given in honor of her team. Peggy Key, her high scoring for- ward, is the principal figure — accent on figure — at the banquet. Barbara Scott just about made it, but at the last minute her baby-sitter backed out, explaining that those little red-headed demons” were too much for her — it seems they played cowboys and Indians last time and Lil’ Red tied the baby-sitter to the bedpost and set the bed on fire. As for her husband, it’s his night off, and he refused to give up his evening with the boys in the recreation room. Our great chemists, those fearless, brave fellows, Ken- neth Lockard and Ned Marshall, send greetings from Luna by radar. Kenneth is infatuated with those lovely moonmaids, and Ned found one who is teaching him to dance The Green Cheese Rhumba, ” and I don’t think they’ll be back for a long time. Ann Kennedy, a resolved old maid, is a reporter on a big newspaper, and had to cover a large church wedding tonight. That I know she’ll enjoy. I did at least expect tycoon James Zimmerman to come but he also had to attend a wedding — his own. I hear his country bride is quite the envy of the city girls. Betty Jo Chaplin is a dress designer and seamstress in Paris fashions. She went to Paris, we hear, in search of an amorous, handsome French husband — rich preferably but, since she had no luck, she has to work to earn money to return home. Phyllis Coleman, a girl with real ambition, became one of the five thousand secretaries in the United Na- tions. Tonight she is busy typing the Russian-American translation of a speech needed tomorrow. Frank Gibson, one of our country’s foremost attorneys- at-law couldn’t come out of hiding long enough to attend our banquet. Those gangsters are gunning for him because he sent a gun-moil up the river. Doris Fixer and Margaret Mayhew are running hot- rod race number twenty for the championship tonight. So far, they are tied, and so neither could afford a forfeit. Our songbird, Nancy Meador, is quite the rave of the television public these days. When Nancy first got the breaks, she was dead serious, but it seems Nancy’s voice squeaks, and she looked so sad, she became known as a great comedy star, and we just couldn’t tear Nancy away from her demanding public for a meager banquet. Jenny Wren Luck, who is, or was once a blonde, but since has been a redhead and a brunette, just left for Reno to divorce her fifth mate on grounds of non- support, Jimmy Wren always was extravagant. It seems this husband couldn’t afford the SI 5,000 mink coat and a Cadillac for Jenny’s tenth aniversary of graduation from high school — a memorable occasion, no doubt, Nellie Holdren sends her regrets from a large Miami Beach Hotel, where she is a waitress, catering to the appetites and whims of rich old gentlemen with one foot in the grave. However, Nellie is still waiting for that certain someone to come along. Anyway, Nellie can’t bear to take her services away even for a little while. Berkley St. Clair, Gerald Markham, and Ray Karnes joined the Navy and sailed for the South Pacific. Those island girls thought they were so cute that our former classmates decided to stay for life. Can you blame them, boys. Betty Eubank and Jean Gray sat in the drug stores until a movie talent scout discovered them. Of course, Betty Eubank had to take Shorty” with her, so Jean attached herself to the talent scout, and they left for Hollywood. They tried to get home tonight, but you know those celebrities and their premieres. Bernice Minnick is still a clerk at Newberry’s but she’s been promoted to do the window decorating, which must be done tonight, of course. Iris Smith, one of the world’s best known secretaries, is now the commerc ' ai arts teacher at our old Alma Mater. She had exams ” to grade tonight, a very good excuse if you just ask any teacher. Jean Coleman, of course, argued and begged votes until she became our first woman president. And, oh brother, is that all-male Congress henpecked! She ap- pointed Mary Scott Thomas as Secretary of State, and she offered the former Doris Bays the post of Secretary of the Treasury, but Doris said her family needed her too much, since her husband hadn ' t taken the latest course in child care. Anyway, I ' m sure there are plenty of eligible treasurers. Jean and Mary Scott are such celebrities now that, even if they weren’t busy tonight, it is doubtful whether they would be likely to attend a small town reunion. Kleber Gregory is now a big-game hunting photog- rapher. He gets most of his pictures in the New York Zoo. A new baboon and hyena are coming in today from Africa, and Kleber wants to get their photos first. Kleber, incidentally, is still a bachelor, and I always thought he liked girls well. That’s too bad. Eddie Wilson besides playing big-league football and baseball in their seasons, is the successful president of a large chain of grocery stores. But tonight, Eddie has to drill. Do you know why Pop” is still in the guards”! ' Well, he’s a captain now, and since he can ' t get in a word edgewise at home, he knows he ' s boss in the guards. Well, we always thought Ollie Witt was one big nut. Maybe he is but he’s in Washington with the rest of them. Ollie is Secretary of the Army, and he has to review his troops tonight, so he couldn’t come even though we offered him all the pretzels he could eat. They always told us you’d never get rich as a nurse, but Beulah Orange did. She married one of her rich patients. She couldn ' t make it tonight because she was ( Continued Next Page ) 17

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CLASS WILL We, the graduating class of 1951 of Bedford High School, being in full possession of all the mental faculties which we may have, do hereby will and ordain this, our last will and testament, thereby nullifying and making void any will or w ' ills heretofore by us made. To Mr. Borden, our principal, and the faculty, especially our sponsors. Miss Ida Patter- son and Miss Josephine Bibb, who have guided and patiently instructed us these four years, we leave our deepest appreciation and admiration. To the Class of 1952 w ' e bequeath the following: 1. Our unusual and remarkable knowledge and interpretation of the plays of William Shakespeare. 2. The privilege of acting as running secretary to Mr. Borden during study periods. 3. The honor of appearing in the Senior play. 4. Our reputation for efficiency as measured by our ability to achieve maximum results with the minimum of effort. We hereby make the following individual bestowals: 1. In order that the Class of ' 52 may not be w ' ithout beauty, Barbara Fizer and Eddie Wilson leave their good looks to Clarice Powell and Horace Wooldridge. 2. To Andrew Padgett, who so aptly deserves it, Ollie Witt leaves his humor and wit. 3. To Louise Robertson, Dicksie Martin bequeaths her scholastic attainment. 4. Jimmy Zimmerman wills his fine athletic ability to Tommy Daniels, who excels in that category. 5. Ned Marshall ' s position as laziest boy in the Senior Class goes to Avery Harwood. 6. Kenneth Lockard bequeaths his winning smile to Frank Hubbard. 7. To Jimmy Kennedy, Frank Gibson wills some of his reticence and dignity. 8. Kenneth Croft willingly passes on his readiness and skill in the art of argument to Bobby Martin. In witness whereof we, the Class of 1951, do set our hand to this, our will, on this fifth day of June, 1951. Mary Scott Thomas, Testator . i(j

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dedicating a new hospital which her husband built in her honor. Audrey Johnson, another nurse, also married one of her rich patients and retired to a life of ease and luxury. Since those filthy rich have enough to eat without coming to a little old banquet like ours, Audrey couldn ' t bother. Allyne Padgett is making her debut as a professional violinist in one of those elite clubs on Fifth Avenue in New York — tonight, of course. Sue Ayers is holding a gala opening to her huge new ice-cream plant tonight. Charles Wright is chief taster and cleaner-upper,” so I know he ' ll be too busy to attend, and I don ' t think he’d feel like eating any- way. Nina Bell, our curly-headed little butter ball, has one of the best excuses. Poor Nina took too many reducing pills and became a nervous wreck. Anyway, she lost weight. Doris Jean Fizer and husband, Kenneth Croft — I wonder how those two got together — are seeing the sights of the West in their new trailer-helicopter, which his ingenious mind designed. Of course, it won ' t fly over twenty miles per hour, so they have plenty of time to see everything; and since they haven ' t found out how to bring it down yet, they ' re stranded some- where on a cloud. Dicksie Martin has to make a speech to the Woman ' s Club tonight on Why Girls Should Marry in Their Teens. Believe me, on this subject Dicksie is an authority. Nancy Atkinson got married as scheduled, and moved to a farm. Nancy has to push the plow from sun-up to sundown while Boyd drops the corn, so I can ' t blame her for wanting to rest awhile before starting all over again. Emma Blankenship started to be a nurse, then decided to be a medical missionary. The last I heard a boatload of black cannibals was chasing poor Emma up the Zanbezi. If their pursuit was successful, I hope they had a bad case of indigestion. Gladys Robertson, encouraged by passing fourth Eng- lish, decided to write a biography on The Life of Gladys Robertson. Fler jealous husband couldn ' t take her publicity, so the two left tonight to get a divorce. Is this one of the advantages of education? Nita Rowlett, the one least expected to miss a free feed, also missed out tonight. Nita was a very popular night club singer for awhile, but then Nita’s appetite got the best of her and she was fired. She owed quite a food bill, but leave it to Jesse to make it home just in time to help Nita pay her bills — on a partnership basis. They ' re working hard and couldn’t get out to- night. And as for yours truly, she ' s had a hard day, too, looking after her many patients. Here, alone with all of this food, and only memories for company, this thought occurs: What would our teachers think of these plausible excuses? Would they be impressed or irked, or only amused that not one of us has lost that art which served him so well in high school? PENCIE AULTICE, Class Prophet ( 1 ) Schoolmates and Classmates The hour of parting is nigh Glad times together And now we must say good-bye. (2) We face the future Determined to do our best Through all our hardships We hope to have success. ( 3 ) We’ve reached the hilltop The mountain still seems so high This is our parting Erom dear old Bedford Hi. ( 4 ) Schoolmates and Classmates The hour of parting is nigh Glad times together And now we must say good-bye. 18 ) 5 «-