Belmont High School - Blueprint Yearbook (Belmont, MA)

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the roof of Room 8. His excellency, John Gerard Govan, started his two year term as governor of our Form. John arrived continually late at parties with several mysterious looking companions, and it would not lx long before he was gone. This soft spoken lad had a way with the ladies. Belmont High School’s last donation to us was Bagle Stan Nowak, whose activities after 2:30 in the afternoon were extremely questionable. Stan has been tabbed as the Form’s big game hunter because of the many beasts he has brought back alive. Don Walters came to us from Choate and quickly established a name for himself as athlete and as Valentine of the class. Our representative from Maine, Pete Welles, joined us at midyears. Another strange but not unfamiliar face wandered into our midst as a scholastic catastrophe overtook Andy Sigourney. Andy, better known as the “Big Red Scare,” is Nowak’s only rival with regard to women. Another import from the form above was Ted Tillotson, who has a motorcycle route lx‘tween Clifton Street and Stone Road. By this year we were taking important parts in varsity sports and other extracurricular activities. Ted Davis had the lead in the Dramatic Club’s production of The Hasty Heart, while Will Little was presented the Karen Ix?e Burroughs Prize for outstanding contribution to music in the School. Spring witnessed the renovation of the Sextant under the editorship of Tony Porter. A disciplinary committee was organized by our class to curtail irresponsible breakage and other infractions around the School. The records and the general attitude point to the success of this committee’s efforts. We were sorry to hear at the end of the year that Mr. Loomis was leaving Belmont Hill, where he had first been a student and then teacher for several years, to study for a doctorate in history. His work above the call of duty and also below the gym in the lowest depths of Cole’s Hole merits our highest praise, and we wish him success in the future. As we finished our penultimate year, Tom Metzger, who had been with us since Class D, left to go to the University of Chicago. As the man said, nice work if you can get it. We were sincerely sorrv that Tom wasn’t J going to graduate with 11s. Socially the year was rather quiet for us since we were gathering strength for the Sixth Form year. In June we went our separate ways, reading lists in hand, anticipating the joys of our graduating year. After eight years of the selective process above described, we now had the perfect group for the home stretch. Leading the combination as president for the third year was “Spider” Scanlan. Assisting him with the duties of the Student Council were Truman Casner, Will Little, and Garr Cranney. Will Little was president of the Glee Club, while Ted Davis headed the Dramatic Club. Offsetting the losses of Uzzie A1 Sussman to the High School and Tom Nickerson to the Fifth Form were the acquisitions of Lank Dwyer, Blind Mike Patterson, and Pete Wilson, who staved around to run the canteen. J Patterson and Dwyer proved to lx; notable on our basketball and baseball teams. Uzzie A1 fell into complete obscurity at the High School until Smoky Burt Faulkner ran into our old friend. It was unfortunate that they were in cars at the time of this casual meeting because it cost Smoky fifty dollars to get his fenders straightened. Organizations with rather dubious intentions were introduced by Tiger Stan Nowak, Pure Jim Gill, and Rebel Barnes. The first of these worthy organizations was the Mole Patrol, headed by the High Potentate. The

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of our finest members. It was also during this year that we acquired the “papa” of the Form, Eddie Pride, who descended from above hand in hand with Moose Coffin. But everything else that happened this year was overshadowed by “the great purge,” which made away with the Moose and four upper formers. The next fall witnessed the change of our members from boys to men, making serious pursuit of studies, athletics, and women. Bob Blacklow was outstanding in the academic pursuits, and Jim Gill and Fran Scanlan each acquired two varsity letters. The high point of the year was in the category of the third pursuit when Truman Casner was interrupted by Spike Downes in Room 12 during the intermission of the fall dance. An addition of heterogeneous members helped to bolster the Form: sharp-witted VVhitey Hamilton; Dave Ware, the Lunenburg Flash; Dave “Bull” Pern’; Boston society’s contribution, Tony Cabot; Silent Ted Davis; Ben Draper, Belmont Hill’s A1 Capp; Jumping Joe Lussier; Tennesseee Walsh; and Burt Faulkner, the Great Smoke. We inherited a unique character from the form above in the person of Wentworth Huntington Barnes. This Thespian merited an Oscar not only for his performances in the School plays but also in every other phase of School activities. The year ended on a good note as several of our classmates were awarded scholastic and activities prizes. (See succeeding pages for this brilliant record.) Murray Kidder and Don McDavitt departed into relative oblivion after this year, but Woofie Klemperer went on to fame at Belmont High School where he was voted by bis classmates “most eccentric.” The next year, another big incoming crop brought with it such characters as Biff Baker, Larry Alphen, Taciturn Tony Porter, Buddha Staples, Well Now Bob Studley, Dave Turley, and Bob Ward. Mr. Koslowski’s Fourth Form history course was featured by long winded filibusters which no one dared to internipt. Besides this five day terror, we were also introduced (or rather subjected) to the mathematical genius of Pythagoras Maxwell. In case the name of Biff Baker doesn’t ring a bell with you, the authors after extensive research have discovered that he was with us for a mere two weeks. According to advance publicity he was a tremendous athlete, but during his short stay he fooled us completely. This year did, however, find our Form making great contributions to varsity athletics. Four of us, Gill, Casner, Little, and Turley, won football letters; and numerous letters were earned by our classmates in other sports as well. In extracurricular activities of another sort, Tom Metzger did a fine job in the lead of the annual School play. After the summer vacation we came back as Fifth Formers, except for Grozier. Perry, and Gorgeous George Devine, who by this time had become so attached to the School that they preferred to stay back rather than graduate in two years. Pete Briggs and Whitev Hamilton had left for Kimball Union and, they hoped, Dartmouth. They were wrong. Kit Rice quietly departed for Concord High School, while Dave Ware and Larry Alphen were gone and not to be heard from again. But there were many strange faces in our midst who deserve description at some length. Omar Liscano was another two week wonder who didn’t stay long enough even to learn the language. His sudden departure was explained by some as due to his preference for certain South American customs. Alvin “This is disgraceful Sussman, better known as “Uzzie,” took a sabbatical from Belmont High School. “Jolly Jack Fisher often found this good-natured visitor listening to his history lectures from behind locked windows on

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full equipment for this secret organization included the Mole Whistle, a flit gun, and a rubber dagger. All the club members could afford was a rain hat to distinguish them from other idiots. The rival Fifth Form organization, the Worms, was immediately wiped out. The prerequisites for membership to Jim Gill’s VL club held the membership down to Jim himself. It was doubtful whether even Jim merited membership, but no one was in any position to evict him. Assisting Barnes in the hegemony of the third of these organizations, the De-pants Sigourney Club, was Barber Ben Draper. The club held a Sigourney night each week which was devoted to the molestation of Andy. The fall season was marked by success, as Will Little captained the football team to a good season and Harv Smith’s soccer team tied for second in the league. It didn't take long for the Sixth Formers to appreciate the enchantment which comes with carving panels. Howie Ulfelder attacked this project more vigorously than did any of his classmates. Mr. Innis, better known to 11s as just plain “Skinny,” appreciated the Form’s unerring attendance at his classes; but the last week, strange to say, found him finishing many of the panels himself. We might say in passing that Robin Barnes set a new modern record of not breaking wood until the last week of school. Ihe Form again showed its groat acting ability as Barnes, Harvey Smifch, Ted Davis, and Ben Draper took the leads in the Dramatic Club’s production of The Merchant of Venice. One of the high points in the play was provided by Spear Carriers Dave Turley, Pete Frye, and Don Walters. There was some disagreement between the class and the faculty over dismissal time, and although Mr. Hamilton clarified the point, there continued to be strange disappearances. Through lack of evidence the investigation as to whether Ulfelder and Faulkner were really sick was dropped; nonetheless their all-day absence after chapel created a tremendous stir. Our athletic success continued during the winter season as Truman Casner’s hockey team won the Private School League championship and Scanlan and Cranney’s basketball team compensated for their second place in the League by winning a private school tournament. After the winter sports seasons the Form settled down for a brief but harrowing period of study in preparation for the College Boards. The pressure was relieved that Saturday night at Truman Casner’s open house, the second of a long series of parties which were to occupy the energies of the Form over the weekends during the last part of the year. It was at these parties that the boys really let down their hair and got to know each other. Bob Studley was very often the life of the party with his songs and impersonations, but Bud Wiser was the real stimulant. The spring vacation was featured by a Critch Crochet expedition to Washington consisting of Ulfelder, Patterson, Smith, and Scanlan. Ostensibly educational in purpose, it quickly turned into a seven day orgy. Someone has a vague recollection of Harvey Smith fishing in the sink at 3 A.M., and of several excursions into the blissful land of hallucinations. Fondly remembered also are the impressions of Southern femininity, due in part to the thoughtfulness of that dashing rebel, Barnes, who made the introductions. Spring term passed quickly but was enlivened by several interesting events. Not the least of these was the arrival of a bouncing baby girl to the wife of our extraordinary