Brooklyn Technical High School - Blueprint Yearbook (Brooklyn, NY)

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nites' experiences were those of the stu- dents who had travelled to foreign lands. Among them was GREGORY FERREN- TINO of A13, who in 1939 traveled to Greece. A few days after our arrival, we went on a tour of Athens, the capital city of Greece. We visited the famed Par- thenon, with its sturdy marble columns. It was a beautiful sight to behold, this ancient temple, which had withstood the storms and tempests of three thousand years. It truly showed the glory that was Greece. J. NEUBERGER of F22 tells a similar tale. That one day in which I stayed in Paris I will remember all my life. Never will I forget the sight, when the Arch of Triumph, under which rests the Unknown Soldier, loomed before me. Always will I recall the sights I saw from the Eiffel Tower, the magnificence of the world fa- mous Cathedral of Notre Dame, and the lights of the great city reflected in the blue waters of the Seine. At least two Technites have experiences to tell that should make other students pause and think. Here ROBERT KLEIN of A21 tells of his life in Austria after the country came under the domination of Germany. We were very fortunate because nothing happened to us that did not also happen to other people. By this I mean that my father did not have to go to a concentration camp, nor did my mother have to scrub the streets, as so many others had to do .... At last, in September, 1938 ,... we were free to leave Austria. Before we crossed the bor- 24 der we were thoroughly searched, but eventually we reached Zurich in safety. . . . At Cherbourg we boarded the 'Queen Mary.' During the four days we spent on the boat I had the first good and carefree time in six months. On the fifth day we arrived safely in New York. On the nine- teenth of September, 1938, we completed our journey to freedom. J. BENDER, A21, describes the hard- ships of his youth in Germany in the fol- lowing sentences: Our sole purpose in life, it seemed to me, was to work to pay taxes and debts. Meat was served only on Sundays, or when visitors came. Potatoes were served every night, and the only fruit was apples, cherries, and oranges, that is, when in season, and then only at high cost. I was growing up and life seemed to look harder each year. My fu- ture, since one must be wealthy to go to high school-was that I should, like all the others, learn a trade when I graduated from grammar school .... Today, how- ever, I am attending Brooklyn Tech and hoping for a future career as an en- gineerf' On reading through these excerpts, one is struck by the number and variety of experiences described. Each one repre- sents a moment in some student's life that will long be remembered. Is it not fair to assume that each one of us has a similar memory, perhaps trivial, perhaps impor- tant? Think a moment. What event in your life remains most clearly in your memory? What was your most interesting experience?

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school copybook and took my place in line. My turn came. My heart throbbed. The Admiral asked me for my paper. I handed it to him, and watched as he put his John Hancock on it. Then he of- fered me his hand. Little did he know how I had dreamed of this moment. Most of us know the excitement of a real hurricane only vicariously. To JAMES YOUNG, E22, however, a hurricane is a very real thing. While he was journeying in the South, a great storm blew up. The skies grew dark, the wind began to blow violently, and the trees began reaching for the earth. I became desperately fright- ened. Branches started flying from the trees as they continued to sway and creak under the force of the wind. Out of nowhere, a tree fell across the path of our bus with such a noise that I became hysterical. We remained there for the du- ration of the night-a night I'll never forget. The next morning, when they ar- rived home, the savage power of the storm was attested to by the number of houses that had been destroyed, and by the scenes of confusion everywhere evi- denced. Those Technites who yearn for the great open spaces evidently find ways to satisfy themselves, even though they live in the heart of Brooklyn. Several students related events which occurred on hunting or fishing expeditions. Here, DONALD RASHAP of C21, describes a hunting trip. The snow was glistening on the ground and a sharp tangy wind was whistling through the trees when we started out in the early morning. We car- ried on our backs heavy packs, and across our backs guns sparkled as the sun's rays hit them .... There were many thrills that day and night, flying across the ground on snowshoes, waiting with bated breath to fire, the spine-tingling thrill as the rifle bucks against your shoulder and the target falls, the deepening twilight with the sunset shining across the snow, and finally the camp in the wilderness and the howls of the wolves. In a similar way, JOHN DENNER- LEIN of E21, captures the atmosphere of a partridge hunting trip. Sunday morning we were up bright and early, and after breakfast we went out in the woods again. The weather was dry, and all the leaves were on the ground, leav- ing all the trees but the stately pine en- tirely bare. The air was crisp and so were the small twigs that waited for somebody to step on them, so as to snap and warn any game nearby. It would seem that luck is not always on the side of the hunter, for the author says, perhaps rue- fully, The partridge is a fast bird, and you have to be a little bit faster to get him. As a form of excitement, JOSEPH MURPHY of C11, recommends weak fishing. On one trip, he had become dis- couraged at lack of success, but then, . . there came a vicious tug at my line, and the rod bent so that the tip and butt ran parallel. After about twenty minutes of give and take, when I was as tired as a dog, the hsh was subdued, and was hauled into a boat by means of a net. The last story represents a happy end- ing, but less fortunate was MARTIN KAPLIN of Fl2. He tells how he went fishing with several others, and, at one time, had attracted a fish to his hook. The fish has by now eaten off most of the worm and is trying for the piece that is over the hook. Then, as if from no- where, a line is dropped a few feet away from you. The slight ripple catches the fish's attention, and the new and juicy worm has his affection. With a dart, he jumps upon the worm and sinks the hook deeply into his mouth, Then, as though lightning has struck, he is pulled to the surface, the proud possession of-the cap- tain. More unusual in the long list of Tech- 23

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A DAY IN TECH By STANLEY ROSENBLUM, A62 NE DAY I arrived at Tech at the usual time f9255J, got a late pass and two ' ceeded to my class with a spring in my step and a whistle on my lips. The morning passed quickly and soon I found that it was time to go to gym. I usually have a good time in gym, but as I found out later, this was not to be the case today. It came like a bolt from out of the blue, when Mr. Onorato informed us that everyone in my line had to skin the cat. Like most Technites I had never been within ten feet of the highbar and I had hoped to graduate from Tech without getting any closer. We lined up in front of the highbar, like condemned men wait- ing to be beheaded. Soon I heard the teacher say, It's your turn now, Rosen- blum. Amid the encouraging remarks of my classmates, such as, You can break your neck only once, Rosy, I proceeded to try the exercise. I mounted the bar with much help from the teacher and my classmates. Then I put my feet through the space between my hands and found myself in a very awkward position. I : days' detention, and pro- looked around and saw that even Mr. Prestopino looked like a giant from where I was. Soon the blood started to rush to my head and my stomach began to feel queer so I disentangled myself and dropped off the bar. I thought I was pretty good and that I might even become a squad leader with a little practice. I was awakened from my reverie by the sound of Mr. Onorato's voice saying. That was terrible so you'll have to do it over again. I remembered how my stomach ached and how my head felt so I said that I wouldn't go through that again for all the tea in China. That is when I first met my Group Adviser. He is a swell fellow, but I wish I had met him under better circumstances. That afternoon I was literally a broken man for I now had seven days' detention. On the train home I carefully planned to run away and join the foreign legion. The next morning I was at school bright and early, at 8:00, waiting for Mr. Parker. I had found out from my Dad that the United States had no foreign legion and I had decided that Tech wasn't such a bad school after all. .JW P W !,,f,,::,,G,,,,,,,,,.,,,...g: ..... .... ....... ,,',??:,g., , , .2 fr' 1 -. Ag. ,, '-Q, .-s fl ' -- I ..........--.....,..,.....st . 25