Cohn High School - Accolade Yearbook (Nashville, TN)

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I Front row, left to right: Tom Proctor, best groomed boy, Mary Ann Porterfield, best groomed girl, Jean Taylor, most philosophical girly Helen Stevens, most dignified girly Herbert Harris, most bashful boyg Elizabeth Ann XV1lls, most bashful girlg Ruth Bash, willmaker: Betty Oliphant, class prophetg Ronald Merville, cutest laugh fboyj. Sec- ond row: Thomas Green, most handsome boyg Ernestine Stewart, prettiest girlg George Zenger, most ambitious boy, Helen Ackerman, most studious girl, girl most likely to succeed, most ambitious girl, Dorothy Gibson, ITIOSI athletic girlg Jimmy Swink, most popular boy, best all-round boy. most striking personality, class orator, half n1OSl popular duog Virginia Anderson, most popular girl, best all-round girl, most striking personality. half most popular duo, Ray Frizzell, boy most likely to succeed, class historiang Thomas Earp, most studious boyg Howard Isaacs, most cour- teous boy, most philosophical boy, class poet, Vllayne Hoyal. most courteous boy, most digniiied boyg Sue Peery. most fun, wittiest girl, cutest laugh, Carlton Stinson, cutest laugh. ' No! present when picture was taken: B. Proctor, most athletic boyg Horace Demonbreun, most fun, wittiest boyg David Carney, class pest. Senior Superlatives Left: RAY FRIZZELL. JR., Cohn Medalist Right: HELEN ACKER MAN, D. A. R. Medal ist and Civitan Medal ist. S.,

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CLASS PROPHECY, I946 At last the great day we, the Senior Class of 1946, had been dreaming of had come-Class Day, 'on which we would show our ability not only to have fun but also to be serious. This was the time we could wander through the corridors, talking and laughing and not be stopped and sent to the office, we could skiip classes and never be questioned. This was Senior Day, 19 G! The morning passed very quicklyg the program in the audi- torium was a success, and, finally, we had reached Cedar Forest, where we were to have our picnic. After strolling around for a while, I decided to take a walk near the woods, attracted by some brightly-hued wild roses and honeysuckle. As I bent to pick a flaming azalea, I noticed a very queer little creature not more than three feet tall peeping around a lcaning cedar at the edge of the forest. He was dressed in a long green coat and brown knee breeches with which he wore tiny pointed shoes and a hat with an orange feather in it. He was beckoning for me to come toward him, and, having a very inquisitive nature, I decided to ven- ture a little further. On tiptoe, finger to his lips, he led me silently among the trees until we w re completely hidden. Then he found his voice, Would you like, said hc, to know what your fellow classmates will be doing twenty years from this day? Would I? I said. What I wouldn't give to know the answer to that! He then pointed at a shield, which he insisted was magic, hanging against the only oak tree anywhere in sight. It had a smooth, gleaming surface, around the edge of which was a border of wild flowers, so perfectly embossed that they appeared real. So lovely was the workmanship that it indeed seemed to have been made by superhuman hands. lf I would look into its shining surface, the little man assured me, it would reliect the future. Skeptically, I glanced in its direction, and what I saw gave me a start. There was an office in which two men were seated. At First their features were blurred, but as I continued to watch, I realized that th:se two were my classmates, jimmy Swink and David Carney, somewhat older, the one skinnier and the other heavier. Jimmy had now reached his goal, to become a lawyer, and David was seeking his counsel in a law- suit, in which he had been involved by his careless driving. This, at least, was one thing time had not changed. Could there be some truth in the little creature's claims for his shield? I was at least slightly credulous after that revela- tion, and decided to look again. Then, before my amazed eyes, my classmates passed in rapid succession, like scenes from a newsreel. They were like themselves, just as I had ltft then a few minutes ago, except older by twenty years and bixsily working at many occupations and in widely scattered p aces. There were Virginia Estes, Geraldine Nokes, and Dorothy johnson having a wonderful time renewing their friendships and keeping house for their husbands in the same apartment building. They met on the hre escape every morning to exchange new gossip. Betty jo Womack showed her skating ability nightly as she performed at the Madison Square Garden in New York. j. B. Proctor had now reached his lifetime ambition as head coach at celebrated Notre Dame University. Whom would you expect to find as his capable assistant? His brother, Tom. Ivarren Laubheimer, now a retired colonel, was living a life of ease with his wife, Arline, and their eight offspring. Elmo Tillman's inheritance consisted of only one grocery store, but through his fflicient management he now owned the chain stores, formerly H. G. Hill Company, and Piggly-Wiggly. Frank Collier was president of the W. C. A., the Wolf Club of America, and spent his days hiring pretty secretaries. It didn't matter if they couldn't take dictation, as long as they had the personality of Betty Grahle. Incidentally, Ronald fllace Horsej Merville was doing his bit as vice-president of the c u J. Dolly Hudgens and Mary Ann Portertield owned an ex- clusive dress shop on Fifth Atenue in New York City, with Ruth Bash as their model. Thomas Green had married years ago and now was the father of six sets of twins-enough for a football team and a water boy. My head was spinning now, but still, how could I look away even for an instant? At that very moment I saw Ernestine Stewart. She had bc- come a famous artist. With her, as usual, was Virginia An- derson, whose beautiful voice had won recognition for her throughout the world. Sue Peery was known for her wit while at Cohn and her cleverness had carried into her everyday life. She was a famous joke writer for some of the great comedians, jack Btnny and Fred Allen, among others in New York City. Betty Oliphant was still dashing about madly going to her office every morning where she created new fashions for ex- clusive dress shops all over America. Dorris Spurlock followed up his schoolwork of keeping the boys physically fit and was now head trainer at Harvard Uni- versity. George De Moss was now s'rving as head instructor at the only boys' secretarial school in the United States. XVith untiring effort, Orville Payne had become manager of Sears-Roebuck and was honored to have Polly Sue Bracey as l1is private secretary. My magic shield reflected someone else, and let's see-oh, of course, Mary Anna Ball and her sailor fricnd. They were liv- ing at their country home in Connecticut. Also married to a one-time sailor, Lillian Bash and her husband owned an im- mense farm in Iowa where corn is plentiful every year. Dorothy Gibson, Mary jo Harrell, and Ann Higgins decided to form a partnership, They went to Oklahoma and bought a dude ranch for vacationers. It had become so famous that it was visited every year by many famous movie stars. Frank Lawrence, now a professor at Columbia University, was devoting his time to world affairs, an interest developed earlier in life at Cohn High from Mr. Merrill S. Carter's his- tory classes. Horace Demonbreun, after hnally securing his degree as a pharmacist at Tulane University, was now owner of a chain of drugstores in Chicago where he was known as the swiftest pre- scriptionist in the city. George Zengcr had decided to become a doctor while he was at Cohn. He was now devoting his time to brain surgery at johns Hopkins. As his able assistants were Martha Zanoni and Frances Peay, nurses at that hospital. Since high school days were over, Bettye Allen had been dieting and had gotten results. She had completley slenderized her figure and was working as a Power Model. Thomas Earp, having secured his sixth divorce, decided to give up all hope of an ideal marriage and now had nothing whatsoever to do with women. Carlton Stinson, still a playboy, spent most of his time ming- ling with the more attractive side of life in Hollywood, Califor- ina. Howard Isaacs was touring Europe, getting his inspirations for his poetry which was world-famous and was now being studied even at Oxford University in England. Edward Crump, Wayne Hoyal, and Ray Frizzell, having ob- tained their degrees, Bachelors of Divinity, were devoting their lives to the ministry, Edward as pastor of a regular churchg Wayne as a missionary in Chinap Ray as an evangelist, carry- ing on his work throughout America. Billy Drumright had reached his highest ambition-to own a small stand on the corner of Fifth Avenue and Church Street, where he sold razor blades and candy. Bobby Mattox, having recently married a wealthy young widow, was now retired and spent his summers in Florida and his winters on his Long Island estate so that he might attend Grand Opera at the Metropolitan. Two former graduates of the 1946 class had become world famed as one of the greatest ballet teams in history. Quite recently Elizabeth Ann Wills and james Hailey had appeared before the King and Queen of England. Two old friends, Greta Ethridge and jean Taylor, were meeting at a state teachers' association and discovering that each taught students in high school. Greta was senior class sponsor and spent her time trying to keep her dignified seniors where they were supposed to be. It seems traditional for one of the Feigenbaums to be the owner of a dry goods store. Ethel took over when her father decided to retire and had now moved uptown where her huge establishment covered two full blocks. Tommy Dwyer, who proved his ability as an actor while in high school, had reachtd fame and fortune in Hollywood and had succeeded to Van Johnson's place in the bobby-soxers' hearts. Helen Ackerman and Martha Thompson proved themselves to be model wives who took care of their homes and children and still had time left over to be leaders in the Ladies' Sew- ing Club in their neighborhood. Lillian Bruce had now worked her way up to vice-president at the Davis, Bradford, and Carson Insurance Company and cmployed Helen Lepley as her private secretary. Taylor Coleman now headed one of the main telegraph services in San Francisco and proved himself to be one of the fastest telegraph operators in the world. Herbert Harris owned a boat at West Palm Beach, Florida, where he spent all his days fishing and telling about the huge whalelike lish that got away from him. Next a newspaper Hashed before me. My attention was caught by this advertisement: How to make girls swoon though middle-aged. Upon reading further, I found that the pro- prietor and his assistant were none other than Lee Frost and Kenneth Meguiar. Four girls, Frances Schweining, Helen Stevens, Frances XVhitson, and Elizabeth Wilson, spent a lot of time together while they were in school and desired to continue their asso- ciation after graduation. They were now employed in the same office, Frances Schweining spending her days as a re- ceptionistg Helen Stevens, taking dictationg Frances Whitson, typing, and Elizabeth Wilson, filing. Kirshner Brumheld worked at the Child's Toggery Shop while in high school. From there he had continued his in- terests until now he was an authority and stylist for boys' clothing in large cities of the United States. Lena Robertson and her husband owned stock in a gold mine in South America and Lena spent her time traveling in Latin-American countries. As this scene faded, the sound of voices interrupted me. Quickly the little man tore his shield from the oak and van- ished, as up came Thomas Green, Kirshner Brumfield, and Carlton Stinson picking daisies-a habit they had never quite overcome after they gathered so many for decorations at the junior-Senior Banquet of 1945. I looked up in surprise. Why, Thomas, said I, where are the twins? What twins? he askrd in blank astonishment. The football team and the water boy, I replied quite calmly. They looked at one an- other for a moment in amazement. Then Carlton broke the spell. If cedar trees affect people like this, we'd better get her out of here! Seizing me by the arms none too gently, they hurried toward the lodge where, on arrival, we found Dot Gibson and Helen Ackerman, as usual on such occasions, rustling the food from numerous baskets and boxes, preparing our class picnic supper.

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FRANCES SCHWEINING We, as a nation, are now emerging from a crisis. America, like a moth creeping from its cocoon, is discarding her cloak of isolationism and is viewing a world wherein the spirit of reform demands equal opportunity for all men everywhere. Our forefathers came to this country to win their freedom. They looked toward America with great expectations. At last. here was a land where their ideals would become a reality. Slowly but steadily, through good, hard labor, they worked to achieve their ideals. Our anctstors not only founded a new nation but developed a new concept of a way of living. They insisted that although men might differ in occupations and ability, they were all en- titled to certain basic rights: Freedom of speech: freedom of the pressg the right to choose any religion, the right to pur- sue happiness. These privileges could not be taken away from them by the whim either of a powerful minority or even of a bare majority. America developed into the great nation which it has be- come because they established firm and sure foundations un- derlying the fundamental principles of our government. The system best calculatcd to promote the creative qualities in everyone had to hold the destructive ones in their proper places is that wherein every individual is able to find or at least to strive for what he desires. A fundamental longing in each individual is that of being able to earn a comfortable living for himself and those dependent upon him. Until sucll an opportunity is assured, no man can give full expression to the productive impulses of love, generosity, kindness, courage, and initiative. ln America, a system that will foster these qualities has been developed. Regardless of race, color, or creed, one may succeed in life. He can advance as far as hc chooses and his abilities will carry him. No one tells him at which he must labor or where he shall work. He may select any occupation. He may weigh the advantages and disadvantages of various jobs against each other and then choose that which offers most to him. It is up to the individual, to each of us, to decide wh-ether or not life is to be a failure or a success! Today, as in the past, the rapid additions of new inven- tions and trades offer the worker a continually expanding choice: television and other electronic devices, air condition- ing, civilian aviation, food freezing, and many others. Those who have imagination may take advantage of these many new opportunities. But not everyone will patiently weigh values and choose wisely. Youth too often is impetuous, anxious to plunge head- long into whatever offers immediate reward. When a piece of dead wood is thrown into a whirlpool, it is spun around and around, sucked under, and never seen again. Only a live branch firmly attached to a tree or a trunk deeply rooted into a bank will survive the whirling waters. So it is with people, especially with the youth. He sees on all sides selfish- Sotiutcztoifg LOOK TO THE FUTURE ness and greed, easy money, too much leisure, a whirlpool to distract him from his purpose to contribute something further to the structure of the country which his forbears wrought from the wilderness. He experiences the temptation to plunge into the activities about him, to accept the position which comes his way first, before he is properly prepared and schooled in the principles necessary for continutd success. If he yields, he may easily become the dead wood, lost in the whirlpool of skilled competition, doomed to failure in life. Only those who are firmly fortified mentally and morally can hope to emerge as the leaders of their generation and to carry forward the development of our country's ideals for which their forefathers sacrificed in sweat, blood, and tears. Every world crisis presents new ideas and opportunities, new fields to explore, and new discoveries waiting to be made. We, the youth of today, must resolve to prepare our minds so that we may take full advantage of whatever the future offtrs to us. We owe to ourselves such resolution. But beyond ourselves, we must think of others, our fellow men all over the world. They need and deserve the same privileges as we. We must strive to achieve for ourselves a position that will help us to serve the world. A great deal of money is spent each year to provide us with the best training possible. It is our obligation as young men and women enter- ing the world to profit from such advantages. Faster and faster moves the tempo of American life. We have made progress for ourselves and others. Hard and unre- mitting labor has achieved much, but we must demand more. As if he were ascending a mountain, our horizon broadens with every forward step in our march to higher standards of living. We, as no other nation, have the type of economic system and the form of government which will provide maximum op- portunity for the further developments, both social and ma- terial, for which we are all striving. Our foundation for the future is firm. Our progress is assured because we in Ameri- ca have raised man to his full dignity as an individual, with rights to use his untied creative hands to work, to produce without restrictions, new things for better living. It has al- ways been the American way since that first group of men began to hack down trees for their homes on the Virginia coast. Today, we, the youth of America, are entrusted with the summation of the ideals and achievements of those ancestors who allowed neither toil nor tears to shake their purposes. We must have courage, determination, and persevertnce kin- dred to theirs. We must not shrink from calloused hands nor tired minds. We must prepare ourselvts to preserve the heritage from our heroic forbears and to disseminate their ideals of the dignity of the individual. We shall have made a reality of their dreams when men everywhere may say that they are endowed with inalienable rights, among which are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.