Erasmus Hall High School - Arch Yearbook (Brooklyn, NY)

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v,v,, 1 i remember . . . We thought an important part of the Tradition of Erasmus Hall was the fine citizens it produced. Below are the rememhrances of three extremely suc- cessful individuals, each of whom has contributed in some way to the advance- ment of our civilization and has thus dramatized the effect of an excellent education upon an intelligent and receptive person. Each of these famous graduates of Erasmus Hall has something in common with the other graduates of our school, famous or not, they never forget their Alma Mater. Daru Interview The world had achieved what it thought would be an everlasting peace in the signing of the Treaty of Versailles in 1919 . . . soon after, the League of Nations was formed. In America, Woodrow Wilson was serving his second term as president . . . the sports pages carried obscure mention of a young Boston Red Sox pitcher named Babe Ruth . . . 1'm Always Chasing Rainbows, Smiles,', and Dardenella were jazz band favorites. The nation was about to cross the threshold of the Roaring Twenties. And at Erasmus Hall, Robert Daru was rehearsing in the star role of Cleopatra's Capers. Whereas in 1919 Robert Daru, happy with top billing in the senior class play, was sporting a blond wig as Cleopatra, he is now well known on stage in the courtroom as one of the nation's finest trial lawyers. Seated 'behind a huge mahogany desk in his Madison Avenue office, Mr. Daru nostalgically recalled his high school days. Looking back, Mr. Daru acknowledged that school spirit was a dominant factor in making even more wonderful the years he spent as an Erasmian. The famous Erasmus kind of school spirit is tradition, and the wonderful faculty and class of 1919 had a generous share of both of these, he said. A by-product of this wealth of school spirit was the Busy Bee, a grade newspaper published solely by the students Cwhose editorials were quoted not only by scholastic contemporaries but also by the New York daily pressD, and the sponsorship of a high successful charity drive during the First World War. Throughout his high school years, Mr. Daru was known as a lighten This drive not only led him to success in his profession, but made him largely responsible for the fact that the 'fO1d Academy still adorns our campus. The Fire Department had condemned the building and ordered its demolition. Led by Robert Daru, a group of active Erasmians were granted a hearing at City Hall, and with cogent arguments they demanded the salvation of the building. Mr. Daru proved successful in this, the Hrst of many arguments. Not much time had elapsed before the budding young lawyer was again disputing an action looked upon with disfavor by many Erasmians. The Board of Education had suddenly reassigned Con the eve of the big track meetD Mr. John Battel,

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they make our school tick mr. feldman mrs. ginsberg miss krummel mr. shanmrm mrs. grumet ITl1'. ZIHIIIICFITIHH mr. rohrberg miss Corey dr. II1cI1Ciii Ulf. iZlWI'CIlCC mr. Chappell miss cameron IDF. 1'T1llI'I'21y

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. ,. . F. ,. gr--f.,..- . coach of the track team, to a position at another high school. Again Robert Daru was successful as he helped to persuade the officials to rescind their decision, and Mr. Battel has remained at Erasmus ever since. The years passed, and soon Mr. Daru had become a member of the bar. His rise to the top of his field was phenomenal. In 1933, Mr. Daru had the distinction of being the youngest US. Senate Counsel ever appointed. Previous to his appointment he had been Assistant District Attorney of the County of New York. In recent years Mr. Daru's legal skill as General Counsel sparked the Committee on justice in investigating the West Point cribbing scandal. Mr. Daru has always lived both an inspiring and exciting life. His constant struggle against all that is unjust has given Erasmus good reason to be proud of him. Mr. Robert Daru has, through courage and determination, succeeded in life. He is as fine an example as can be set for our class of June 1955 to follow. Mrs. Genevieve B. Earle is an outstanding example of an individual who has reaped the benefits of an excellent education, and who has coupled this education with an unusual aptitude in political administration, a Held in which women rarely occupy the top jobs. Mrs. Earle graduated from Erasmus Hall in 1903, and was a member of Arista. Mrs. Earle's career was long and of great benefit to many people. In 1922, she was elected to the Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce, after actively assisting in war work. ln the years following, the former Erasmian was elected to the post of Bank Director in New York State. For distinguished and exceptional service she received a citation, the only woman thus honored with a gold medal from the Brooklyn Downtown Association for the most outstanding service to Brooklyn. The first and only woman to he elected to the City Council, Genevieve Earle was also designated as Minority Lehder, and retained this position until she retired in 1949. These Happy Few Erasmus Hall 1899-1903 By G. B. Earle In the retrospect of more than Hfty years the Erasmus of my clay still seems a shining and glamorous school and it seemed so then. It was a school of happy young people. 1 shall never forget the First meeting of the members of the entering class of that autumn who were assembled in what was then called the Study Hall on the second Hoor. Dr. Walter B. Gunnison, the principal, a tall broad-shouldered, handsome man, with a magnificent voice, greeted us, and explained the school's ideals and outlined the courses and the extra-curricular activities. One could readily see that he was a great teacher, warm, inspiring, and understanding. With him on the platform was his able assistant, Kate Turner, who with him became life- long symbols of what Erasmus meant to us. At that time Erasmus had only Ccontinued on page 331