Grant High School - Memoirs Yearbook (Portland, OR)

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brought clothing and toys. One or two of the youngsters would call and make arrangements with the mother for a day they could play Santa Claus for her children. On that day as many students as could would go. They would give out the toys and play with the youngsters and then as a surpirse for the mother, leave a nice box of staples and extras. Everyone had fun. It wasn’t charity. There was no condescension. It was compassionate, spontaneous love! Those irrepressible, rambunctious, overflowing, wonderful Grantonians! One would want to wring their saucy little necks one minute and love them to pieces the next. Another thing you grads might like to remember (or forget?) was that to be an officer in the Student Body one had to have a G average (79-89) and members of organizations had to be passing in three subjects. Flunkers weren’t popular with athletic coaches either. Among other interesting memorabilia of those first four years, we might mention that to get the Student Body treasury started in the fall of 1924, we borrowed $500.00 from Benson High School Student Body. This was lent without interest for a three year period. Grant was able to repay this debt in the fall of 1925; and to show our appreciation, we presented the Benson Student Body with a beautiful picture - a covered wagon scene - for their library. Under the picture was inscribed, “Pioneers in Friendship.” Although the Drum Corps, organized by Robert L. Dick with the help of his buddy, John Dean Goss, had played at games and rallies, it was not officially recognized until the Council in the Fall of 1925, financed their spiffy new uniforms. our first class play, “Come Out of the Kitch en”, May 21 and 22, 1926, were both presented in the Washington High School Auditorium, for Grant, as yet, had no Auditorium of its own — all assemblies being held in the gymnasium. A little anecdote may be told here of a young teacher who assigned the short story, A Cask of the Amontillado, by Poe, to be read by her fourth term English classes. The following day, before she could ask the students how they liked the tale, one smart young man (there’s one in every class) announced, “That’s a terrible short story but it would make a darn good play.” Without batting an eye, the teacher said, “Okay, you write it, I’ll direct it, and we’ll give it here at Grant.” She had not the slightest idea he would accept the challenge. Was she ever wrong! He did - so she did, and at the May Carnival that year (1926) these intrepid and inexperienced young Thespians presented a travesty which probably set Mr. Poe’s eternal rest back a hundred years. Room 232, at that time, had a skylight. Tar paper was secured, and fearless fourth termers climbed the dizzy heights to make things very dark for the play. No night activities were supposed to take place at the Carnival. All concessions were closed by seven-thirty or eight. As it turned out, this was the — but wait. Admission to all concessions, purchase of all goodies, was done by tickets which were sold in strips of as many ten cent (or was it five cent) ducats as one could afford. The first play, an all school production of “Daddy Long Legs”, sponsored by the Buskin Dramatic Club, May 15, 1925, and the second, Who could ever guess that so many youngsters would save four of their tickets to see such a play? Congratulations from Oregon's Otcn Bank OREGON MUTUAL SAVINGS BANK 8

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Another big step forward that term was the organization of the band. The majority of members supplied their own instruments, but a few less common ones were bought by the school. How’s that for achievement? To organize a club, a petition had to be submitted to the Council. All club members had to be student body members. That year, the Council also bought a phonograph for general use. In the Spring of 1927, the Student Body bought silk flags for every room in the building and history reference books for the library; gave fifty dollars to the Rose City Library fund, established a Lost and Found department, revised their Constitution to meet the needs of the larger Student Body, added an assistant treasurer who would succeed himself the following term as treasurer, adopted a book plate for Student Body use, selected a school song, secured snappy new uniforms for the band, and provided for two orphans of the Near East Relief. It is interesting to a present-day student how profits gained from Auditorium programs were spent: 5% for Scholarship fund, 2% for library fund, 1% office fund, and the last thing decided upon by the Fall 1927 Council was to take care of one Armenian child. Right here, I’d like to mention how those precious young Grantonians reacted toward the needy. Besides Community Chest drives held in the school, ever so many registration rooms and or clubs, at Christmas time would secure names of needy families with names, ages, and sex of all members. Then they set about planning — not just for one meal, but securing things that would carry over a few days. They KLEIN JEWELERS For Fifty Years Manufacturers of Grant Club and Class Pins See Your Pin on Display in Center Hall 912 S.W. Morrison 226-6748 7

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Teacher and cast were in the tiny dressing room trying to make the villain and the hero look like Italian Aristocrats. The stage was all set with BONES from the stockyards - to look like the catacombs. One wonders if the catacombs smelled like that! A brisk rap sounded on the door. Then Mr. Fletcher was saying to an unbelieving feminine member of his faculty, “We can’t let any more in to room 232. It’s packed beyond the Fire Ordinance, and there are many more with tickets waiting to get in. Can you give this twice?” Stunned, the teacher said, “I’ll ask the kids.” The kids? Well, of course! The next day, Mr. Fletcher said to the cause of all this confusion, “You might like to know that one of those trying to get in to see your play last night was a member of our School Board. He wanted to go home and forget the whole thing — tickets and all — but his family insisted on staying. He stayed, but he said to me, ‘Fletcher, one thing I know, at the meeting tomorrow night, Pm voting for your new auditorium here. It’s badly needed.’ ” At that Board Meeting Grant received the “go-ahead” for its new auditorium. An amusing sidelight before we leave this gruesome play may arouse memories for some of you grads: the boy who was the victim being chained and walled up in the catacombs to die, was supposed to scream when he ASSEMBLIES IT is very unfortunate that at the present time Grant has not an assembly hall where all of us may gather and enjoy a good assembly; but it is sincerely hoped by all. students and faculty alike, that in the near future we may have the use of a good auditorium. In the meanwhile it is our duty as loyal Grantonians to make the best of the situation and co-operate in every possible manner to make our assemblies worth while to us and to our visitors. Our highly-esteemed principal, Mr. Y. T. Fletcher, has on a number of occasions asked us in assemblies and has requested the teachers to ask us to co-operate by good behavior and suitable attitude in assemblies. but for some reason many of us do not seem to remember what he says. Let us remember, however, that what Mr. Fletcher says is for the good of all and not for any one group. His purpose in requesting such behavior is to raise the standard of our school above the others or at least to a level with the others so that when visitors come to our assemblies either as speakers or as onlookers, they may be able to compliment conscientiously the behavior of the students in assemblies. It is not necessary for us to play with the gymnasium apparatus or to stamp our feet, shout, and clap boisterously to show our appreciation for any entertainments given 11s in assembly. In fact, it is as bad taste to clap excessively as not to clap at all. Let's get behind this and correct the situation with some loyal Grant Spirit. If we do our part and the others do theirs how much more proud we can feel of our school and the assemblies. Be loyal Grantonians at the games by shouting and yelling, but be loyal Grantonians in assembly by sitting quietly and respectfully. There is a place for everything. —Orrin A. Scovill. N. E. W. S., REALTORS® Fremont at 42nd E. JOHN RUMPAKIS, President Graduate ’49 9