Grant High School - Memoirs Yearbook (Portland, OR)

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Another little anecdote may give you pleasure. It can do no harm since three of the actors are no longer living. It happened at one of the last open house nights held during Mr. Fletcher’s principalship. This event was similar to the first one mentioned earlier, but had a larger attendance. There were still exhibits in the classrooms, but mostly, the evening was spent visiting with parents. Usually these chats would begin with, “Mr. Jones? Are you my child’s history teacher?” or “Miss Smith, do you have my Mary in English?” About 9:45 or 10:00 p.m. the lights would blink, a signal to clear the building. Shortly thereafter, tired teachers, their thirteen smile-muscles aching, would hurry out to rest for another day. One night, three women teachers were starting toward the door. Three men from the history department were coming toward them. One of the women who never ever seemed too tired for a joke, but who even when perfectly rested had a knack of blurting out the wrong words, suddenly strode forward, held out her hand to one of the men with, “Good evening, Mr. R, are you the father of my child?” Mr. R. could have ignored the slip but he just happened to be a man of caustic wit and couldn’t pass up such a golden opportunity. Without a flicker, drawing himself up to his most dignified height, he replied, “Well, really, Madam! How should know, if you don’t.” Covered with embarrassment, our lady fled. She was one of two women in the history department. Mr. Fletcher had called a department meeting for the next day. As she was about to enter that meeting, can you imagine her feelings when she heard a loud burst of laughter with Mr. topping them all? Fletcher’s big deep tones We must not leave this first period of our history without a reminder to some of you of those dreadful final examinations. Everyone, whether a scholarship student or a potential failure was required to take a final exam in each of his subjects. Examination week began at eight o’clock on Monday morning. Each test lasted one and a half to two hours. The questions were made out by the department head and mimeographed so that each student received a copy. All examinations for a department were scheduled for the same time — either 8:00 a.m. or 1:00 p.m. If a student were doubling in a subject, he would be assigned by his teacher for the second examination, immediately following the first, but probably in a different room. Since one teacher obviously could not squeeze all of her 140-150 students into one small classroom, her students were assigned to other rooms where the proctor would likely be of another department. Two different terms of a subject were assigned to each room and were seated alternately to make cheating a little difficult. At the first bell, students would receive test paper and test and set to work while the teacher walked up and down — or at least moved to strategic positions — to keep everyone as honest as possible. At the end of the period, papers were collected, alphabetized for each class teacher and put into her box in the office. The class teacher would grade them carefully, record the grades, then return the papers to the office where they were stored indefinitely in case grades were challenged. CORVALLIS SAND GRAVEL CO. JOHN H. GALLAGHER Jr. 32 Corvallis, Oregon 12

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After the assembly, parents visited all the departments of the new school where teachers and students had arranged displays of their class work. In those early days, students bought their own books. There was a locker for every two students, and all were urged to rent and use one of the combination locks supplied by the student body for fifty cents and to keep their lockers locked at all times. Most of us remember how proud we were of our school and of our students. Most were not affluent but they had an air, an aura, that made them outstanding in any crowd. They knew how to wear their clothes and how to conduct themselves in public places. They were probably the most democratic student body in the city (1 am sure 1 am not prejudiced). Race, creed, or color had nothing to do with acceptance, nor did money. One young man, earning his way by working after hours as custodian, just missed election as Student Body President by three votes. He was extremely popular. Two anecdotes before we leave this Fletcher period may be of interest. They do show a lighter side of Mr. Fletcher’s personality, his comradery with his faculty. My second term at Grant — I was still a timid probationer — my first termers were learning to diagram simple sentences. One sentence, “The man sat up in bed,” was under study. I corrected her: explaining that up is an adverb, not part of a preposition. She looked surprised, then said, “Father told me it is part of a compound preposition.” Now, being new in these parts, but wishing to correct both father and child, I said, “Let’s ask Uncle Noah.” Over to the dictionary we went to discover that “up” in such a sentence is an adverb, that at one time it would have been considered part of a compound preposition. Such a designation was now obsolete. What teacher could resist an opportunity like that? I smilingly patted Elizabeth on the arm and said, “You go home and tell your daddy that he is three-hundred years behind the times.” The next morning, as I was signing in, a big, booming voice sang out from behind the desk, “So I’m three-hundred years behind the times, am I?” That voice was coming from a very handsome, very important man, Mr. William T. Fletcher. One very unimportant, startled teacher suddenly wished she could dissolve into thin air. A sweet little girl named Elizabeth had done it like this: Then Mr. Fletcher laughed heartily, and the aforementioned teacher went on her wiser way, glad that her principal had a sense of humor. man sat bed How on earth could she have known that that little girl in her freshman English class was the Principal’s daughter? METROPOLITAN PRINTING COMPANY Maurice Binford Orm Binford Helen Binford Kirsch 1 1

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Each semester was divided into four quarters. The examination grade presumably was counted as one fifth of the final grade — but there was an understood rule that anyone making less than 50 on the exam should fail. It is very possible that each teacher used his own judgment. One amusing incident comes to mind concerning a math teacher who was proctoring an English exam. On this exam were twenty spelling words listed on a separate sheet for the proctor to pronouce to the students. Imagine the delight of the students when instead of pronouncing them, this fine gentleman wrote them on the board. In 1927, the South Wing and the Auditorium were under construction and were in use early in 1928. Grant was ready to begin a new phase of its history under new leadership. TO MR. FLETCHER by Betty Peterson “Memoirs” January 1929 A Friend and a father passes on And finds his way to the great beyond; But the world does not know, nor does it see, What has been lost by you and me. A man who has been a friend in need, At last is from his duties freed. The world knows not what might have been, But God knows best and has taken him. First man, then time, then memories go; Thus it is written, it must be so; But while Grant lives, so lives his name In all its glory, splendor, and fame. CALDWELL’S COLONIAL MORTUARY 20 N.E. 14th 13