Grants Pass High School - Toka Yearbook (Grants Pass, OR)

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22 THE TOKA Alumni. Helen Clarke ’08 is receiving high social honors at O. A. C., where she is a Junior this year. • • We notice with pleasure that Errol Gilkey ’10 has attained the high honor of associate editor of the Willamette Collegian, his college paper. We are sure that Errol will fill this office well and hope to see him receive many more honors in his college life. • • • Max Tuffs ’ll visited school one day this month. He has returned from Dorris, California, to take a business course in one of the schools of Portland. • • • Three of our alumni attended Teachers’ Institute this year for the first time. Lolita Woodcock ’10 and Elizabeth Davis and Ierne Ahern of last year’s class, were the ones thus honored. They are going back to their schools with so much knowledge that they will doubtless bring under that contrary boy and help that ignorant girl who have been the bane of their teaching experience. • • • De Ette Tetherow, ’10, was married on October 18 to Lester Coburn of this city. The young people are both well known here and are popular in social circles. They have a fine new bungalow on B street where they will be at home to their friends after November 1. • • • Oregon City, Ore., Oct. 30, 1911. Mr. Vernon Basler, 934 N. Ninth Street. Grants Pass, Oregon. Dear Vernon: The request that I write something for publication in The Toka, received some days ago. The honor conferred upon me thereby is felt far more keenly than any inspiration wherewith to comply. My first inclination was to frankly acknowledge my utter inability to write anything of interest to Toka readers and out of consideration for them, to decline to comply with your request. Upon further consideration, however, I have decided as did the newly hired cook in a surveying camp, and go ahead. The cook was a small man of weak and squeaky voice. He was a

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THE TOKA 21 The rooters (?) who attended the football game at Medford were Miss Young, Mr. Turnbull, Louise Harvey, Josephine Moss, Fay Kiser, Glenn Howard and Rex Tuffs. They went down on the train while Paul Kinney took Harry Hull, Marguerite Cleveland, Alice Hansen and Miss Owen (chaperone) In his car. The auto arrived In Grants Pass somewhat later than the train. • • • Since it seemed imperative to say something after the game with Medford, although no one seemed Inclined to have much to say in public, Mr. Turnbull made a very neat speech, calculated to bring consolation to the hearts of many, in which he pointed out Instances similar to the Medford incident in which the defeated teams had later redeemed themselves. and he closed by admonishing any who might be inclined to show their pity to the football players, to save all their sympathy for Medford. • • • The Lyceum Entertainment Course for this season Is being run for the benefit of ihe High School library. There are to be five numbers In the course as follows: Senator Gore, Friday, November 3. Strollers Male Quartet, Monday, December 4. Dudley Ruck Co., Ladies Quartet. Tuesday, February 6. Le Brun Opera Co., Wednesday, March 13. Rntto, Impersonator, Saturday, April 27. The course should be very liberally patronised by students and friends of the high school. A special rate of SI.50 for the five entertainments is offered to students. • • T.ast August the City Recorder, M. L. Opdycke, was in correspondence with a large bonding firm of Toledo, Ohio, relative to their sale of certain Improvement bonds. In order to give the firm some idea of our city, Judge Opdycke forwarded to them some advertising literature of the Commercial Club and also included a copy of the Toka for June. We quote below from a letter afterwards written by the firm to Mr. Opdycke, as It may be of Interest to the readers and friends of the Toka. Not that so much is said, but the fact that so large a corporation, doing millions and millions of dollars of business each year, should take notice of the Toka Is a very fine compliment to our school paper. We quote from the letter: Toledo. Ohio, August 19, 1911. Mr. M. L. Opdycke, Grants Pass, Oregon. Dear Sir: We are In receipt of your letter of August 14th, and the literature of your Business Men’s Club which you forwarded giving Information requested by us. We wish to thank you for sending this literature as it will be Just about what we want. We agree with you that the school publication “The Toka”, Is a meritorious one and that In Itself goes to speak well for your city.

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THE TOKA 25 stranger and the chief of the party knew nothing of his qualifications for the place. He was hired simply because no one else could be found to do the cooking. When the party was well under way, one of the men. a little dubious of the new cook’s abilities, went so far as to inquire of him whether or not he understood the preparation of a good meal. The man replied in his shrill falsetto, “You’ll find out.” So instead of making any apologies, I shall simply leave you to “find out.” You suggested “The United States Geological Survey Work” as a subject and since I think of nothing better, I shall act upon the suggestion. Of course any technical discussion of the work would be simply a huge bore and I’m not sure that a more general treatment will be much more interesting. This branch of the Geological Survey really has nothing to do with Geology and could better be termed a Topographical Survey. It is conducted under the direct supervision of the Government altho in Oregon as in many other states, the state goes dollar for dollar with the Government in having this work done. The work consists of making what are known as quadrangle maps of various parts of the country. One of these maps usually includes an area some fifteen or twenty miles square and Is named after the principal town, city or geographical feature contained in the quadrangle. Upon the map is shown every road, the leading trails, every railroad, house, church, school, cemetery, stream, mountain, and the elevation of any point on the map above sea level. A person can find his or her own house, scale off the distance that it is located from any neighboring stream, town or mountain and tell what its elevation above sea level is; by means of one of these maps. The maps are also valuable for engineers and surveyors when they are contemplating a new railroad or an irrigation system. The Grants Pass quadrangle was mapped some years ago and a copy can probably be obtained from one of the newspaper offices in Grants Pass or by sending five cents to The Director, U. S. Geological Survey, Washington, D. C. The work is pleasant, being out of doors and very healthful. I recently heard the result of a football game with the Ashland High but trust that the next encounter may end more favorably for the G. P. H. S. team. 1 am also expecting to hear of successes along other lines of athletics and debating ere long. Wishing The Toka and the High School every possible success, I remain, Yours very truly, HERBERT J. GILKEY. 08. P. S. A short time ago I received a letter from George Harper, another G. P. H. S. '08, and it gives such a vivid description of his experiences upon the Des Chutes River, where he is engaged in work similar to what 1 am doing here, that I am enclosing it, at the risk of my own life, believing that Toka readers will find it both entertaining and instructive. Harper is not aware that I am doing this and if worst comes to worst and I perish for my indiscretion just remember that my life was given that The Toka readers might not lack a choice morsel. H. J. G.