Leominster High School - Magnet Yearbook (Leominster, MA)

Page 32 text:

1939 The Magnet S taft The ‘““Magnet’’, under the able supervision of Miss Mary E. Colley, and Miss Mary Johnson, enjoyed a pleasant and prosperous year. Besides being a member of the Central Massachusetts Interscholastic Press Association (C. M. I. P. A.), the ““Magnet’’ has the added distinction of having its editor, Miss Margaret Pickford, the president of this organization. Some of the members of the ““Magnet’’ went to the meeting of the C. M. I. P. A. in Winchendon last November and to the spring meeting in Athol this May. At Christmas, the “Magnet”? held an exclusive Christmas party for its members and con- tributors in the school gymnasium. A large factor in the success of the ‘““Magnet’’ were the members, who co-operated in every way possible. Those on the Executive Board are: Margaret Pickford—’39 Theodore Cote—’40 Salvatore Novelli—’39 Dzvid Bassett—’40 Kathryn Welch—’39 Wallace Cunningham—’39 Antoinette Lanza—’39 Richard Arnold—’40 Marjorie Killelea—’39 Gloria Kay—’39 Rose Steinmetz—’39 Rodrigo Caffoni—’39 Clarice Mercier—’39 30

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THE 1939 MA From the music salon, drifts the sweet music of the piano, played by Nina Bisceglia. Sud denly, the room is filled with the harmonious voices of Lois Kendal], Mary Mammone, Dorothy Lowe, Dorothy Harris, and Norma Brown, singing once again in fond memoriam, the school song. Again the lava swirls and swishes and this time I find myself a spectator in the Metropolitan Art Studio, operated by Yvonne Fife and Lola Firmani. Posing for a profile portrait are Mary DiMassa, Marguerite Benoit, and Grace Hart. These beautiful pictures are then printed as advertisements in Fern Hardy and Dot Hopkins’ weekly magazine, “The Gentleman’s Home Companion”, boasting a great staff of reporters; such as, Theresa Haire, Claire Burns, Eleanor Bonville, and Angelina Bilotta. The emulsion suddenly bursts into a spasm of violent bubbling, and over the sides are spilled the laughing forms of Claire LaFray and Mary Robinson, leading their Latin Students by the hand to show them the beauty parlour of Nancy Roche (whose assistants are Evelyn Mager, Katie Welch and Rose Steinmetz) where the Roman style of coiffure is practiced. Another bubble escapes over the side, and upon it ride Nancy Mills, Jane Beers, and Ruth Smith, medical advisors, on their way to the hospital to visit their former class-mate, Dorothy Martin, who is just recovering from a broken finger suffered when she was showing her employees how to operate the old-fashioned L. H. 8S. typewriters. As the girls hurry down the hospital corridor they collide with Anna O’Toole, Louise Casey and Rita O’Mealey, who are assisting Dr. Longo in the administration of an anesthetic to patient Enda Loughlin, who objects to having his dog vaccinated. Gloria Marquis, in collaboration with Ruth Peters and Anna Massoni, have opened a private secretarial school. The new shorthand method used in this school has been perfected by Doris Tuttle. As I look into the ominous liquid, a strange scene is depicted with Beverly Wilson, Eleanor Farwell, and Gertrude Buskey working diligently on a reproduction of the old Leominster High School. Peering from one of the half-painted windows in Room 38 is Paul Holzhauer, supporting Bill LaPrade out the window by his hands. Suddenly Bill drops and dashes for the street where he is confronted by Toni Lanza’s champion basketball team of Marjorie Murphy, Rachel Miner, Doris Pelkey, Arlene Pierce, Janet Ray, and Claire Murphy. A coastal liner ploughs toward southern waters, under the watchful eye of Fred Andrews, first mate. Among the passengers on this vessel are Thomas Houde and John Peterson, aero- nautical engineers, who are travelling for a furlough to the Brazilian plantation of Paul Grammont. Vincent Bartimo is at present perfecting an automatic shoe-delivery machine for Fontaine, Manzello and Company. Mathematician Marcy is surveying the palatial estates of the former Madeline Melanson. Strawberries are in bloom, and we see a well-known strawberry planter, Arthur Simard, attempting to sell his wares to Joseph Siciliano, the proprietor of the Snow Flake Ice Cream Parlour. Valerio Spinelli, a contractor, is seated in a booth. A faint tremor of ecclesiastical music rises to the starry sky as we see the former history teachers, Norma Peterson and Marjorie Thurlow, with radiant faces, lifting their voices in song to the heavens, as the members of the National Choir. The witch’s voice peters off into a low moaning as he relates that a new crop of librarians has just been hired in Leominster. These include Louise Plette and Doris L. Powers. Also in his last breath he says that Beverly McCann and Jeanette Gariepy are faring quite well with their little manicurist shop on the corner of Broadway and Fifth Avenue. The voice stops. The contents of the cauldron swirl with mystic currents as in the reflecting pool we see the militant form of Captain Jack Yager pacing the bridge prior to commencing the long voyage across the seas of time wherein lies the future of the Class of 1939. : 29

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THE MA 1939 ke Blue Book The Blue Book became an integral part of our Leominster High School in 1937. During the school year ’38-’39, this new organization developed under the student editorship of Robert Bothwell, William Gettens, Vincent Longo, and the faculty supervision of Miss Marie Concordia. Once initial inertia was overcome, the Blue Book speeded on toward perfecting the machinery necessary to present last minute news to the student body. This weekly has also served as an outlet for student opinions, a promulgating ground for student articles. If the Blue Book staff has made your high school career a little fuller, perhaps a little happier, it is satisfied; the purpose has been accomplished.