Manual Arts High School - Artisan Yearbook (Los Angeles, CA)

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The Fith Decade The newly buill business building was erected in ' 56. Mr. Honn and Dr. Wilson meet at the 20 ' s reunion. The decade of the fifties saw Manual Arts assuming a role of more importance in her relation to a world outside her own walls. Many of her boys again were called away, with the National Guard troops and in answer to draft calls, to the Korean conflict. As twice before some would not come back. The first California soldier killed was a Manual Arts lad, Kenny Kaiser, and Kenny was to be a symbol of the school ' s new role. In Korea the spirit of service and activity for others had inspired him to solicit funds from his companions for children orphaned by the war. After the death of Kenny, the home was named for him and Manual adopted it, sending materials and money raised from a school benefit. Nearer home, we extended our activities in the field of student government. The California Association of School Councils was organized throughout the state, and as might well have been expected, Manual took a leading role, contributing its senior advisor for many years in the person of Mr. Honn, the Los Angeles Dis- trict president in 1951, and the regional membership chairman during the next year. Mrs. McDermotto is its senior advisor today. In other club areas there has been an expansion of interest beyond the campus. The Fu- ture Teachers ' of America have an active chapter here. The Bank of America in cooperation with the city schools established a city-wide Achievement Award pro- gram. All high schools in the city enter four candidates on the district level. In 1950, ' 52 and ' 53 Manual con- testants received first place top awards of $1,000. Over the years in addition to these have been three second awards of $500 and six-thirds of $250, with four honor- able mentions. In scholarship fields in higher education, the school has made an enviable record. The Scholarship Society instigated a service of information to the school regard- ing available awards and methods of applying and every semester has seen an appreciable number of graduates receive considerations from the colleges — Pepperdine, Stanford, Occidental, Mudd College, Reed Collge, University of Chicago, Cal Tech, USC and UCLA have all granted at least one award and most of them ■ I many in this decade. The first girl on the new Mudd Campus was a Manual graduate. The recipients, too, have proved their worth, for Phi Beta Kappa, Suma Cum Laude, Magna Cum Laude Recognitions have been added to the graduate, even Doctorate, degrees which have resulted. At least five students are currently working on their doctorates at Cal Tech. and U.C.L.A. Perhaps these records resulted at least in part, from the increased emphasis on college preparatory work provided in the XX classes of the cur- riculum beginning in this decade. During this period, the student body received several groups of outsiders, for students were brought by bus from Westchester, and they filled many of the positions of honor in the school. Again, when Poly moved to the valley, her upper classmen came to Manual and fin- ished their high school terms. And last, but by no means least, have been the young people whose families were displaced by the war. The inspiration of the scholar- ship and the broadened concepts which they have brought to the school have been a real factor in this experience of expansion. Once again in this decade as in others the graduates of Manual are to be found far and near in the teaching field. Physical Education and Music have been, per- haps, the favorite areas, but social studies and science are not far behind. Some have come home, for on the current faculty are two of the fifties graduates to join the seven earlier alumni. There have been changes on that faculty. Nearly a score of the teachers who seemed a part of the institu- tion have retired and one, George Walterhouse, died in service. Miss Hanna left as vice-principal and has been succeeded by three others. Mr. Jessen and Mr. Stengel both left to be principals. Many teachers have trans- ferred, and their places has been taken by an increas- ing number of active young people. Manual is girding her loins for the next fifty years. In building, too, she is getting ready. English Hall, the last of the old class-room buildings, was torn down. A new Business building cares for classes in business subjects and for all the financial business of the school. New permanent bungalows for music classes were built near the auditorium, and there is now under construc- tion a shop building that will open for the new decade. Athletics have held their own football and bought citv championship in 1952, 1954, and 1957, with basket- ball chamoionship in the city in 1957 as well. Track championship for the city came in 1954 and 1956 with state honors in 1953 and 1958. Tennis and cross-country

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JPW?. ■ ' e drives for war materials were successful. Manual ' s student faculty and graduates join in war rally. Salvage drives for war materials were successful. The first paper drive, May 1942, resulted in 12,380 pounds of paper. With her usual love of competition, Manual responded with a will. The R.O.T.C. brought in the most, 4,000 pounds. This drive helped the student body to purchase a thousand dollars worth of bonds. In October of 1942 a matinee rewarded those who had brought at least ten pounds of salvage. Most notable among the war efforts of the Manual Artisans was the bond selling program. On September 21, 1942, Mr. Schwankovsky ' s painting was chosen by the art association and was auctioned to art lovers for the highest bid in the purchase of bonds. It was bought for $4,000. When the Treasury of the United States per- mitted schools to participate in bond selling campaigns, Manual printed pamphlets on the subjects, and students and faculty were asked to promote the sale of war bonds and stamps. A goal of $75,000 was set that Manual might send a bomber to Jimmie Doolittle. On a platform constructed in front of the shop building, the Victory House, com- petition was keen among Manual Arts clubs for the highest sale of bonds. Victory House was taken over for two weeks at a time by different clubs. The Aeolian Club, under the direction of Miss Mottern, advertised that, for each $25 bond purchased, the purchaser would be given a package of chewing gum or a chocolate bar. These luxuries were difficult to obtain during the war. The German Club offered purchasers a swat at a portrait of der Fuehrer. The scholarship Society auc- tioned off its members as homework slaves for bond purchases. In the spring of 1943 a drive for $200,000 in two weeks was declared. When Manual went well over their goal, the Aeolian Club initiated and completed negotiations for bringing to Manual, on April 14, 1943, brought Spike Jones and his City Slickers to the school. That month Manual put on its first show at the Victory Booth in Pershing Square. Since Manual was able to show $350,000 to its credit, the student body requested that a flying fortress be given the name of Tommy Toiler. The request was granted. On June 12, 1943, a Manual Arts home-coming in the Shrine Auditorium featured Erskine Johnson and Rudy Vallee, and the Aeolian Club. Manual ' s second show at Pershing Square featured Lawrence Tibbet, singing Glory Road as bonds were sold to the public. Soon Manual had reached a total of $100,000 worth of bonds and requested that another flying fortress, Annie Artisan, be christened in her honor. The Aeolan Club was credited for $140,000, one boy, Henry Culuertson, bringing in over $80,000 worth. During the war years students worked after school to help support the war effort and to aid their families. Many worked under the 4:4 plan. Students took their studies seriously. Each war Artisan contained a list of names of the Manual alumni who had died defending their country. At the close of the war 120 Manualites had given their lives for democracy. The home economics department presented the school with a flag with a star for each Manualite that had joined the service. The stars num- bered over 2,500. The war brought a shortage of essential materials. As a result of the scarcity of paper the Artisan became a pamphlet. The lavish supplements put out previously by the Daily were discontinued as a result of the war, and the famous Daily gradually came to look as it does today. Beginning October 23, 1942, meatless days were de- clared and strictly followed by the cafeteria. Chickens raised at Manual by Mr. Woolley supplied eggs used in the cafeteria and living instruction in farming to those who were interested. Following the war were the first peaceful years that students had known for five years. A GI bill allowed schools to grant diplomas to veterans and to give them credit for their service in the war. Thus Manual had vet- erans on her campus for a few years. Many of today ' s alumni took advantage of the opportunities offered to receive the diplomas for service experience, in part. To honor the spirit of Manual Arts which had re- sponded so valiantly to the war needs in W ' 46, Good- win Knight presented Doolittle ' s battle jacket to the stu- dent body. It is displayed now in the ROTC office. In 1947 Mr. Adamson took the position of substitute principal at Manual and his identification with Manual ' s aims and philosophy resulted in a very happy year for all. During the war the dramatic productions, mostly mu- sicals, which Manual had had, were very few. The most outstanding of these had been Cleopatra by the Aeoli- an Club, a production by the Lyric Club, and magic performances by Marvin Levy. During ' 47 and ' 48 a pupil, Ray Henderson, helped bring back the old spirit of the stage to Manual by his musical performances and compositions. The peace after the war was dimmed by the cold war which loomed forbodingly in the background as the end of the decade saw the shadows of the Korean War. Thus began and ended Manual ' s fourth decade with unrest. 17

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The New Manual, by Jerry Livingston, W ' 36 Artisan. teams also brought in league championships. Music and drama, too, have been tops. The orchestra has many best ratings for the period. A new upsurge of dramatic activity in the last half of the fifties has brought sweepstakes recognition at Shakesperean fes- tivals and one-act play contests. Dino has joined the greats n f other eras s a senior plav, and drama teams have been asked to out on programs at LACC and USC, where Manual alumni are carving significant names for themselves. Dancers and musicians have en- tertained the student bodv and then graduated to larger audiences on staae and television as well as in the field of composing. Three times graduation music was writ- ten by a member of the class. And as a crowning part of these fifty golden years the alumni have shown their love and loyalty to the school beginning with a banquet of 200 graduates of 1913-1919, each of the decades has had a Jubilee gathering — Five hundred and fifty. The Twenties gath- ered in joyous reunion at their party — when they sang the old songs, and yelled the old yells, and heard their old classmates and principal. On Doctor Wilson ' s birthdav, March 6, the alumni in education and the faculty members honored him at a large tea. Nearly three weeks before the Thirties party, their dinner tickets were sold out and several hundred joined the diners later for visiting and talking far into the night. Two ballrooms, at the hotel, it took to hold the Forties for their dance where over 1,200 visited and reminisced. As for the Fifties, ' ' it took all outdoors to hold them on their all-day picnic where spouses and children added to the gaiety and number and the current student body service groups linked the present and the past. The magnetic Dull of the school not made with hands, is still a force. What will the next decade bring? There was something in old Manual, As she stood before the quake, That would linger in my memory, Tho a better school they ' d make. There was something in the old arcades Where the student used to stroll, That I wondered if they could replace With fine architecture and gold. Now I never went to Manual Before her walls were down And I never strolled her old arcades Nor walked her flowered ground. But there was something in her portals. And the love of students there And it made me dream of time to come, When I too that love would share. And at last I ' m here at Manual I have watched her new walls rise, The change that I feared is here at last She stands bravely against the skies. But it ' s not the walls of Manual That make her dear to me. It ' s not the arcades or the grounds Or anything to see. It ' s the spirit of old Manual That lurks in school life there. She spreads her wings, and shelters us With more than buildings fair. 19