Natick High School - Sassamon Yearbook (Natick, MA)

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THE SASSAMON PAGE THIRTEEN Peanut Waters and he were the greatest pair in the big leagues. For seven years they worked together, and then Tom's wind gave out. Thereafter he joined in partner- ship with Dave Ryan, and now they are running a prosperous shoe store on Main Street. At this point one of my foremen rode up and asked for information. I dismissed him as soon as possible and resumed my reading. George Dean had taken up Literature, and was a popular author. His latest work, The Mystery of the Floating Crowbar, had created much excitement among the critics and the general public. After completing his college career, Wal- ter Pine had been seized with the Wan- derlust. On a journey to South America, Walt had assisted in one of the innumer- able revolutions which are an ever-present feature of that continent. For his ser- vices Walter was made a general in the army of the Republic of Parcheesi. Charlie said the country had been star- tled when Ernest McDonald, who hitherto had been living quietly at home, was ap- pointed U. S. Consul at Minnehaha, South Africa. Mack said that the appointment was a surprise to him, since he hadn't been expecting it so soon. Chet Nichols had become famous in the sport world. After terrific and intensive training, Chet had succeeded in clipping two seconds form Charlie Paddock's time for a new world record. I was wondering if any of the fellows had gone into business when I came across Harry,Blumenthal. He was now one of the largest manufacturers in the country. From his main factory, at Otah, Utah, Har- ry was turning out porcelain dish towels. They had proved so popular that Harry's wealth had increased by leaps and bounds. Bunk Sheehan had become a doctor. On account of his skillfulness, he was consid- ered the greatest surgeon in the country. The thing upon which he operates best, wrote Butch, 'fis his patient's pocketbookf' Tad Sharkey had attempted surveying for a living, but soon realized that he was H cut out for a literary life. His hobby was history, his chief work being History and Records of Wayland, in thirteen volumes. This work placed Tad among the chief his- torians of the age. The name heading the next page was Roy Hayward. He had followed out the desire of his life, and was the full-fledged janitor of the Physics and Chem. Labs. in the High School. Wilfred Carter had started on a brilliant engineering career, but a spell of sickness left him unfit to continue the work. He had taken up his old occupation, and, to use Charlie's own words, was still cutting butter with a keen eye. Johnnie Powers, like Harry Blumenthal, had gone into business. But Johnnie's line was a little different from Harry's, for he was in the fish business. He had agencies all over the country, and his weekly sales were taxing the fisheries to the uttermost. After a long training season, Mickey Leary had obtained the position of history teacher in N. H. S. Here are some of the questions taken from exams he hands out, wrote Charlie. In what season of the yead did Washington spend his winter at Valley Forge? Who were the partici- pants in the Spanish-American War? Which general surrendered after Grant had surrounded Lee at Appomatox Court House? The latest heard about Jack Duguid was that he was giving boxing lessons by cor- respondence. I found it not unnatural that Jimmie Hogan owned a studio in Back Bay, where he conducted a dancing school for young ladies. The success of ths venture was one of the modern wonders of Boston. Larry Gayton had been the Natick city treasurer until one day he accidentally tripped over his own foot. You know, Butch stated, it's a long fall from Larry to the ground. Thereafter he turned in- ventor, trying to perfect springs to fit on the soles of his shoes. I nearly fainted when I read that Stan Currier had become a poet. Charlie re- marked that Stan's latest poem, Thoughts

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PAGE TWELVE THE SASSAMON how was I, 'way down in Argentina, to find out? Long I pondered, but finally I hit upon an idea. I knew that it would be dif- ficult for anyone to hunt up the doings of my friends, for they were probably widely scattered, but the fact that the Class of 1922 was the best class that ever graduated would make a big difference. Accordingly, I sent a check for 352,762.49 to the Mayor of Natick, asking him if it would be pos- sible to send me information about each member of my class. In four weeks I received a letter from Charlie Mahaney, headed Office of the Mayor. I was surprised to find Butch in politics. He said he had held the chair for three consecutive terms. No opposition, I guessed. He also stated that since he was a member of that famous class, he had done everything he could for me, but had been able to locate only the boys of 1922. This pained me, but the boys were better than nothing, so I had to be satisfied. Charlie said he would send me a letter as soon as possible containing what he found out about our classmates. The days dragged by, each one slower than the one preceding. In three months I received a thick letter stamped Natick, Mass., U. S. A. As I opened it hastily, a piece of paper dropped to the floor. 1 picked it up and saw that it was a check for 81.13. The first paragraph of the letter explained it. This is all that remains 01 the money you sent, wrote Charlie, for it was he who had written the letter. The rest of this is taken up with the informa- tion you asked for. I'm sorry I couldn't get it to you more quickly. And then I started to read. It was rather natural to see Bob Wright's name heading the list. After graduation from Dennison Academy, he had received an offer from the Loco Film Corporation. Bob was now working for them at a 81,000- a-week salary. I learned that he co-stars with Edna Fair. Their latest photoplay, Oh! What Blushes! was the sensation of the year. Next on the list was .lawn Jennings. Jawn had become world famous as the first American to ascend Mt. Everest. I always knew that Jawn had high ideals, but I car- culated that when he stood on that peak he had higher ideals than anyone else in the world. Following Jawn was Adolph Behrend. Little Weeshee had taken up Science as a life study. He had retired to an isolated spot in the Middle West and set himself to propounding new laws. One day he got in the way of an electric current. Poor Adolph, he had never been so shocked be- fore. The floral gifts were wonderful. Turning over quickly, I nearly ripped the page off, but that didn't hurt the contents any. Clayt Morrill was the first on this page. He had joined the Aviation Corps, and had piloted the first airplane over the Pacific. On a later trip he got wrecked on a South Sea Island, where it was reported he had been made King, after winning the confidence of the natives. At any rate, Charlie said, he never came back. Arthur Buckley and Linus Gavin had paired up and gone on the stage for a liv- ing. They went under the name of The Boys From the Golden West. Very de- ceiving, I thought. But that was natural, for I could remember how they used to try to deceive the teachers in High School days. Was this another miracle? I rubbed my eyes to make sure that I was reading cor- rectly. Ed McKinney had become a .teach- er! What a jolt this was to me. Heiilvas teaching German in the High School. It was said that the German Course was the most popular course in the curriculum. Ed was always a German shark, anyhow. Parker O'Brian had become an artist. His latest masterpiece had startled the art world. , This is confidential, wrote Butch. I went to see Parker, and he told me about that picture. He had been disgusted with it, and had slung it across the room. As it happened, it landed on a lot of paints in the corner. Later he repented his hasty act, rescued it, fixed it in a few places, called it 'When a Man Sees Red,' and be- came famous from that picture. I was not surprised to find that Tom Connolly had entered the baseball world.

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PAGE FOURTEEN THE SASSAMON on a Circle, had made people wonder whether or not Stan was on the square. The reason why Ling Dow comes last, wrote the Mayor, is that we couldn't find out what he was doing. After a month of careful watching, we discovered that Ling was an expert bootlegger. He is the surest and safest of them all in this section. There's talk of his being put up for the Bootlegger's candidate for President. That completes all that I can tell you about our classmates, Mack. I hope you enjoyed reading this letter as much as I enjoyed hunting up the news about each one. Why don't you write once in a while? I'll be expecting an answer soon. So long, Mack. Here the letter ended. For a long time I sat thinking of the varied careers of which l had just read. Then I conceived the idea of writing to each fellow. I would have to wait, however, until I got a new sccertary. My old one will take no more dictation from me-I married her a month ago. LOUIS McDONALD. GIRLS' PROPHECY 'Tis expectation makes a blessing dearg Heaven were not Heaven, if we knew what it were. It was June, my thoughts had flown back to my school days and school mates and I longed to see some of these old friends again. I think the Fates heard and were kind for they literally dropped into my hands an invitation to the reunion of the girls of the class of '22. I at once deter- mined to go for I had been able to keep in touch with only a few of my friends: Margaret Coan, who was a clerk in the South Natick National Bankgwlerry Du- guid, who was teaching Natick's younger generation how to get exercise while play- ing a violin, and Mary Morrill, who was teaching the young idea how to shoot in more ways than one. While teaching in Boston, she had organized a children's rifle club, hence the 'shooting of the young ideas'. Oh, and I mustn't forget Marj. Stone who was married and living in North Natick, and Madeline Hopf, who had be- come famous by riding the falls of the Old South Natick Dam. She had risked her life there five times and was justly pro- claimed one of the greatest women ath- letes. The invitation stated that the reunion was to be held in Boston, so I joumeyed thither. When I arrived, saw the decora- tions in our old class colors, blue and gold, and caught glimpses of familiar faces, the years seemd but days, and when I saw Mr. Betts at the head table, I secretly won- dered if he would end the party at ten minutes of twelve as was his custom at Proms. There were only about thirty present, but even in that thirty there were many notables. I met Helen Watson, the globe- trotter, just home from Hawaiig Mary Moran, manager of a matrimonial agency at Reno, Nevada, and Fanny Featherrnan, who had been Dean of Northwestern Uni- versity but had given it up to Work in comedies out in Hollywood. Louise Car- roll, Elise Gauthier, Laura Hopf, and Min- nie Yeager had set up a radio sending sta- tion with the able assitance of Roy Hay- ward and Weeshy Behrend. They called themselves The Neighborhood Entertain- ment Club, but the neighbors called them The Neighborhood Disturbance Club. Then there was Emily Bismarck who was assistant-manager of the Raymond Stores of Boston, with Mary Dufault, her secre- tary, who was taking notes on everything and everybody, as indeed was Evelyn Nims, editor of the new Natick society paper. I saw, too, Alice Baker, whom I had met once before in the Fenway, for she was conducting a select riding school for youmz' ladies in the Back Bay. Later, I met Ida Hurd, Congressional representative from the state of Kentucky, with her campaign manager, Alice Ward. Marion Bransfield, the head of Mission for Needy Neurotic Neophytes, was there too. She was just back from South Africa, so she had many wonderful tales to tell of her experiences