Natick High School - Sassamon Yearbook (Natick, MA)

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PAG E FOURTEEN THE SASSAMON thus winning for himself the title of World Champion. Well! I wasn't surprised. Even in his High School days we had noted many points of resemblance between Shrimp and .lack Dempsey. My quiet reading was suddenly inter- rupted by the opening of a door and the breezy entrance of Harold Garvey, office manager for Mr. Canzano. Ile didn't look a day older than when I last saw him in 1928 -not a gray hair in his head. He greeted me with a lusty clap on the back, tired a dozen questions at me in as many seconds and wound up with, What do you think of Bob McGee's breaking Paavo Nur- mi's record for the mile? That record was established in 1925 and no one has ever come anywhere near breaking it until Bob came along and made it look like Rocke- feller's income-tax. So saying, Harold waved me a cheery good-bye and hastened back to see that none of his charges were over-working. Left alone again I turned to the news- paper, but found nothing more of inter- est to me except a full-page ad of Harry Davis' elastic chewing gum in all the pop- ular spring shades, match your gum to your gown! What next? thought I, and was just reaching for a copy of Tales of the Salt Water. by F. Conroy, when the door be- hind me opened and turning, I saw a pretty little girl of ten years of age enter. She answered my greeting with a gracious bow and presently we two were chattig along like old friends. I learned that she was the only daughter of Mr. Canzano and had dropped into the office to see Daddy a few minutes before going on to her appoint- ment with Monsieur Driscoll, the hair dresser. From what she said I judged that Driscoll had patented a new wave that made Marcel sell out his business and put a ei-imp in the permanent waves of the Atlantic. She told me that she was taking aesthetic dancing lessons from James McFee and that if she kept on improving, she would be allowed to perform in the big pageant what Mr. Mclfee was going to put on at the lhuishlngloli Iiqifvsltion. in l95l. I asked her if she went to school and she said, 0h! No! I have a private tutor, Mr. Max Mordis. He teaches me reading and history and French 'n' everything. She was just telling me that Carl Holm- gren, the cowboy, was her favorite actor in the movies and that he could do almost as many stunts as her riding master, Mr. Ed- ward Waters, when lo! the door of the pri- vate office opened and my old friend, Ed Fanzano, at last made his appearance. After giving me a vigorous whack be- tween the shoulder blades, he told his daughter to run in and get her allowance from Mr. McGowan, and he led me into his private office. Not Francis McGow- an? I asked. The same, said he. Francis is the watch-dog of my treasury. Couldn't do without him. A wizard at fig- ures, doncher know.f And then I remem- bered how Francis got his first experience selling lunch checks at N. H. S., in his stu- dent days. We continued our conversation about Francis and some of the other grads of the class of '25 and were getting along beau- tifully when Garvey, the office manager, came in to complain that something must be done at once about Bowen and Brans- field. Bransfield was flirting outrageously with the comptometer operator instead of pounding the keys of his Underwood. As for Bowen, he had been standing before the mirror 25 minutes adjusting and read- justing the wavy lock above his left eye, while irate customers waited for him to return and try over on his piano the pop- ular music they were thinking of buying. These artists surely are temperament- al, said Canzano, as he disappeared with Garvey. In lone ofl a few moments he was back, bringing with him three circu- lars, which he handed me. In one of them Ilenry Larson promised Big Dividends to anyone investing in his Fresh Water Fish Co. stock. In the second, Doctor Charles Branagan promised perpetual youth to anyone using his wonderful elixirs, only S10 for the first 2 oz. trial bottle. The third circular was from Joe Byrne, who. in his own words, was 0ut-Bul'bank-

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THE SASSAMON PAGE THIRTEEN home tired, but immensely pleased. Later in the year a party was put over, the main attraction being the eats. Danc- ing and games were enjoyed by all present and every girl was escorted home by the slikum kids. The Senior year of the class of 1925 should go down in history. As the snows threatened our peaceful village, the Senior Class gave a banquet to our victorious foot- ball team. Speeches were given amid cheers and flying biscuits. The fraternal spirit shown at this banquet was worthy of both the school and the teachers. The Senior play was a huge success, Tom Kelley being the hero and Dot Klein, the heroine, known as Honor Bright. There were also a few other splendid characters, as Roger Russell, Bob Morley and the Woods boy. We were very proud of the success of this play and for the following week or two the Seniors were seen strut- ting around wit-h expanded chests. Then upon the eve of our graduation everybody became excited and wondered if he would receive that important little doc- ument known as a diploma. Next year, Max Mordis is going to a school of pharmacy, to learn how to mix drinks-soda, of course. Skinny Rich- ardson is going to Norwich, to get up with the birds, salute, and say Yes, Sir! about ninety times a day. So the time is drawing near when we shall all separate, each going a different way. Many years from now may it be a pleasure to look back upon our High School days and say to ourselves, What an easy life that was, now look at me! RICHARD BOWEN BOYS' PROPHECY It was a great surprise for me, a humble colyumnist on the New York Times, to meet my old pal, Bozo Kyte, on Broadway, on the morning of May 25, 1950. Bozo hadn't changed a bit-he was still living up to his name and kyting now in an aero- plane. It was a stroke of luck for me to meet Bozo here at this time, as I had received orders from the boss to take a fiying trip to the old city of Natick, Mass., to inter- view a few of the intemationally prominent men, who claimed that city as their resi- dence-and now, thanks to Bozo's kind of- fer I could literally make a fiying trip in his plane. When we landed at the fiying field in Natick, a few hours later, and I was trying to make myself believe that this used to be the Town Park, in my boyhood days, I was suddenly brought back to earth by an athletic whack on the back-and turn- ing, beheld the genial smile of my old friend, Walter Slamin, who soon told me that he was sole owner and manager of this field. From him I received directions for reaching the City Hall, where I hoped to find the Mayor-The Ilon. Paul Heslin. His Honor was in, luckily for me, and graciously granted me nine minutes of his time lfour minutes more than he had ever granted any reporter before, he told me confidentiallyi. He said that the Mayor business was doing fine and he certainly looked it. His administration had been marked by drastic cuts in city officials' sal- aries, a continual fight against graft in all forms, and a booming of home industries. Seeing by my watch that nine and one- half minutes had elapsed since our inter- view began I hastily arose. Let me con- duct you to Ed Canzano's Music Publishing house, on Main Street. said His Honor, he knows everyone and can give you the latest news. Mr. Canzano was busy in his private of- fice whcn we arrived. The Mayor could not wait, but asked me to meet him at Hall's Hotel, the finest in town-Joe Hall, proprietor-at six o'clock, that evening. and dine with him. I took up the Boston Globe from the table, to help while away my time, and turning first to the sports news, as is my wont, I read Richardson and Swenson save the day for the Wilson Men. Evi- dently Jimmy had at last bought our two local boys for his team and had made home- run kings out of them. As I looked down the page, I saw a pic- ture of the big boy we used to call Shrimp Parsons. He had knocked out his opponent in the second round, so I read,

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THE SASSAMON PAGE FIFTEEN ing Luther in the raising of bigger and bet- ter bananas. Too bad Joe didn't furnish samples! said Mr. Canzano, and that reminded me suddenly of my dinner date with His Hon- or the Mayor. I bade Mr. Canzano a fond adieu and set out for Hall's Hotel, but a short distance away. On the way in I stopped at the desk to ask if my host had arrived and to my surprise. Ralphy French answered my inquiry. Never expected to see you here, said I, The Ritz certainly lost a fine head waiter when you turned to clerical work. And Count Van Astorbilt of South Na- tick lost a fine butler when I went into pol- itics, said a voice behind me, and there stood the Mayor himself. Throughout dinner the Mayor continued to entertain me and furnish me with the latest news bulletins about my old school- mates. How would you like to run over to the theatre with me this evening? he asked. It's Old Home Week and we may see quite a few of the old gang. Suits me to a T, said I, and a moment later we were purring down the street in a Simpson Special, with a great son of South Natick, Doug Atkinson, by name, at the wheel. That Simpson car certainly did ride great! - As we entered the theatre, Joe Hughes Mayor two tickets and me a slap on the back. How Joe up so much muscle in a box handed the tremendous could work office was a mystery to me! Boxing would have been more in his line, it seemed to me at that moment. Benny Lovejoy, who was collecting tickets, tried to imitate Joe's method of greeting, but I saw it coming and changed it into a hearty handhsake. Benny said he had sold his farm in West Natick and in- tended to go to California, in a few months and buy a few lemon groves. We had barely time to reach our seats before the curtain went up. I was sorry we hadn't arrived sooner for I should have enjoyed hearing the whole of Love's Old Sweet Song, which the orchestra, con- ducted by Senor Rufus Love, was just fin- ishing. As I looked over the program, I noticed that our old pal, George Nims, was in the printing business on his own hook. My friend, the Mayor, pointed out Hen- ry Pfeiffer, the Speed King, in a box at our left, just as I had caught sight of Gen- eral Tannar, in a box at the right, with as many medals on his chest as Marshal Foch had at the end of the World War. The first act went off beautifully. The Elite Trio, consisting of Bill Foley, Bob Woods and Eddie Robbins, made a combin- ation hard to beat and they were encored again and again. The second act was a knockout -Bob Maloney taking the part of Romeo, with Dink McGowan for his Juliet. Bob used to shine in plays at school, but Dink had never realized how charming a female im- personator he would make until Julian El- tingc discovered him and trained him as his successor. The third act was a crystal gazing stunt by an Egyptian named Fatima Camella, ac- cording to the program, but my eyes didn't need any crystal to pierce the Eastern dis- guise and discover that Fatima was none other than Frankie Bishop. Frankie cer- tainly could do his stuff and he answered six sane and sensible questions as well as thirty-nine insane and foolish ones pro- pounded by the audience that evening. The fourth act was carried off well by Shea and Moynihan, specialty artists. Shea did some marvelous feats in rapid calcula- tion and Bob Moynihan did some equally astonishing sleight-of-hand stunts with a deck of Camels. At this point we were obliged to leave, as I wanted to be back in New York be- fore noon next day. -We hurried out of the theatre and were just stepping into the Mayor's car when I heard the familiar words, Government of the people, by the people, for the people, ringing out in clar- ion toncs from a car parked close to the curb. 0h! That's Governor Russell, the Mayor told me, campaigning for reelec- tion. Quite an orator, eh? I should have liked to stay and listen, but time was short. On the way to the sta- tion the Mayor told me that Gillie Clark was out in Chicago, one of the really hig