Natick High School - Sassamon Yearbook (Natick, MA)

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gfaaa cjshafory History is being made all the time, but we often fail to realize what is going on until some tremendous event forces us out of our lazy thinking and disturbs the smooth current of our living. This statement was made by an American historian, and can well be applied to the class of '50. Of course, our thinking hasn't been exactly lazy, nor has our current of life at Natick High been extra smooth, but the realization that graduation is here has made each and every one of us aware of the problems he is destined to face in the days of uncertainty lying ahead. After entering the door of Natick High on that fateful day in September of 1947, 190 members of the class of '50 would have been completely lost were it not for those little Red and Blue handbooks issued by our homeroom teachers. And it really was a great help to have a safety-patroller ready to give aid when we thought Room 11 was on the third floor in the back, but found Miss O'Connell there instead of Mr. McManus. Why, St. Patrick's and Coolidge Junior High were nothing when compared to this maze of swinging doors, long flights of stairs, and unending locker-lined corridors. Our first Sophomore assembly cleared much of the haziness from our minds, however, as Mr. Maffeo carefully explained all the rules and regulations of the school. It seemed then as if we'd never be able to abide by all these laws, but by one accident and another, we found it wiser to do so. The greatest elation came in October of our first year, when class elections were held. Of the many candidates who sought election, the following were chosen: john Crisafulli, presidentg Albert Troia, vice-president, Virginia Morris, secretary, and Payson Dowst, treasurer. Executive board elections were then held in our homerooms, and, together with the class oflicers, those elected planned the future events of the year for our class. All their plans, of course, would never have materialized had it not been for the kind assistance and wise counselling of our splendid class advisers, Mr. Carey and Miss Grimes. Our first dance was held on April 16, 1948, and it was almost as much fun to serve on one of the committees preparing it as it was to attend. With such a splendid start we knew we were going to greatly enjoy the rest of our days at Natick High. After spending a brief two months of freedom as far away as possible, we returned as juniors in September of 1948 to the now-familiar halls of N.H.S., where our class elections were again held. This time our oflicers were: Donald Mathews, president, Payson Dowst, vice-president, Virginia Morris, secretary, and Mary Chala, treasurer. We welcomed two new members to the teaching staff-Mr. Xanthaky and Miss Chellis, both in the Commercial Department. The new students who became members of our junior class were: Joanne Balboni, Vonda Havens, Beverly Ross, Jacqueline Ross, Bill Seeley, Marjorie Smythe, Geoffrey Talbot, Audrey Tilley, and Richard Trask.

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661515 f9 oem 55 5404? Jani O Ama WM. In school we burld a strong foundatron To be a crednt to our home our natnon Mxdst the days just rolled by We learned this duty at Natrck Hngh Now out rnto the world we must go To search for the treasures God wrll bestow Upon us hrs coveted hopeful chrldren Wherever we travel wherever we go At Natrck Hxgh we learned to drstnngunsh Rxght from wrong good from bad Now we ve come to the end of all The gurdance and experxence we have had To our sorrow we now must leave At thrs thought we snlently grreve As we thrnk of the hours we have spent In your wonderful rooms of joy and content We ll remember the joys we have known As we go out on our own very soon Our teachers and frrends we wxll danly see Oh Alma Mater we ll ne er forget thee SHIRLEY KENT 9 ur f . , i 7 ! ' , '

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In March of '49, Ruth Baker, Carolyn Colburn, and Virginia Morris were elected to Girls' State at Bridgewater, while Charles Christie, Patsy Parrinello, -and Fred Brenneman were chosen to attend Boys' State at Amherst. These organizations are sponsored each year by the American Legion Auxiliaries and give two or three junior boys and girls in each town in the state an opportunity to learn good government and good citizenship for a week or two during the summer. Five members of the class were elected to the Honor Society in their junior year. They were: Ruth Baker, Carolyn Colburn, Patsy Parrinello, Sheila Spooner, and Betty Tetreault. The athletes of the class of '50 were quite well-known by this time. Charles Christie, john Crisafulli, Joe Kane, Wally Montgomery, Ted Piers, and Albert Troia were only a few of the boys who brought fame to our athletic teams. The captains for the following year's teams were chosen, and included: joe Kane and Wally Montgomery, co-captains in football, Charles Christie, basketball, Ted Piers, track, Bob Cochran and Dick Murphy, hockey, and Al Troia, baseball. We had a very successful year in athletics, again defeating rival Framingham in the annual Turkey Day classic. The greatest event of the junior year, the junior Prom, was held on May 6, 1949 at the Coolidge jr. High Auditorium. The dance was a great success, and was well-worth the time spent by the various committees. The music was furnished by john Lynch and his orchestra, and everyone agreed that it was one of the best proms ever held by Natick students. Our final officers to be elected were: Payson Dowst, president, Mitch Carroll, vice- president, Virginia Morris, secretary, and Mary Chala, treasurer. To our class we welcomed three new members-john Huwe, Mary Ventura, and Richard Wedge. Mr. Dietz, as head of the music department, was the only addition to the teaching staff. Football seemed to take the headlines this year, with a record of no defeats for Mr. Slamin's team. Such a fine display merited something out of the ordinary, a trip to Washington for all the boys on the teams. House to house soliciting raised sufficient funds to speed the heroes on their way during April vacation. Eight faculty members were appointed to accompany them, and the success of the tour was a credit to the school. Another event in honor of these athletes was the Football Dance held on December 2, 1949. The team was then privileged to be the guests of the Rotary Club, at a