Natick High School - Sassamon Yearbook (Natick, MA)

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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

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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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banquet given in their favor. This year's record will surely go down in history. The hockey team' also blazed their way to victory, losing a battle for first place position in the Eastern Mass. League to Dedham High. All sports seemed to take an upward trend this year. Honor Society elections were held early in the year. Paul Buckley was chosen presi- dent, Geoffrey Talbot, vice-president, and Beverly Ross, secretary. On December 20th, Cochituate Motors presented N.H.S. with a dual-controlled Chev- rolet, through the Rotary Club. Classes in drivers' training were scheduled under the direction of Mr. Carey and Mr. Slamin. This was one of the big events of the year, and met with great success. Early in january, Ruth Baker was chosen to receive the D.A.R. Good Citizenship Award, and along with other nominees from various towns in Massachusetts, was feted by a banquet in the Copley Plaza in March. Graduation pictures then became the most important issue. The Vantine Studio set up a miniature studio on the stage of the auditorium. The results, on the whole, were very satisfactory, even if some of the seniors were penniless after the ordeal. In an Award Assembly held on March 9, 1950, the following boys received an award: Wally Montgomery ..... - ................................... Italian American Football Trophy Robert Cochran ....... ........... R alph Howard, jr. Hockey Trophy Joseph Kane ....,...... ................... W illiam Hanagan Football Trophy Charles Sticka ....... ...................... W illiam Hanagan Football Trophy Charles Christie .................................... Leonard H. Foley, Jr. Basketball Trophy After much deliberation the Senior Play Reading Committee decided on Melody jones as this year's presentation. Included in the cast were Joanne Fair, Lois Feldman, Mary Drew, Ann Joyce, Sheila Spooner, Shirley Kent, Bob Cochran, jeff Talbot, joe Rock, Patsy Parrinello, Anatol Furman, and Don Pacifici. They certainly gave us two commendable performances on April 15 and 14. Mrs. Helen Demeritt coached the play and Mr. Cronan was responsible for the attractive setting. The properties were assembled by Miss Shannon. The Class Party is to be held on june 7, and the Senior Reception this year will be sponsored by the juniors. The name of the affair will be The juniors' Reception to the Seniors. The idea was a new one for students in Natick High but is certain to work out splendidly, especially for the Seniors. Now, as we are about to leave Natick High, we look back on all these happy events which have highlighted the years there, and hope with a sigh that the future will be as successful as the past has been. So farewell, students and teachers. We'll never forget you.