North Andover High School - Knight Yearbook (North Andover, MA)

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THE GOBBLER 1942 With the rayons and, more recently, with other synthetics, such as Nylon, the textile industry has created all sorts of made-to-order fabrics —sharkskins, crushproof velvets and crepes. High twists, every degree of permanent luster or dullness, staple fibers, varying spinning treat¬ ments opened vistas of possible new effects in fabric. The different dye affinities of the rayons, as of wool and cotton, permit the economy of cross-dyeing, resulting in many original color effects. The trick, bor¬ rowed from the silkworm, of stretching filaments to increase the ten¬ sile strength makes possible a rayon yarn stronger than steel wire — Cordura, a viscose yarn used as the cord fabric in automobile tires. In 1939 Du Pont introduced an entirely new fiber, nylon, contain¬ ing no cellulose, and developed by Wallace Carothers. It is really new in that it is a totally different combination of the elements and since the term nylon is a generic one, we may expect other nylons. Nylon was offered to ' the public, not as a cheaper substitute, but as a new, man-made, higher quality, and more expensive fiber and as such, the demand for it was tremendous, showing that the unpleasant character¬ istics associated with a chemical substitute in the public mind had dis¬ appeared. Following the development of nylon have comp other fibers made from non-cellulose raw materials. The National Dairy Company has produced Aralac from the casein of milk to be blended with other tex¬ tile fibers. The Ford Motor Company was making upholstery fiber for use in its automobiles from soybeans. The development of a noninflam¬ mable fabric made from dried seaweed has been reported to the Ameri¬ can Chemical Society. In addition to new fibers, textile research has given us flameproofing, waterproofing, mildewproofing, and shrink¬ proofing to prolong the life and improve the appearance of our clothes. The war has had its effect on synthetic fibers as on every other field. Cut off from world markets, Germany and Italy must of neces¬ sity have developed synthetic fibers, libe the Italian casein fiber, Lani- tol. The defense program created a greater demand for all types of materials. The war with Japan, erasing silk from the textile picture, forced greater production of nylon. In the creation of new fibers the properties of wool, cotton, silk, and flax have been taken as models. Those natural fibers have been the standard by which the quality and performance of the man-made have been judged. But it is becoming increasingly evident that they have qualities which are distinctive, unlike any in nature. It may well be that textile fibers will one day be made with characteristics to fit the requirements of a particular need and purpose and that we are en¬ tering an era of textiles “made-to-order”. Tonight we, the Class of 1942, terminate our four brief years at Tohnson and pass on, each to his own task in a broader, more exacting world, leaving the timeworn traditions and the slight innovations we may have made to you who follow. We carry with us gratitude for the leadership, guidance, and trust given us, along- with unstinting work for our welfare, by Mr. Hayes. We take away, also, an appreciation which will grow ever deeper with the years of the efforts of our faculty to put into our hands the tools for making a richer, fuller life. They have been happy, fun-filled years which will live in our mem¬ ories peopled by the friends whom we have made here. And so, with regret for what is past and hope and best wishes for that which is to come, I bid you, on behalf of my classmates, a simple goodbye. PHYLLIS D. TLRRET 28

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1942 THE GOBBLER Try to see ourselves as others see us. Projection often helps us to see our faults more readily and makes us better able to remedy them. This will improve our efficiency by getting- rid of our faults. It may seem a little hard at first to do this, for bad habits are not easily broken, espe¬ cially if they have already made a deep impression. Never say, “I cannot break that habit; I tried before and I cannot.” It takes time and will-power and also a little backbone. Have perserver- ance, for perserverance generates success. Lastly, satisfy yourself that you have done your best in making your¬ self a better man to talk with, to live with, and to work with. Only then can one honestly say, “He conquers, who conquers himself.” JULIUS CEPLIKAS TAILOR-MADE TEXTILES For untold thousands of years man used vegetable and animal fibers to satisfy his needs for fabrics. Cotton, wool, silk, and flax, each with its peculiar characteristics which limit its utility, are the most important of these. To be sure, he improved them--lengthening, strength¬ ening the fibers, lowering the cost of the finished product. And that they still hold the leading role in our textile world is indisputable. But in the short space of fifty years synthetic fibers have invaded the field to such an extent that their domination of it in the not-too-distant future is not improbable. Silk, product of a lowly worm, has always been considered the Queen of the fabrics, but in Count Hilaire de Chardonnet the silkworm foun d a rival. The Count was well equipped with knowledge of the worm, having- studied under Pasteur and assisted him in his study of the silkworm disease which threatened the great industry of Lyon with ruin. In 1884 he began manufacturing his artificial silk, spun of nitrocellulose. Highly inflammable, it had to be put through a denitrating process developed by Sir Joseph Swan. Chardonnet’s process, now obsolete, was important principally in that it was the first to produce a multiple-filament yarn by squirting a cellulose solution through tiny holes. In 1892 Charles F. Cross and Ernest J. Bevan, an English research team, discovered viscose rayon, made by a tricky process in which tem¬ perature, time, and humidity must be strictly controlled in order that there may be no variation in the finished fiber--a process which produces two-thirds of our rayon. The Bemberg cuprammonium process, as well as the viscose and nitrocellulose, merely regenerate cellulose. Cellulose acetate, put on the market in 1910 by the Dreyfus brothers, is a distinctly different fiber. The search for a synthetic silk had brought about the development of these fibers. Since they were in no wise synthetic silks, and since to the public the term had unpleasant connotations, the filament-makers agreed in 1924 upon the generic name rayon. Camille Dreyfus, following their lead and scorning the name rayon for his acetate fiber, coined the name Celanese. To this day the manufacturer urges the public to dis¬ tinguish between them by including in his advertising matter a test for determining the difference between Celanese and rayon. 27

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1942 THE GOBBLER CHa i. JJi.4to ity The duty of Class Historian, I find, is a surprisingly pleasant one. To record the incidents of our school life that have brought us to the very threshold of graduation is an unspeakable joy. Even the wearisome routine, the hardships, the disappointments which we experienced along the way, now have a bright radiance as we recognize their influence in our preparation for this day and for a future bright with possibilities. The history of a high school class is unparalleled. A person hardly thinks of it as a history. We worked, played occasionally, and have our¬ selves to show for it. Our history is not of great achievement, but of preparation and development. For the last four years we have been progressing, slowly, but pro¬ gressing. We entered Johnson fresh from grammar school, proud and scared. We were a group of astonished students. Some of us were doubt¬ ful as to what to do and say, but everyone was proud that he was a freshman at Johnson. As we became accustomed to the new environment and the thrill of the new experience, we settled down to work. After learning the rules and regulations and the procedure of the various classes, we plunged into the task of advancing both in our scho¬ lastic and extra-curricular efforts. Before we knew it, we were the guests of the seniors at the Senior-Freshman dance. After a short period the class officials were elected and we conducted the Freshman-Senior dance, with the seniors as our guests. We worked diligently at our subjects and accomplished much and in a short time, it seemed, the year came to an end. The next year we took up the task where we left off before. Again much was learned. We advanced in both scholastic and extra-curricular standing, and we worked industriously to merit the advancement that would come to us in its proper time. In this year we enjoyed ourselves at two class affairs, the Junior-Sophomore dance, and Sophomore-Junior dance. The junior year brought increased responsibility, a growing recog¬ nition in student activities, more difficult assignments. We put forth our best efforts, for just before us stood the g ' oal of our high school ambition, the senior year. This year a social atmosphere prevailed in the class on three occasions, the Junior-Sophomore dance, the Sophomore-Junior dance, and the Senior-Junior prom. In methodical order another year ran its course. Then as we reached up to begin the senior year, it seemed to step down to greet us. We performed our assignments to the best of our abil¬ ity, enjoyed ourselves at the Senior-Freshman, Freshman-Senior dances, and the Senior-Junior prom. We have learned much in the administration and execution of our affairs. Wise direction by the patient faculty has broadened our outlook, deepened our sensibilities, and heightened our ambitions. We shall not stop here. These pleasant years have been spent in preparation for the fulfillment of our specific obligations to society. And so, taught in the basic principles of good clean living, we are prepared proudly and confidently to carry on. JULIUS R. PIEROG 29