North Side High School - Legend Yearbook (Fort Wayne, IN)

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i J nil igfr J The skill of ball-throwing was of interest when girls had the Daisies ' Softball team as models. Homerooms and organizations had competitions to encourage purchase of war bonds and stamps. The stadium is named Chambers Field in honor of Rolla Chambers, shown here with the 1943 state champion cross country team. North ' s Minute Man flag for patriotic efforts is held by Mr. Northrop and Superintendent Merle Abbett.

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Growth and war expanded horizons in second decade North ' s world expanded in its second decade. The 1939 Legend had as its theme Service— the happiness of doing, an indication of students ' concerns. They had tin can hops to collect food for the needy, participated in activities such as Boosters and Student Council to serve the needs of the school, and studied in classes the skills needed for jobs and useful lives. A company in Cincinnati sponsored an essay contest in which the prize was a free trip to the 1939 World ' s Fair. The essay topic: The Importance of Solid Fuel in the Development of America ' s Commerce. Plans to construct a permanent stadium were outlined in 1939, but they were not carried out completely until the 1970 renovation. As the country moved into the war years, Redskins did their part. Purchase of war stamps and bonds totaled $150,000 in 1943, enough to buy a pursuit plane which was named Redskin Raider. Legionnaires gave assemblies on patriotism, and military drill classes held army-type marches. Many former students gave their lives for the country. The school honored them by placing their names on a plaque in the second-floor circle and planting elm trees in their memory in front of the building. A peace day pow-wow marked the end of the war. North students received a minute-man flag for their patriotism and effort in selling bonds. We had many outstanding athletes from 1938-1947. The cross country team captured the state championship in 1938 and three times in a row from 1942 through 1944. The track team won city and sectional titles in 1939, 1943, 1945, and 1947. The football team won the state championship in 1938. Girls ' sports were popular and competitive. The long jump was called the broad jump then. A series of girls ' one-act plays was presented as part of the Back to School program in 1945.

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' Pop ' s ' retirement relocated stadium marked 3rd decade Falvey ' s soda fountain in the brick building next to North became known as Sandy ' s in the decade that began in 1948, but its function did not change. It was a gathering place, sometimes on the sly during class, and served Redskins even after it became Johnny ' s. Television, made its impact on society, including Redskins, who participated in local dance and quiz shows. Clubs increased in number, from 24 in 1948 to 32 in 1954. They scheduled dances and parties on most winter weekends and sponsored booster buses to take fans to away games. Pop Northrop retired in 1953 and was succeeded by 0. Dale Robertson. The stadium, replaced in 1955 by a new one that was given a quarter-turn so the main bleachers would face north, had a seating capacity of 3400 and was named Northrop Stadium. The addition of the retaining wall along the river in 1956 provided a challenge to graffiti artists. Those years also proved to be exciting in sports. The track team won city and sectional championships in 1948, and added regional championships in 1948, 1953, 1954, and 1955 and state titles in 1956 and 1957. After many years of trying, the football team became city champions in 1953, 1955, and 1956. The basketball team won sectionals in 1948, 1949, and 1953 and played in the state finals in 1955. In 1954 and 1955 the cross country team won sectional and regional crowns. Of course, the sports were not the only exciting happenings. One event that raised excitement in 1951 was the appearance of Miss America, Yolanda Bethbeze on a Red Cross fund-raising tour. Mr. 0. Dale Robertson took command as principal in 1953. Skits in pep sessions have delighted Redskins through fifty years, as this group did in 1954. She stood majestic by the stream in 1927, and that hasn ' t changed in her fifty years. 8 History