Phillips High School - Mirror Yearbook (Birmingham, AL)

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T H E M IRROR So as my secretarial eye wandered at random up and down my class roll book, 1 have found interesting and varied names, which the hearers may be proud to claim. I personally feel proud that my office gives me the privilege of calling each of my august classmates, familiarly, hv name—cither first, last, or middle! —Doris Moslcv DAME FASHION RULES Seniors, like all Plrllipians—every one, in fact, except Queen Mary—are ruled by fashion. Sometimes, we don’t blame the Queen for refusing to buy a new hat when we remember this about Fashion: “She is a goddess troublesome, inconstant Strange in her tastes, in her adornments foolish; She appears, she vanishes, she returns at all times and seasons, Proteus was her sire and Fashion is her name.” Behold her votaries in the halls of Phillips. Some arc tall and stately as Juno— Emogene Broadhead, for instance. Some are petite Titanias like Sara McCoy. In spite of these differences in types, most girls march in line behind the colors of Dame Fashion. It just happens that Dame changes her colors every season. 'Phis season the most popular hue, next to black, which is always best, is green. Green, the brilliant, the sophisticated color! Appropriate to some—magnificent on red heads. And such a variety of greens we have! One year she adds a little blue and calls it aqua, next a little yellow, and lo. we have chautreuse. Well, this year, just to be different, she decided to call it just plain Green. Whispers from the fashion world, by the not-so-remote control of the grapevine, indicate that wine and plum run a close second in popularity. Independent Phillipians as wc are. we can’t always heed the dictates of Dame Fashion. When she calls for pastels, we choose the vivid, the bright, the gay! The uniform (practically) of the schoolgirl is the skirt and sweater. Definitely, the skirts arc short again as thej have been for two or three seasons; yet the best lines for skirts arc flared and pleated. Sweaters complete this universal uniform. 'This is the winter of the “Sloppy Joe, a large, roomy, casual looking sweater worn buttoned up the back. The fundamental idea in minds of all Phillipians is to look smartly sloppy! Now wait—I hear you saying that this statement contraducts itself, but nevertheless, it’s true—your clothes must be stylish, yet worn with a nonchalant air as if they just happened to fall on you correctly! Shoes—oh well, I give up—I think if one wants to see anything besides the saddle oxford she’d better change schools, for the saddle oxford rules supreme in Phillips! If you don’t believe it, look to the floor, mademoiselle, look to the floor! But for evening, then my lady twinkles. Peeping shyly from under the hems of gorgeous evening dresses, is the silver glitter, the golden sparkle, the sophisticated gleam of satin, the flashing metallic of the evening slipper. Her crowning glory! Spies, after going over every classroom with microscopic precision, report that as usual the girls arc wearing the long bob. These scouts noticed also that the “upsweep hair-do” did have a few adherents, but it proved too bard to keep and the young ’uns reverted to shoulder length bobs. Bows—a girl must have bows (beaus) or both kinds, but the ones to which I refer now are those worn on the hair. They’re every size, shape, and color! The streamer bow with its ends flying in the breeze, like a flag; the big bow to make big girls look coquettish; and every other kind of bow imaginable. If you want a beau, wear a bow. [27]

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T he Mirror NAMES AND LINEAGE “Their name is Legion’'—at least there are 153 graduates in this graduating class excluding the one and only Jones. Even the five Smiths arc not buried in obscurity although “Fate tried to conceal them by naming them Smith. Among the unconcealed are artistic Gene, efficient Carolyn, dexterous Dexter, the two maids Martha, and Prince Arthur himself. Our distinguished names include Mayo, famous in the medical world. 'File literature of our time is enriched with the works of Ludwig, the famous biographer Emil, as Phillips is with the achievements of Otto. Time has made synonymous with Gloria-s romance the name Romeo. A lady, Frances, has made memorable in politics the name Perkins, as a boy. W. T.. has in baseball. Fame acclaims the name Scott in the realm of romance and in that of reality, we claim Leonard Edwin. In the automobile industry, Ford means “Henry ; in Phillips, Jessie Mac . We have representatives from the leading nations of the world in our midst such as McGowan, McFarland, McDowell, McCrary and others from bonny Scotland. Then there are good old English names, such as Milford, Meadows, and Hathcock, side by side with the Irish Murphrces. Shaws, Lowcrys, and Mosleys. “The glory that was Greece and the grandeur that was Rome gives us the names of Mcgois, Carru-ba, Kampakis, Marchione, Nadel, Tomaras and Troncalli. In the White House we had Jackson, Grant, and Lincoln: and in Phillips Andrew Jackson Borders, Henry Grant Murphrcc and Horace Lincoln I hacker carry on these great names. The face of Richard Dix is no more familiar to movie-goers than the voice of Richard Dix Riley is to Phillipians. Tom, Louise, and Maurice send our thoughts speeding on a cross-country Hunt, to the music of a huntsman’s Horn, or soaring on an airplane’s Wing. There are eight Williams and eight Edwards in this class. Answering to one or both of these names are Avery, Barrington, Bcaird. Cobcrly, Duran. Hall, Langston, Perkins, McCall and Schuler. Along with the Williams and Edwards, we have many boys in this graduating clas named for their fathers. Among these “Juniors are H. G. Jackson. Jack Adamson, Richard Grass, Ed Langston, and Claude Lawson. One of the many girls named for her mother is Sara Womack. Among busy students in our commercial department whose names wc are sure will he well-known in the business world of Birmingham are Rubie Bailey, Dcwic Caldwell. Ruth Lawville, Hazel Robertson, Doris Stanley and Cecils Vaughn. The names of Binford. Holmes, and Martin, prominent on the faculty roster in Phillips, in the 1‘brary, in the history department, and in the math department, respectively, belong to Harry, Clyde, and Jane of the graduating class of 1940. James and Thomas arc favorites in our class, as evidenced hv James Toney White, James I.. Taylor, James Warren Kicker, and Lewis James Overton. Among the numerous Thomases are Thomas Allen Hutto and Floyd Thomas Bryant. With the girls the name Elizabeth is popular as a middle name; for instance, there are Evelyn Elizabeth Curtis, Nairn Elizabeth Nabors, Anne Elizabeth Pickard, Mary Elizabeth Robertson, Grace Elizabeth Vickers, and Mary Elizabeth Winter. Margaret and Ann arc favorites, too—Ann Blevins, Martha Ann Lawrence, Ann Stubbs, Margaret Lawler, and Margaret Shelby. Most of us would think of the name of Mary as very common but we have only three Marys—Mary Grace White, Mary Ellen Stapler, and Mary Natalie Russell. Leo Crawford Ramp is as strong as a lion but we all know that he is not as fierce as one. And wc think Thco A. Robertson has some of the “God-like qualities his first name implies. [26]

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T he Mirror “Milady’s hat hangs on one ear, Or drops low on one eye In color it may cause a tear Or just provoke a sigh. Its shape and size are nondescript— It looks like a chicken when half-picked.” Seeing the girls' hats as they leave school, I’m convinced that from being a part of women's apparel whose original purpose was to protect the head, the honnet or hat has become simply an excuse for a feather, or a pretext for a sprig of flowers. But enough of the women, let's turn to the men. “Apparel oft proclaims the man.” You can tell at a glance whether a young man is the Beau Brummel type. Everyone has heard of Brummel, who set the fashion for English men for 21 years. He was very fastidious about his appearance, and dressed, as Bryon said, “with exquisite propriety.” Phillips has those who are trying to follow in Brummel’s very well turned footsteps. Maybe the next young man will be the athletic type sauntering through the halls, usually dressed casually to prove that he is not “sissified” even in dress, and more often displaying a big “P across a wide expanse of chest. Occasionally we catch a glympse of the boy in the business suit. 1 his one always delights my rye—dressed simply and neatly in a suit with a nice white shirt and a modest tie. Excellent, I say! Color, too, proclaims the man (or it docs in Phillips) for they have turned to colors hoping to achieve an even more fashionable ward-robe. Their shirts arc bright and would you believe it—designed! The more colors one can get in one outfit, the better. The coats arc nipped in at the waist; padded at the shoulders for the Hercules effect; pleated to be dressy; double-breasted for Fashion’s sake. 1 he trousers too, are pleated and usually creased to perfection. Pies and handkerchiefs of the same tone ami material arc quite the thing. Shoes are of every color from a sort of orange to black; first they’re pointed, then square, changing every season. The informal shoe is the moccasin, not because the boys have the astuteness of Indians or the shrewdness of a Hawkcve, but for comfort. All in all the fashionable men seem to feel with Pope anti the women that: In words, as fashions, the same rule will hold, Alike fantastic, if too new or old, Be not the first by whom the new is tried. Nor vet the last to lay the old aside.” —Gene Smith MY SHADOW My shadow and I are pals; When I have a sunny disposition, He walks with me. Lighthearted, funloving, full of glee; But when to a cloudy mood I lean, My shadow with me no more is seen. [28] —Tom Hunt