Ranchester High School - Rustler Yearbook (Ranchester, WY)

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“PROGRESS IS BY SHORT STEPS” From history we have the story that Alexander Graham Bell, inventor of the telephone, discovered accidentally the principle which led to the telephone. Before the discovery was made, it is said, Bell had not thought of the idea of a telephone. He was in love with a girl who was hard of hearing and he was trying to work out a device to improve her hearing. The discovery of the tele- phone principle was a step in a new direction. It led his interest into a channel never before thought of. Step by step he proceeded to work on his telephone, to improve it and extend its usefulness. As Alexander Graham Bell passed the mark in his life which would cor- respond to where the members of the Class of 1939 are today, most likely not one could have forecasted that he was a man who would one day think of some- thing which would grow to be one of the great enterprises of the world. In another part of the world, doing a different kind of work under differ- ent circumstances, an unintentional act in the early life of Louis Pasteur turned out to be a sidestep into a new channel of thought which led to his greatest success and marked him as one of the greatest benefactors of man. From historical record it appears that chickens were dying with cholera in the neighborhood where Pasteur lived. He had been much concerned over this disease in the chickens and had discovered a germ which he thought to be caus- ing it. To determine whether or not the germ really was the cause of the disease he cultivated more of the germs in his laboratory, inoculated other chickens as an experiment and repeated the procedure many times while studying the germs. He went to his laboratory one day to inoculate a new group of chickens. Intending to take tubes of freshly grown germs he took by mistake tubes that were old and in which the germs had died or become weakened by age. The chickens he inoculated with these dead or weakened germs developed very mild illness similar to cholera but none died. Pasteur discovered his mistake and counted the experiment as an error. A few weeks later, still experimenting with the same disease, the scientist came back to this same group of chickens and re-inoculated them with the germs but this time he made sure the germs were out of fresh tubes and were alive and strong. He then prepared to study the disease as the chickens came down with it. To his surprise and dismay not a single chicken became ill with the deadly disease. By a recheck of the tubes used he was sure the germs used were alive and strong. It then occurred to him that this was the same group of chickens which he had previously by careless mistake inoculated with germs which were old and weak or dead. He wondered if that could have anything to do with the fact that none of them became seriously ill when later they were inoculated with germs which were alive and strong. Then came to him as a result of this mistake the idea destined to mark him as one of the great bene- factors of man. Then came to him the idea that maybe inoculation with the dead germs would cause a chicken to develop resistance against an attack of the disease when exposed to live germs. He tried it and found it to be true. He tried the same idea with other germs and other animals and found again that it worked. Step by step he proceeded from the known to the unknown other workers taking up his idea also and working with it, all alike finding that it really worked. Out of this work came the modern method of preventing diph- theria so well known to every school child today. As one hears of the doctor giving these magic treatments he again is puzzled just as he is about the telephone. Almost every day one is puzzled perplexed, confounded, confused, awed, amazed or mystified as he looks upon some modern mechanical device, electrical appliance, or scientific procedure which is common today but which has come to us out of years or centuries of step-by step scientific progress At first the thing appears to be something entirely impossible to understand. A light bulb, a radio bulb, a telephone receiver an electric dynamo and other such by hundreds or thousands are all about us taken for granted for service they render but each apparently incomprehensible to Somewhere m the endless line of this march of progress the high school graduates are going to step in Theirs will be to proceed step-by-step into the great unknown just as others have done before them. Theirs will be to watch as they work for new possibilities and to investigate to their satisfaction The number of new possibilities has been multiplied by new problems which come from new living conditions. v Resume of 1939 Class Prophecy given by Arthur Schilling, May 18, 1939.

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 SENIOR CLASS Of the six brilliant-looking Seniors who receive their diplomas this spring, only three originally were initiated into the Ranchester High School; Art, Bob, and Wilbur. In the same class were Carl Kukuchka, Lillian Lutz and Fay Coast. Later Carl dropped out but with the second semester came two new pupils, Bud Brooks and Edythe Ann Kuzma. These freshies were as ignorant and innocent (???) as their class colors, green and white, suggested. After a merry freshman year, their sophomore year brought back Bob, Edythe Ann, Wilbur, Bud, Fay, and also Molly Harris. The sophomores led a quiet life and the next summer Fay was Mrs. Schilling. As juniors the class members were Bob, Edythe Ann, Art, Wilbur, Molly and her twin, Elmo. In the fall of ’38 four of the juniors returned as seniors to Ran- chester High School. Lawrence Hood also entered school here, and later Winnefred Rice joined the class. The members of the graduat- ing class are: Wilbur Jester, Edythe Ann Kuzma, Winnefred Rice, Bob Rawlings, Arthur Schilling, and Lawrence Hood. The seniors planned a different type of commencement this year: each senior participated, whereas before only the valedictorian and president of the class participated. On other pages in the annual a resume of each talk is given. Through all their four years of high school the class of ’39 had a very enjoyable time—thanks to the “chummy” teachers and class- mates with whom they’ve worked. BE THE BEST OF WHATEVER YOU ARE If you can’t be a pine on the top of the hill. Be a scrub in the valley, but be— The best little scrub by the side of the rill; Be a bush if you can’t be a tree.— If you can't be a bush be a bit of the grass, And some high-way happier make; If you can’t be a muskie, then just be a bass, But the liveliest bass in the lake! We can’t all be captains, we’ve got to be crew. There’s something for all of us here; There’s big work to do, and there’s lesser to do, And the task we must do is the near. If you can’t be a high-way then just be a trail If you can’t be the sun, be a star; It isn’t by size that you win or fail Be the best of whatever you are. —By John B. Wells. Page 19

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CLASS OF ’39 I am no Homer To write an Iliad But I can write poetry With hopes it’ll be read. So I will open the bag And let out the cat About the R. H. S. Class of ’39 And every this and that. Here we have a handsome boy As Bob he is better known He gets into all the mischief But is never alone. Then there is Wilbur Who wants to be a surgeon But I think he oughta be Another McCarthy for Bergen. Let me present “Winnie” Pretty gray-eyed blonde Sorry fellahs, you’re outa luck She’s in the marriage bond. Here we have another chump Whose name is “Art” He is usually the victim Of Cupid and his golden dart. And last but not least is Blonde little Lawrence Also Ranchester High’s Very sleepy ’ornery Prince. And here is yours truly An ardent C C C fan None other than--------- Brown-eyed Edythe Ann. Page 21