Turners Falls High School - Peske Tuk Yearbook (Turners Falls, MA)

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In the shadows of the early morning hours, we find the Class of ' 61 deep in the dusty depths of the T. F. H. S. cellars, cleaning out all of the souvenirs, the memoirs, and the files that have accumulated in their storage room during the past four years. Similar to the other graduating classes that have preceded them, they too have post- poned this sorrowful task until it is the day of their Final Assembly. Slowly, (and noisily) the graduates drift into the room, a few still wearing their caps and gowns, some still munching on cake left from the Graduation party the night before. With drooping eyelids and aching feet they assemble, their dusters and mops in their hands. The state of the room can best be described in one short sentence: It ' s a mess!” Amid the empty coke” bottles, (left by our Senior Play cast) and the mounds of stale potato chip crumbs, (NETOP staff ' s contributioais) a few ambitious individuals begin to clear the odds and ends . . . An old rocking chair someone forgot to return after our first one act play, The Death of the Hired Man” . . . corn stalks from the Pumpkin Prom — (Officer Krupky ' s tombstone is hidden between the stalks) ... a dinosaur cos- tume minus a tail from the Senior Play ... an old edition of the Netop ... a gun and a dog tag from the Hills of Bataan” . . . We can ' t throw these away! There ' s too much sentiment attached to each of these!” . . . The class slowly packs their treasures” into boxes and shoves them into the corner. Maybe someday we ' ll be able to use them,” they feebly explain . . . yes, class, maybe someday. We now turn our attention to a filing cabinet in the center of the room. There are streamers of red and white crepe paper sticking out of the drawers; football helmets are piled on top. In the bottom of one of these drawers we find a book. Its cover is purple; its white lettering spells OUR DIARY, CLASS OF 1961.” Yes, classmates, our diary. It is almost completed. There remains but one entry to write . . . today ' s. But before we take up our pens, let’s read for the last time, our class’ history. We turn to the first page of our diary, (it’s all marked up with ink blots — messy Freshmen) . . . With an excited and impatient hand our class had written . . . September, 1957 DEAR DIARY TODAY WAS OUR FIRST DAY IN HIGH SCHOOL WHAT MAD CONFUSION TRYING TO FIND THE RIGHT CLASSROOMS ON THE RIGHT FLOORS . . . AND THERE ARE SO MANY OF US! A MR. OAKES HAD TO ALL BUT LEAD US BY THE HAND. ( WELL, AL- MOST) . . . WILL WE EVER BE ABLE TO BE AS DIGNIFIED AS THOSE SENIORS. . . . (STILL CANT UNDERSTAND WHY THAT SENIOR LAUGHED WHEN ONE OF US ASKED ABOUT THE FIRST FLOOR ELEVATOR). What a day that was ... As we turn the pages, the words Latin”, Home Ec.”, and Algebra”, stare back at us. Remember the struggles and the fun? . . . our first praaice teacher in Mr. Connelly’s English I class . . . (our introduaion to Shake- speare, OUCH!) . . . The Yearling” . . . and we stop at the page in our diary where someone has stuffed a blue paper football . . . The entry is dated . . . Oaober 19, 1957 DEAR DIARY, OUR FIRST HIGH SCHOOL DANCE . . . THE CLASS OF 1958 OF- FICIALLY WELCOMED US AT THE ANNUAL FRESHMAN HOP . THE GYM LOOKED MARVELOUS! IT WAS DECORATED IN OUR SCHOOL COLORS, AND PORTRAYED A FOOTBALL FIELD WITH GOAL POSTS AT EACH END, SURROUNDED BY FOOTBALL HEL- METS, MEGAPHONES AND SCHOOL FLAGS ... HOW TERRIFIED WE WERE GOING THROUGH THAT FIRST RECEIVING LINE. WE’VE ALL VOWED NEVER AGAIN . . . The pages of the diary that follow this date are filled with excited reports of the Freshman football games, our first Halloween dance, and then; November 27, 1957 DEAR DIARY, T-U-R-N-E-R-S! . . . OOPS, SORRY! (GOT CARRIED AWAY) ... OUR FIRST THANKSGIVING DAY RALLY, AND JUST THINK . . . OUR FRESHMAN CHEERLEADERS CHEERED WITH THE J. V. AND VARSITY SQUADS. (THEY SANG THE TOUCHDOWN SONG FOR THE FOOTBALL TEAM) . . . CANT WAIT UNTIL THAT YEAR WHEN OUR CHEERLEADERS WILL BE LEADING THE BIG RALLY . . . November 28, 1957 DEAR DIARY, WELL, WE DIDNT WIN BUT .OUR CHEERLEADERS EXHIBIT- ED THEIR VERSATILITY . (THEY SWUNG THEIR ARMS TOO HIGH WHEN THEY JUMPED AND A FEW OF THEM LOST THEIR FEATHER HEADBANDS) . . . BUT WE DIDNT LAUGH. (NOT TOO MUCH ANYWAY). As we skim over the remaining pages, we read the stories of our high school life

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that year, from the viewpoint of ' first time”. Isn ' t it difficult to believe that we wrote this only four years ago. The next page of our diary is the beginning of a new section, our Sophomore year — and our first entry in this year reads: September, 1958 DEAR DIARY, WE ELECTED OUR FIRST CLASS OFFICERS. JUST THINK, NOW WE’RE LIKE THE UPPER CLASSES . . . OUR PRESIDENT IS BOBBY CASEY; VICE-PRESIDENT, WARRIE THOMAS; SECRETARY, LINDA DZEIMA; TREASURER, PATTIE PIERCE; HISTORIAN, HELEN FUGERE ... (7F SOMEONE SHOULD ASK US TAKE ME TO YOUR LEADER,” AT LEAST WE’LL HAVE LEADERS). The following pages are filled with the humorous (and serious) incidents that marked our year as wise fools,” as our Latin II scholars called us. On one page we find the musical notes of our Sophomore Glee Club members. (Remember the first Christmas Concert and our long robes?) . . . our ring committees . . . our J. V. squads . . . the decorating committees . . . that prepared us for: February 7, 1959 DEAR DIARY, THE CUPID SWING” . . . OUR CLASS SPONSORED THEIR FIRST CLASS ACTIVITY, OUR SOPHOMORE SOCIAL. WE DECORAT- ED THE GYM IN RED AND WHITE STREAMERS, OLD-FASHION- ED VALENTINES, AND DOILY HEARTS (WE NEVER WANT TO SEE ANOTHER DOILY FOR THE REST OF OUR SCHOOL YEARS) . . .TO THE TUNE OP THE JUKE BOX, OUR CLASSMATES WHIRL- ED THEIR PARTNERS. ' THE TINY PAPER HEARTS ON THE GYM FLOOR NO LIGHTER THAN OURS . . . REMEMBER HOW WE VOW- ED NEVER AGAIN”, ON RECEIVING LINES. WELL, THIS TIME WE HAD OUR OWN. (THE CLASS OFFICERS LOOKED ABSOLUTE- LY PETRIFIED. ' ) I doubt if we’ll ever forget that night ... I know we’ll never want to . . . The result of the many weeks of hard work and co-operation ended with a great big suc- cess” sign . . .The succeeding months we were busy with band concerts, exams, and King Arthur (English II). The rest of the entries are but hurried notations about Final Assembly, and the promise of the approaching September. We have come to the last half of the diary. It has been the most important part of our -high school years, and the most rewarding. In many respects our personalities were beginning to form into a definite shape . . . September, 1959 DEAR DIARY, WELL, WE’RE UPPER-CLASSMEN NOW . . . WE RE-ELECTED FOUR OF OUR CLASS OFFICERS, AND CHOSE RONNIE CLARK AS OUR NEW VICE-PRESIDENT . . . IT’S GOING TO BE A BUSY YEAR. WE’RE ALL VERY EXCITED ABOUT OUR NEW RESPONSIBILITIES . . . AND A LITTLE AFRAID. October, 1959 DEAR DIARY, HOW WONDERFUL IT FEELS TO HAVE YOUR OWN CLASS REPRESENTED AS OFFICERS IN THE VARIOUS CLUBS . . . CANT WAIT UNTIL JUNIOR WEEK” ARRIVES . . . The days and the pages pass, and we read about the common, everyday classroom occurrences . . . Junior English and Emperor Jones . . . the club activities . . . the con- certs . . . and then the most important week of our Junior year: April 29, 1960 DEAR DIARY, PRIZE SPEAKING. ' THE CURTAIN OPENED AND ONE BY ONE EIGHT OF OUR CLASSMATES GAVE A DRAMATIC RENDITION, BUT THE CURTAIN ALSO OPENED TO REVEAL OUR CLASS TO THE PUBLIC FOR THE FIRST TIME. HOW OUR CLASS, PRESENT IN THE AUDIENCE TWISTED AND TORE THEIR PROGRAMS IN NERVOUSNESS FOR THOSE ON THE STAGE. ' . . . THEY ALL DID WONDERFUL WORK, AND WE’RE SO PROUD OF THEM. May 6, I960 DEAR DIARY THIS WAS TRULY THE MOST MEMORABLE OF NIGHTS. ' ONE ENCHANTED EVENING” IN EVERY WAY. TO SO MANY OF US IT IS THE TREASURED MOMENT . . . OUR FOUNTAIN . . . THE CASTLE . . . THE 5IF 4N5 . . . AND EVERY TINY DETAIL THAT MADE THAT NIGHT SO VERY SPECIAL”. Yes, Class of ’61, that was our special night in May. A night we’ll always remem- ber. Do you remember the paper flowers scattered on the gym floor, our program girls? (and that dreamy” orchestra!) . . . and then a few weeks later: May 27, I960 DEAR DIARY, THE LITERARY MEMBERS OF OUR CLASS ISSUED THE LAST 46