Walnut High School - Walnut Tree Yearbook (Walnut, IL)

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CLASS PROPHECY During a warm summer day in July, while looking over some dress designs in my New York pent-house apartment, my mind began to wander and to think back over the good old days. Never in my fifteen years of city-dwelling had I ever become home-sick, but I had a good case of it now! So, I closed up my Fifth Avenue Dress shop, packed my luggage, locked my apartment, gathered my Pekinese under my arm, called a taxi, and caught a plane to good old Walnut, which in the year 1962, had finally procured an airport. Arriving at the airport which was on the site of the old campus of Walnut High, I called a taxi and was very surprised to see George Frederick sitting under the wheel. I conversed with him as he took me down Broadstreet which had greatly lengthened—now being extended from where Sergeant’s cow-pasture had been, straight through to where the Gonigam homestead used to be located. George informed me that he had given up his scholarly ambitions and was roughing it, living in the small home of Cleo Hanson and raising sheep, canaries, and gold fish on the side. George drove me to the Alcazar Hotel, a huge white marble building set with precious stones; and as I was ushered over the coin-inlaid halls of the lobby, there met my eyes a very handsome man. Those curly locks couldn’t deceive me for long and I somehow disengaged my hand from that old friend, Bob Durham. Just when I was getting over one terrific shock, another one practically knocked me off my feet. A tall, polished, well-dessed, intelligent-looking gentleman rushed up to me and greeted me. Glenn Gonigam had certainly changed since our school-days and not only owned the Alcazar but six other branch hotels in New York, Chicago, Miami. Los Angeles, Palm Beach and Manlius. When I inquired how he happened to get away from the Gonigam. Bass, Hill Company, he told me that he took his life into his hands and sold his share of the lumber, nails, and window glass and built his string of Alcazars. Acting as hostess in Glenn’s swanky hotel was Betty Fenn. She told me in secret, while showing me to my room, that she had never married because she was in love with Glenn and she hoped some day he would realize this and ask her to join lots with him. She pointed out to me that it would not only be good for both of them but it would also make one more room to rent out and thus make more money for Glenn. After Betty left, the telephone rang. The operator asked me if I would accept a “Collect” call from the lobby. Naturally I was curious to know who was calling me, since I was sure no one knew of my being in town. A familiar voice greeted me, but it was fully a halfminute before I realized who the person was. He told me that he had adopted the name “Count Keith Rennyar,” and I soon gathered that he was my old beau, Keith Renner. He had just returned from France, where his interest in the French language had brought him great renown. After much stuttering around, which was always typical of Keith, he asked me for a dinner engagement that evening and he called for me promptly at 8 p. m. We decided to go into the drug store for a coke before dinner. Mixing drinks behind the bar was a tall stately figure —I looked once, I looked twice, I looked three times! You’d have been surprised too, if you had seen, of all persons, Doris Paepke, shaking the mixer in the door-die manner. Doris had just started her new job the week before, and the manager of the store, my pal, Betty Abraham, who now weighs 315 pounds, was sampling all Doris’ concoctions. We This Page Sponsored by Rexall Drug Store 13

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SENIORS OF 47 (AND THEIR ACTIVITIES) GLENN GONIGAM— 111 have the feeling that once 1 am at home again I .shall need to .sleep three weeks on end to get rested from the rest I’ve had!” MAJORS—Social Science, English. MINORS—Mathematics, Science, Latin. Activities—Football 1. 2. Basketball 2. 3. 4: F.F.A. 3. 4; Music Festival 2: Band Festival 3; Class Assembly 3. 4; Gymboree 1. 2, 3. 4; Musicade 2. ALBERTA BARTH— “The look in her eyes is as soft as the underside of soap in a soap-dish ” MAJORS—Commercial, Home Economics. English. MINORS—Social Science. History. Activities—G. A. A. 1, 2. 3, 4; Class Assembly 3. 4; Pep Club 1, 2. 3. 4; F. H. A. 1, 2. 3. 4: Gymboree 1. 2. 3. 4; Music Festival 3; Musicade 1. 3. 4; Vice-President of F. H. A. 4: Mixed Chorus 4: Girls' Chorus 1, 3. 4. LYLE SCHRADER— “I am all the sons of my father's house, and all the sisters too.” MAJORS—English. Commercial. Social Science. MINORS—Agriculture. Science. Activities—F. F. A. 1. 2, 3; Manager 1. 2; Basketball 3. 4; Band 1, 2; Chorus 1. 2; Junior Play; Musicade 1; Gymboree 1. 2. 3. 4; Class Assembly 3, 4. DORIS rote;— UT do not know any reading more easy, more fascinating, more delightful than a catalogue.” MAJORS—Commercial. Social Science. English. MINORS—Science. Home Economics. Activities—F. H. A. 1. 2: G. A. A. 1. 2. 3. 4; Musicade 1. 2. 3. 4; Gymboree 1. 2. 3. 4; Girls' Chorus 1. 2. 3. 4: Mixed Chorus 4; Class Assembly 3. 4. LOWELL STONE— “IAfe is not long and too much of it must not pass in idle deliberation how it it shall be spent” MAJORS—English, Social Science. MINORS—Commercial. Agriculture. Activities—Band 1. 2. 3. 4; Manager of Football Team 3. 4; Junior Play; Gymboree 1. 2. 3. 4; Black-hawk Band Festival 1. 2. 4; Musicade 1. 3. 4; Class Assembly 3. 4. WANDA DRUIEN— “Silence is deep as eternity; speech is shallow as time” MAJORS—English. Social Science, Commercial. MINORS—Home Economics. Activities—G. A. A. 1; Gymboree 1, 2. 3, 4; Class Assembly 3, 4. GWENDOLYN FRITZ— ltUnthinking, idle. wild and young. I laugh'd and danc'd and talk'd and sung. MAJORS—Home Economics. Commercial. MINORS—English. History. Activities—Student Council 3: F. H. A. 2. 3. 4; President of F. H. A. 4; Book Club 3. 4; Book Club Secretary 4; Pep Club 2. 3. 4: Vice-President of G. A. A. 4; Chorus 2. 3. 4: Gymboree 2. 3. 4; Mus-cade 2. 3. 4; Mixed Chorus 4: Class Assembly 3. 4. BETTY ABRAHAM— “ am a great friend to public amusements: for they keep people from vice.” MAJORS—English, Commercial. Mathematics. MINORS—Science. Latin, Social Science. Activities—Chorus 1, 2. 3. 4; G. A. A. 1, 2. 3. 4; Pep Club 1. 2. 3. 4; Book Club 4; Student Council 1, 3. 4; Vice-President of Student Council 3; Vice-President of Class 3; Student Council Convention 3; Musicade 1. 2. 3. 4; Gymboree 1. 2. 3. 4; Music Festival 2. 3, 4; Class Assembly 3, 4. DORIS PAEPKE— “Few things are impossible to diligence and skill” MAJORS—Social Science. Science, English. MINORS—Latin. Home Economics. Mathematics. Activities—F. H. A. 1. 2. 3. 4; Musicade 1. 2. 3. 4: Gymboree 1. 2. 3, 4; Junior Class Play: Editor of Annual; News Reporter of F. H. A. 4; D. A. R. Award: Class Assembly 3. 4: Girls’ Chorus 1. 2. 3. 4: Mixed Chorus 4; Blackhawk Vocal Festival 4. CAROL WADE— 11 It is easier not to speak o word at all titan to speak more words than we should ” MAJORS—English, Science. Social Science. MINORS—Home Economics, Commercial. Activities—F. H. A. 1; G. A. A. 1. 2. 3. 4; Girls' Chorus 2. 3. 4: Mixed Chorus 4; Pep Club 3. 4: Musicade 2. 3. 4; Gymboree 1. 2. 3. 4; Secretary and Treasurer of Student Council 4; Class Assembly 3, 4. This Page Sponsored by J. B. McCarthy 12

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CLASS PROPHECY four old classmates chatted for a while and then Betty introduced me to the orchestra leader of the hotel, Harry James Odell. He’s really hep, and has been here since 1955 after his graduation from Ward-Belmont College in Nashville. His rendition of “Beat Me Daddy With a Candy Bar” has made him world famous. From there we went to the Pink and Gold Room, the dining room of the hotel. A short, pompous, solemn little waiter showed us to an ideal table in the center of the room, and then introduced himself to us. Lowell Stone had finally given up farming, first going into the Federated Stores as manager, and then working up to headwaiter in the Alcazar. Glennie and Stonie are really life-long friends. The orchestra finally began tuning up and Harry walked to his podium and struck up the band. His golden-toned songstress of the airways, Ruth Baumgartner, glided out in a slinky black dress, singing “Im a Big Girl Now.” Their special floor show for the evening was the great dance team, Wandy and Brandy, being Wanda Druien and Garrett Brandenburg. Upon leaving the hotel we practically stumbled over an old scrubwoman. She was down on her hands and knees scrubbing the lobby floor. Dolores Swanson, a char-woman, no less! She had been unlucky in love and was hiding herself away from the world. Upon walking out of the hotel, we were attracted by a large neon sign, reading, LOWELL GUSTAFSON, INC., so we went in and asked to see him. He was too busy to stop his work so his office secretary led us to him. There we found him busily engraving the Lord’s Prayer on pin heads. Lowell has made a small fortune this way. We asked him where we might find some more of our classmates and he gave us directions, directions, and more directions, on where we might find the rest of our graduating class. First, we drove out to the Walnut Girls’ Seminary, where Leslie Baumgartner is engaged as a professor of mathematics. While talking to him, we asked him why he chose math—he declared that he was interested in figures, and this was the only way he could think of to be surrounded by large figures, medium-sized figures, and small figures, and any other kind of figures. When we came out of the building, I glanced up at a figure that was washing windows. The person recognized us and climbed down from her perch. Joanne Sergeant told us that she enjoyed this unusual occupation of washing windows because it kept her in touch with the higher things in life. She took us to the back of the school and showed us her new 1962 Oldsmobile. The car had a kitchenette, bar, and bed in the back of the car. These modern inventions! Quite convenient! We drove back to town and prepared ourselves for an evening of hilarity. I went into the hotel beauty salon and requested a hair shampoo and manicure. I was ushered into a booth, and was immediately shampooed by—guess who— Marion Conley. Then in walked Elmer Wise—to manicure my nails. They argued that as long as men had to look at women in all these funny get-ups they might as well do their share in making them ridiculous. Marion always had a peculiar sense of humor, and Elmer never missed a chance to get back at a woman. We again walked out of the hotel and turned in the opposite direction this time. On this side of us was the Peek-A-Boo Burlesque. Owner and sold manager of this establishmen was the old This Page Sponsored by Frank Grampp and Sons 14