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

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CLASS PROPHECY As we proceeded down the street, we saw an open man-hole with a ladder protruding and Keith slammed on the brakes just in time. An angry face emerged from below and was just about to give us a piece of his mind, when I shouted, “Mary!” This really surprised me! But Mary Fetzer still looks as beautiful as ever with an oily face, boy’s bob, and dirty work clothes on. She said she really hadn’t planned on doing this, but in order to become a social worker, she must do everything the people she will come in contact with do— so here she is! Coming up the street on our right, was a heavy wagon pulled by three teams of mules. Working behind the mules, trying hard to make them move as he wanted them to move was Benny Fenn. He was having a great deal of trouble, but he stopped momentarily and explained to us what he was doing. Meanwhile his partner, Leslie Schoff, came up behind us with a huge flock of sheep. Leslie and Benny have gone into partnership on a farm outside Walnut and are raising new species of animals. We hurried on, because our time was growing short, and nearly ran over a woman in the road draining mud puddles. It was Marilou Johnson! She informed us that certain vitamins can be obtained only from this particular kind of water and she had established a huge industry. More power to her. On the next block, we noticed signs advertising a certain home. Knowing the proprietor of the home we proceded out there. Lavona Rogers has established, instead of an old ladies’ home, a young ladies’ home. Working as gardener and chauffeur of the home was Rosemary Williams. To keep the gravel even so that Rosemary could drive safely, Lavona had engaged Doris Rote to keep the drive evened out. On the evening we were there, Doris was very busy with her little hammer pound- ing small stones to even smaller stones. Tedious work! Going back to town we stopped off at Betty Casey’s “Toothpaste Analyzing Laboratory.” Betty had perfected a new toothpaste, flavored Tutti Fruiti, and to advertise it, she has engaged Gloria Johnson to be her model and give out with those toothpaste smiles. Well, Keith and I had seen all our old classmates, but we decided to have a reunion in the ballroom of Glenn’s Hotel. We had a fine reunion and learned that none of our classmates had married. However, our prophecy has a unique and happy ending, since Keith and I were married, and, also the rest of our classmates except three girls. The married couples were Glenn Gonigam and Betty Fenn, Lee Ganschow and Elaine Behrens, Lyle Schrader and Carol Wade, Harry Odell and Doris Paepke, Garrett Brandenburg and Wanda Druin, Marvin Carpenter and Doris Glaze, George Frederick and Betty Casey (some say he married her for her toothpaste millions), Bill Peterson and Mary Fetzer, Elmer Wise and Alberta Barth, Dolores Swanson and Lowell Stone, Leslie Baumgartner and Joanne Sergeant, Marion Conley and Gwen Fritz, Bob Durham and Gloria Johnson, Lowell Gustafson and Marilou Johnson, Leslie Schoff and Betty Abraham, Donald Brandenburg and Joyce Rudiger, and Benny Fenn and Lavona Rogers. The other three girls, Rosemary Williams, Doris Rote, and Ruth Baumgartner stayed single. First, because they said there weren’t enough men to go around for our class, and second because they wanted to stay happy the rest of their lives. However, as the class of 1947, we fell as if we have contributed a great deal to the success and growth of Walnut, and we hope that this year’s class, the class of 1962, will be as successful as we have been. ... . . ...... Marjorie Miller. This Page Sponsored by Bourguin Barber Shop 16

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CLASS PROPHECY woman-killer, Marvin Carpenter, himself. He gave us some seats in his amusement house and then went back to help the girls into their costumes. The first number on the program was a duo by Gwenona and Dorona the “Bubble Beauties” of the stage. Towever, only a dark-haired dancer appeared on the stage and went through her famous act. Carp took us back stage with him later, and Doris Glaze and Gwendolyn Fritz, the famous team, renewed old acquaintances with us. Gwen, known as Gwenona could not appear that evening because Marvin, upon bringing her bubble into her dressing room, had caught his hang-nail on it. We walked down the street and went into Joyce Rudiger’s “Stylish Steppers Shop” . . . Her shop is quite snazzy and she told us she was just raking in the dough. We walked out the door and found Billy Peterson beside a window grating deftly fishing around with a stick, a wad of gum on one end, for coins that had been dropped. Bill has turned into a first-class tramp and declares that he has never made as much money before in his life, nor has he ever been so completely happy. On the next street corner we saw the old familiar uniforms of the Salvation Army. We would have walked by if someone had not grabbed my arm. Then I noted familiar blonde curls under the drab black bonnet and immediately recognized Alberta Barth. She had gone into service as soon as she had graduated and claimed that she, herself, had collected 20,000 pounds of paper, 15 fur coats, 10 pair of shoes, 20 bushels of carrots, beets, and turnips and 50 cents through her crusading. We left her singing her mournful song on the street corner and went into an Italian restaurant, “Vinetti’s Spaghetti and Rouletti” and sat down at one of the quaint tables. An old, fat Italian woman came over for our orders and issued a familiar giggle. It seems that Elaine Behrens not only dyed her hair black but also gained a few pounds to secure this wonderful job. She also is the chief bouncer. As we passed through the swinging doors, we heard beautiful music coming from the rooms above Vinetti’s. We backed into the streets so we could see who was playing. You can imagine our surprise when we beheld Lee Gans-chow scraping away at his fiddle. He has become an accomplished professor of the violin but hasn’t come into his own yet. He is now giving violin lessons to the urchins along the street for 50 cents and a coke per lesson. We then drove to the outskirts of town to the huge mansion of Carol Wade. Carol has developed a new way to cure monkey fur so that it resembles mink. She has thousands and thousands of monkeys in cages behind her home. Not only did she find a way to cure the hair but she found a way to split their tongues so it is possible for them to talk. As a monkey-trainer, she engaged Lyle Schrader. Lyle is taking his monkey training very seriously, and eats, sleeps and drinks with his monkeys. Carol says that any more the only way she can tell which one is Lyle is by looking for the one without a tail. Upon leaving Carol’s home, we started once again back to town. We noticed someone ahead of us painting the black line down the middle of the pavement. The person hailed us down and we discovered that it was Donald Brandenburg. Don is terribly in love with this job and says he does quite a bit of traveling and sees a great deal of country. Well—as long as he’s happy that’s all that matters. This Page Sponsored by Yonk's Royal Blue Store 15

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THE CLASS WILL We, the Seniors of Walnut Community High School, do ordain and establish this last Will and Testament to insure for posterity the unusual qualities of this the Class of 1947. BEQUESTS TO CLASSES To the Freshmen we do bequeath our worldliness. To the Sophomores we do bequeath our outstanding record in discipline. To the Juniors we do bequeath our large class and our ability to publish the Walnut Tree. BEQUESTS TO THE FACULTY To Mr. Hatland we do bequeath our clear and concise method of speech. To Mr. Snider we do bequeath for his American History class, 32 volumes of Nicolay and Hay on Abraham Lincoln. To Mr. Morris we do bequeath classes that will behave. To Miss Olinger we do bequeath a short vacation to recuperate from her strenuous tasks at Walnut Community High School. To Mr. O’May we do bequeath a little more time for joke-telling. To Mrs. Watson we do bequeath a faster means of transportation to visit Art. To Mr. Dremann we do bequeath a bow tie so he will not have the tendency to stroke it. To Mr. LaRussa we do bequeath a smart Geometry class. To Miss Cully we do bequeath typing classes that do not drop typewriters. In conclusion, we, the Seniors of 1947, do affix our seal to this immortal document on this, the 30th day of May. This Page Sponsored by Tuckerman's Furniture Store 17