Waltham High School - Mirror Yearbook (Waltham, MA)

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,' ..-Q-W ----- --- Class of 1942----wm-i-1--n-i----- of mental regimentation. Naturally we used our previous year's experience to avoid work as long as possible. The teachers, however, were quickly cognizant of our wiles and soon work was swiftly underway. Election of class ofiicers was consum- mated without difficulty. They were: Roland Dion, President, Edwin Thomas, Vice President, jean Butcher, Secretary-Treasurer, and Thornton Regan, Auditor. junior fellows were in the line helping the foot- ball team make a good uphill fight all the season. As reserves, they showed up well. This team I record as having had a good offensive and a great deal of strength on the ground and in the air. We made up quite a number of the hundred or so members of the Dramatic Club and several were on the executive committee. Meetings were held once a month with refreshments served at the conclusion of each. Before the Christmas holiday the club had a party. Gifts were ex- changed and Carols sung. The major activity of the club was the presentation of three one-act plays which brought forth admiring comment from a delighted public. A new extra-curricular activity this year was the short-order cooking class for boys. In normal times one might hear a feminine echo What! a cooking class for boys! Ridiculous! But with war clouds on the horizon and men being drafted into the army, a distinct shortage of short-order cooks had been suffered. The course, conducted by Miss Stewart, was held on Monday afternoons for seventeen weeks. The fellows were able to learn to prepare many kinds of meats, salads, and pastry, and in doing so, they seemed to have an excellent time. Upon passing the vernal equinox the season of light hearts and gaiety was ours. For' Mr. Ray- mond A. Crawford we had unbounded praise for his splendid work in presenting the operetta Naughty Marietta. Our class formed a large part of the cast with one or two in character roles. Its gay costuming and tuneful melodies were high- ly pleasing to capacity audiences on both the nights it was presented. Having partially recuperated from the ills of the season, we waited in pleasant anticipation of the junior Prom. Francis Dougherty was elected chairman and soon he and his committee had spirited preparations underway. Finally that long heralded May evening arrived when we were to play host to the seniors who were about to leave us. The affair, which was very pretty and very successful, forms a pleasant part of our history. The boys in their white flannels and blue coats, the girls in their beautiful gowns certainly formed an attractive group dancing among decorations portraying a pent-house roof. Needless to say, the gym was amply populated. The year was rapidly drawing to a close. We felt that much was to be accomplished before that final day of reckoning when our reports would be given to us. This called for a serious attitude on our part, so that we could hardly notice the seniors hustling about preparing for graduation. At last the final day came. The seniors departed the week before and now we were about to leave. When we returned in the fall, we would be seniors - the highest class in the school. It gave us a feel- ing of exaltation. On returning in September we were delighted to hear the report that the boys were once again getting into shape for the coming football season. This year it was our turn to have the guiding hand in football. Again we chose our class ofhcers in the persons of Jimmie La Rosee, President, Marie Geisler, Vice-President, Adele Bettinson, Secretary-Treas- urer, and Thornton Regan, Auditor. While the boys were practising football the girls were doing their bit at field hockey. The different class teams furnished a number of inter- : W'

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.:.,-.,-l---------- --- -------claw of 1942 N previous class his- xxN's I l ,XM tories it may be noted that the classes entered as wild eyed sophomores, who got lost in the labyrinth of rooms and corridors, and wcre haughtily looked down upon by the upper classmen - but not this class. Al- though we, as sophomores, entered in September 1939, our class could disdainfully look down upon the college preparatory freshmen who also as a class entered the portals of Waltham High for the first time since 1920. It can be said that several soph- Clair History LOREN P. NEFF Class Historian llli' Q ll ll 1 10101 li li tains, played in a particularly clogged style, refusing to give up, and while they did not always win, they certainly played a clean, well fought game. Some sophomore fel- lows gained experience as substitutes, while others gave the team moral support by regular attendance at the games and by hearty cheer- ing. Hardly had we recovered from Thanksgiving when Christmas rushed upon us with ensuing practice in bas- ketball and hockey. In this, our sophomore 1101009 omores did get lost but that was rather of their own design. It didn't take us long to discover that we could accidentally take the first lunch, be excused, and then take the second recess. Any sophomore caught going up the wrong stairs or cutting through rooms might merely report that he was a freshman. And verily I say we were not half so green as many of the sophomore classes before us - at least in our own opinion. We soon accustomed ourselves to the routine of high school life and quickly learned the traits of our upper classmen, whether they were good or bad. Among our new found responsibilities came the momentous question of electing class officers. They were: Herbert Nelson, President, Roger johnson, Vice-President, Kenneth Nickerson, Secretary-Treasurer, and june Kellogg, Auditor. Later we selected our motto Spectemur Agendo tLet Us Be Known by Our Deedsj and our class colors - green and white. Football, under the direction of Mr. Leary, came upon our horizon, and Waltham, with Richard Johnstone and Fred Goguen as co-cap- -a-L , I W ifmlx vu year, we had the opportunity of cheering for a hockey team unsurpassed by any other team in the history of the Bay State League. The Crim- son went through the regular season undefeated and untied - a new record. Basketball for both boys and girls was an im- portant feature of the winter, and the high school gym was the scene of many a hard fought battle. With spring fever, came thoughts of the Soph- omore Social. Although it was held on an evening of adverse weather conditions, we man- aged to have a most enjoyable time, but you all know the old, sad story. The girls giggle in one corner. The boys shuffle uneasily in the other, however, several of the young ladies sang well. I doubt that we can boast of one student who had not been computing for at least a month, the days until june vacation. We received with joy our final ranks, and, the year was over. That a ten weeks vacation passes into oblivion with all too great rapidity was what was on the minds of most class members as they climbed the steps to resume another one hundred eighty days

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---1---------f-fi--Class of 19-42'----------'--' esting contests. They were always allowed to come to our games but, somehow, we were never invited to go to theirs. After the Thanksgiving recess we looked for- ward with a great deal of joy to our Christmas vacation, unmindful of the strained relations ex- isting between our country and those across the waters. December 7 marks an epoch in our nation's history. At noon that day most of our nation were at their radios listening to the President's speech. We, too, were fortunate in that several students brought radios to school and most of the rooms were able to hear that memorable address to Congress asking for a declaration of war. The international situation began right there to affect our student body. Many a boy and girl came from a home from which at least one member of the family had joined the armed forces. Fred Malone, of our class, joined the navy the day after Pearl Harbor. Mr. Smith, our ardent teacher of the social sciences, went to work in the Douglas Aircraft Factory at Long Beach, California. Short- ly Mr. Gallagher of the history department en- listed in the Coast Guard. Mr. Curran, our erudite biologist, began training at the Air Corps Technical School, Keesler Field, Mississippi. And Mr. Roach, our dramatic artist and literary expert, left for Camp Devans. After Christmas vacation our sports interests turned to basketball and hockey. With only two regulars from last year's varsity, our coach, Mr. Quinn, had to undertake a great rebuilding job in order to get ready for the stiff Suburban League campaign, however, the team's showing was a big improvement over that of the previous season. Regardless of how many games were won or lost we may be sure that the boys were in there doing all they could. At the beginning of the season the hockey out- look wasn't too bright, but the team did far bet- ter than expected. It lost only two games while winning the Bay State League championship and received an invitation to the New England high school hockey tournament. By a class vote in the assembly hall we depart- ed from the usual custom of choosing a class photographer. It was decided that each should have his pictures taken where he chose and as a consequence the necessity of appointing a picture committee as incurred by previous senior classes was dispensed with. Soon we were exchanging pictures, however, according to custom which re- minded us that graduation would soon be upon us. Now it was time to think of the event of the year, the Senior Play. Melvin Hayden selected Heroes just Happen. The cast was chosen, and rehearsing began under the direction of our ver- satile dramatist, Mr. Roach. Finally that much advertised evening in April arrived. The South junior auditorium was filled with people who wit- nessed one of the most successful plays that has ever been presented by any class. Everyone re- marked how unusual it was to have a cast of twenty-five in which all did so extremely well and too much cannot be said in praise of Mr. Roach's untiring efforts. The performance formed an ap- propriate prelude to our spring vacation. We returned from our vacation with only a very few days of school ahead of us. Many things kept us busy until the last day. We had college boards to pass, incomplete work to make up, and obligations to settle. At last with these things done we can look upon that eventful day when we will cast off into the world to make our mark. Graduation day we gather together for the last time and look with satisfaction on our days in Wfaltham High School. Our experiences here have tempered us to face the future. Now we, the class of 1942, are about 'to go forth into the world to execute a debt of gratitude to our teachers by showing them that we can bring honor to our class by being Known by Our Deeds. Loren P. Neff.