Westerly High School - Westlyan Yearbook (Westerly, RI)

Page 13 text:

1'IIE SENIOR YEAR BOOK 11 YSL , , , alms 'vip Class liiistor Thomas Carlyle, the Great Scotch essayist and philoso- pher, states the theory in his Heroes and Hero Worship that the History of the World is, in reality, little more than the biography of its Great Men. In writing the history of my class I have attempted to follovv his suggestion but have found it rather difficult since each member has some pecul- iar claim to greatness. I have, therefore, decided to discuss only those great personalities who have distinguished them- selves in the various fields of school activity and thus es- pecially influenced the history of the class of 1929. Since scholarship Qalthough circumstantial evidence may sometimes point to the contraryl is really the primary reason for attending school, it is only fitting that those Who have excelled as students be mentioned first. Gordon Michie and Edna Latondress, our valedictorian and salutatorian, to- gether With Helen Himes, Marion Crandall, Ruth Kenyon, Marion Smith, Lucy Rawlings, Lua Kenyon, Esther Chap- man, Ruth Van Vleck, Marcia Tutsch and Byron McCoy, have attained the signal honor of being admitted to the State Honor Society. Closely allied with scholarship, and really a part of it, are the yearly contests connected with the various phases of school work, oral English being represented by Prize Speak- ing, Written English by the Martha C. Babcock prize essay and Chemistry by the Annual Chemistry Contest held at Kingston. In last year's Prize Speaking Contest Rupert Cole- man, in an extremely dramatic delivery of the Closet scene from Hamlet, received first honor, While Edna Coon, in a very different type of speech, Kate Douglas Wiggins' Tragedy in Millinery Knot as pathetic as it soundsb, Won first prize for the girls.

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10 THE SENIOR YEAR BOOK Wl----- --- E aw Class N ight Exercises Address of Welcome Friends and supporters of Westerly High School: We, the Class of 1929, wish to extend to you a hearty welcome to our class night exercises. We also wish to thank ,you for the great interest you have taken in our many activ- ities during the past four years, and to tell you how much we appreciate it. Tonight marks the end of our high school career, as this is our last meeting in this building in which we have spent so many happy hours. We have been together for four years and have worked with each other as a body made up of individuals. After graduation, however, each member will leave and go his own way, taking advantage of the things he has learned in W. H. S. and striving to reach a worthy goal. Some will attend college and by adding to their store of learning obtain a broader knowledge of life, while others will launch themselves directly into the business world. But whatever the graduate does, he will always remember and value the days passed at high school, the foundation upon which all his future plans are laid. Four years of such asso- ciation can never be forgotten and will sure be recalled as some of the pleasantest and most profitable ever spent. Now let us turn to the merriment and fun which always accompanies this jovial gathering called Class Night. All is in readiness and we are going to make this an eve- ning of gay spirit in which every one can participate and have his joke. Before the fun is over, you will know the his- tory and statistics of our class, as well as the prophecy, un- folding the past, present and future of the remarkable group of students which you see before you. Each member will be ,given a useful gift, and the tenderly cherished underclass- men will be honored by having willed to them certain little remembrances which We choose to leave behind us. Therefore, let us listen to the speakers of the evening, Who will reveal to you many marvelous secrets. Ralph Briggs

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12 THE SENIOR YEAR BOOK WLWM- -ir was All those who heard Ruth Kenyon's elaboration of the newspaper article A Policeman Is Fined Six Dollars, a Day's Pay, for Kissing Girl will understand perfectly why she was announced winner of the Martha C. Babcock prize essay last year. Ruth has proved to be an authoress of much clear sighted vision, great power in character, delineation, and the ability to produce a finished literary product. Esther Chapman, another star on the literary horizon, is a many-sided ,little person. In addition to her charm as a nature poetess, she has the distinction of having been chosen representative to the Chemistry Contest at Kingston this year. She, moreover, showed great aptitude in designing and making the costumes worn in the pageant given by the English Club. It is not often that we find in one person such a rare combination of the literary, the scientific, the practical, and the artistic. Rupert Coleman, also, has shown much practical artistic ability. The success of our class proms, for instance, has been mainly due to his planning. He, moreover, has always been willing to help with the decorating and lighting of the auditorium when it has been used for school entertainments. I would advise all those who have thought of sending to Ar- thur Murray of New York for dancing ,lessons to apply in- stead to Rupert. His instruction of the nymphs in their dance for the English Club pageant resulted in their ap- pearing more lithe, fanciful, and fairylike than any who formerly graced our high school stage. Frank Adimari, Rupert Coleman, Bertha Beaudreau, and Alice Harrison were our vocal artists two years ago in the Operetta, All at Seaf' The class of 1929 also supplied many of the terrifying pirates, and of the admiral's numer- ous sisters and cousins and aunts. Although all the characters in the cast of the Senior Play, She Stoops to Conquer, enacted their various roles, with much dexterity and finish, perhaps the amusing per- formance of Fred Dotolo, as Tony Lumkin, a sweet, pleas- ant, damned mischievous son of-no matter, stands out with greatest clearness. No one who witnessed the comedy could possibly forget the ingenious manner in which Tony, like Coolidge, took his exercise on an artificial horse. Gordon Michie and Joseph Itchkawich will surely be re- warded in heaven, if unappreciated on earth, for the cease- less effort spent on the Senior. This year the Senior, be- cause of financial handicaps, has found it necessary to in- clude more advertisements, thus making it imperative to cut down on the number of literary pages and to omit much excellent material which we had but could not publish. Through Joseph Itchkawich's endeavor, the magazine is now