William Howard Taft High School - Senior Yearbook (Bronx, NY)

Page 17 text:

Sicily, in '-H! The mareh to Rome began. On other fronts, 'l'lll'l l'rX'l'RlO'l'S, VVere hammering Iapan, And haek at Taft, the girls went wild, XVhile ent-eards spelled their ruin, They didn't mind those makeup tests, They heard Sinatra eroon! The dawn of liberation gleams, SING OUT, SNVEILT LAND, were on our way! Our hearts, our hopes, our silent prayers, XVere with the boys D day. Our days at Taft were fading fast, Soon seniors we would he. Reserved for ns, were certain rights, Poor frosh, we pitied thee! XVC reaeh the end of four long years, VVith victory in sight. Those years have seen Tlllfl 'l'FIhll'l'IS'l' surge, Then weaken at our might. VVe seniors leave the halls of Taft, But memories remain. VVC promise that the world we shape, XVon't lead to war again! HARRIET PERLIN

Page 16 text:

THE 1 1.91 ..,a..?...1 21.1 'T.2'Ei ' VVC victors of a four ycar fray, VVcll armed with books and matter-gray, Record our story, framed by war, And View thosc things worth Eghting for. 1941 Pearl Harbor bombed! The nation stunned. Our country was at war! Two oceans that protected us, Were barriers no more. Awakening to world events, VVe freshmen rubbed our eyes, 1942 Democracy, IN TIME TO COME, VVas slipping from the vise! But then the tide began to turn, VVith Midway to our score. VVe put our BEST FOOT FORWARD there, And swore we'd give them more! Three terms of Taft, of tests, and texts, Ot seniors in our hair. VVe poor misguided sophomores, lust murmured, C'est la guerre!

Page 18 text:

snafu With obvious padding in his jacket extending his meager 34 chest to a defiant 36, he trotted triumphantly into William Howard Taft High School. A Hollywood and Vine whistle escaped his lips as he found himself engulfed by walls twice the size of P. S. 99M fthe half indicated it was half boys and half girlsj. After the usual routine that a new recruit must undergo, our hero emerged exhausted and humble .... It seems that during the interim between 9 and 3 he dis- covered that the lowest level one could possibly descend to was that of a high school Freshman. His swagger vanished, and his smile was weak. But on passing some tots emerg- ing from his alma mater, his chest, recently sunk to normal, swelled once more. The most puzzling students to analyze are the Sophomores. They are betwixt and between. Naturally, they are too experi- enced to associate with green Freshmen and too young to dare invade the respected premises occupied by Iuniors and Seniors. Therefore, they keep to themselves and try to get in the good graces of teachers by running errands that the Seniors shirk. Next is a blessed stage. Iuniors are quite happy and content in the realization that they have only one more year to go. They are respected, as they should be, by Freshmen and Sophomores and sweetly patronized by Seniors. They have One Foot in Heaven, a pleasant thought, as the homework gets heavier, Heavier, HEAVIER. After four years of strife and struggle, as they say in the books, you may finally smile upon the whole world. Being the big shot, you can afford to be generous. While you may, out of one side of your mouth, browbeat the poor Freshman Qafter all, it is your rightj, out of the other side you graciously patronize him. You, as a Senior, contain all the traits of your previous seven terms. You talk faster, yet think slower. You are confident and unsteady at the same time. You are an adult and not sure whether you like the idea. You ache to leave and be on your own, and still-you cling to the old ties. It is the grandest and most glorious year of your life and you will never forget it .... It is the happy finish to the metamorphosis that started four years before when you entered as a bewildered youngster. MARIORIE ESKOW