Worcester High School of Commerce - Caduceus Yearbook (Worcester, MA)

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On our return to school in the fall, the Commerce High Football Team and the Girls' Hockey Team gathered new laurels in the winning of the Inter-High Champion- ships in their respective fields. Our school paper, the Mercury, was awarded the All American Highest Award by the National Scholastic Association. Our school won the Biggest News Essay Contest in which we, as Sophomores, duly participated. junior year-February 1938-found us ready to embark upon another voyage of new conquests and discoveries. Class elections were again held and the following officers chosen: President, joseph Kairisg Vice-President, Pauline Forslundg Secretary, Frances Alisauskasg and Treasurer, William Nelson. The Euterpean Musical Society presented as one of its notable achievements Pa- tience, in which Varti Davidian and Ralph Biscotti gave impressive performances. jane Eyre, a Blackfriar performance, was another highlight in our junior year. Again the grim Reaper paid a visit to the High School of Commerce and took from our midst Miss jane G. Waite, Miss Anjennette Newton, and Miss Florence N. Flagg, three beloved teachers whom we can never forget. Mitch jaworski and Connie Daucunas played major roles in leading the Com- merce Basketball Team to new victories and the Inter-High Basketball Championship. The Girls' Basketball Team, not to be outdone, captained by Dorothy Elliot, cap- tured the Inter-High Championship, and so ended 1938. The much awaited Senior year at last arrived. Political activities again held sway as class elections were held for the last time. Eugene Gardiner was elected President, Frances Alisauskas, Vice-President, Dorothy Aldrin, Secretary, and William Nelson, Treasurer. Sylvia Lapp and Richard Whelan enacted their individual roles exceptionally well as the Blackfriars' play The First Lady received a tremendous ovation from the stu- dent body. Not to be dauntecl, however, the Euterpeans presented The Chimes of Normandy and received much praise from a well pleased audience. For a change the class chose to have its last picnic at The Weirs, New Hampshire. This proved to be a heartily enjoyed occasion. September brought news of new losses to our school in the deaths of two of our faculty members, Mt. Charles H. jordan and Miss Pauline A. Smith. Only a few hours now remain until the Class of 1940-A passes forever into the annals of history. It has been an often-discussed topic among literary lights, whether past or future joys are sweeter. We cannot foretell the future, we can conjecture, and we can dream, but that is all. But we do know the past, its joys and sorrows, its hardships and rewards, its new experiences and the friendships made, and my wish today is-may all the memories we gather in our future be as happy as the memories of our four years at Commerce. E261

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fllall S Si ll I S 1713 Il 17 ID F' l 9P4r0P-Al Frances Alisauskas 't In the history shelves of the great libraries of the country, there is to be placed shortly a new set of books, the History of the High School of Commerce, and, as a member of this class, I have been elected to prepare an account of the principal events and notable happenings for the Class of 1940-A. While searching diligently through the stacks of old Rec- ords, and racking my brain for further enlightenment, many were the happy memories that came to me. It was in February, 1936, that the Class of 1940-A regis- tered at the High School of Commerce, the largest class in the history of the school up to that date. The students seemed par- ticularly bright, and promised unusually well. After a few days of confusion they became settled and adapted themselves very easily to their new surroundings. Of course some of us made the usual mistakes of finding ourselves in the wrong classrooms, or of asking some Senior if she were going to Business Ethics. Soon, however, technical matters having been settled we began to take stock of our surroundings. The new broadcasting system had just been installed. Each day we eagerly awaited the news bulletins of The Man of the Hour, Mr. Andrews. Among the social events of the Freshman year many of us enjoyed Pinafore, pre- sented by the Euterpean Musical Society and the Ghost Train, realistically offered by the Blackfriars. On Memorial Day the whole student body assembled at the Municipal Auditorium--an inspiring and never-to-be-forgotten occasion. We also enjoyed our first School Trip to Cape Cod--a real Commerce Day-and the memory of it will always be the happiest of memories of our four years at Commerce. - Sophomore year found most of us within the portals of Commerce again. Our deserters' ranks were filled by others, and we soon began to pursue the uneven tenor of our way. With Richard Sauncy as President, life began to assume some sort of order, Helen Roy was chosen Vice-Presidentg Pauline Forslund, Secretaryg and William Sarsfield, Treasurer. A funereal shroud twice encompassed the school as Dr. Albert C. Erickson and Miss Grace M. Lombard departed from our midst for that dim, mysterious land in the Great Beyond. However, the rigors and strains of daily routine were offset by the hilarious pres- entation of Love in the Mist by the Blackfriars and by the musical operetta, the Mikado, offered by the Euterpeans. Both were stellar performances and were attended enthusiastically by the student body. Last but not least, the annual excursion of the Commercites, under the guidance of Mr. Andrews and members of the faculty, brought us via the S. S. Steel Pier to Gloucester. l25l

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CLASS 0IlATION, 1940-A Joseph J. Kairis PRESENT DAY DEMOCRACY I Mr. Andrews, parents, friends, and fellow-classmates: As we complete our high school course here amid peaceful surroundings and with bright hopes of future accomplishments, it might be fitting to pause for a brief view of a distant scene in sharp contrast. The entire continent of Europe is engaged in a sad conflict. Hundreds of men are losing their lives daily, and countless others are suffering painful wounds of bayonet, shot, and shell. Why this needless slaughter? Why must man fight fellow-man? Is it because aggressive leaders decide that I warfare is the surest way to power and dictatorship? Is it the ever present fear of domination by rival neighbors that impels to ruthless violence? Whatever the cause, the great mass of people, inarticulate and bewildered, are the real victims. Here in the United States, the pleople voice their opinions freely and vigorously. Their word is law. They rule! If t ey want war, war it is. If they do not, there is no force strong enough to drive them into it. They are supreme! In Europe, conscription is the rule, here, the exception. In Europe, men are required to give two of the best years of their lives to military training. Here soldiering is an avocation, not a vocation. Men live in closest harmony, regardless of race, color, or creed. There is no furtive or suspicious glance for the misguided individual who does not whole-heartedly approve our form of government. Ours is a broad tolerance and a kindly one. This country was founded by able men of wide vision who built for the future and not just for the present. They cherished an ideal of government with jealous care, counting no sacrifice too great for the advancement of democracy. Their unselfish devotion and steadfast faith present a challenge which we gladly accelpt. Ours is the task of preserving the great principles for which they labored. Two great documents which they left us, the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution, embody these principles. The Declaration of Independence declares: that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. That, to secure these rights, governments are instituted among men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, that whenever any form of government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the right of the people to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new government, laying its founda- tion on such principles, and organizing its powers in such form, as to them, shall seem most likely to effect their safety and happiness. In the unsettled world of today these words take on new dignity and worth. They strengthen and sustain us in these troubled times. May they inspire us to guard well our great heritage of democracy. As we review our many blessings in this great land, we are not unmindful of immediate benefits which affect our daily lives. I express now, for the Class of 1940, warm gratitude to all whose solicitude and good will have enabled us to reach this present goal. I27l