Agawam High School - Sachem Yearbook (Agawam, MA)

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[Rummaging in trunk.} Viv, did you save the pictures of the different teams? [Pulls out picture.] Here’s the picture of the first football team and look who’s in the second row. Johnny Pedulia and “Mick” Channell. Well, I’m not going to destroy that picture. [Places it on floor beside trunk.} That finishes the first year. [Leans over trunk and picks up an- other pile.} Now this pile is a collection of the Sophomore year. Vivienne. How systematically you have kept your memos, Mary. Mine are scattered hit-or-miss all over the attic. Mary. Oh, Viv, that’s hard to believe! You always kept your things in such perfect order when you were in school. Does the Sophomore year stand out particularly in your mind? Seems to me it does, Viv. You know, that idea of taking notes for English helped me a great deal in getting out of washing the dishes. I always maintained that the best time to take notes was immediately after supper and mother swallowed it. Vivienne. [Fingering scrapbook.} Here’s an account of our class meeting for that year, too. [Reads.} “George Reynolds, president; Josie Novelli, vice-president; Ella Gregory, secretary; Esther Stebbins, treas- urer.” We had Miss Hutton for homeroom teacher that year. Remember how hard she tried to play the part of a tyrant toward us? Mary. Yes, and she said when we were graduating, “If I ever have another class for three years, I’ll not be so easy with them.” But we know she couldn’t be otherwise. Vivienne. Do you remember the Hallowe’en party and reception we gave the Freshmen? Mary. Remember the caves of imps and horrors which the Freshmen had to pass through before reaching the “eats”? And I can still hear those unearthly screams which came from Miss Baker’s room. [Claps hands over ears. ] Vivienne. Was that where “Wit” Ferrarini was telling ghost stories? Mary. ’Mm. And weren’t the groans terrible that the Freshmen let out when they saw Esther Stebbins hung by the hair of her head in one of the lockers? Vivienne. Yes. She made a good Bluebeard’s wife, didn’t she? And do you remember how many of the Freshmen were “floored” when they were introduced to the king and queen? [Both laugh.} Were you in the Latin play that our class gave during Education Week? Mary. Yes. I remember Miss Jauch had a very hard time trying to make John Pedulia take Helene’s hand and act fatherly toward her. And would you believe it, after talking about “The Locket” — that was the name of the play — for a month, Helene suddenly discovered on the morn- ing of the play that she had no locket. Miss Jauch finally contrived one out of a safety pin and some string. Vivienne. [Leaning over the edge of trunk.} What in the world have you saved that doll for? That didn’t have any part in your school work, did it? Mary. [Picks up doll and fondles it.} It most certainly did. That’s the doll I carried to the kid party. Remember how attractively the gym was decorated? A huge Christmas tree in this corner and a fireplace in that. And what fun we had playing The Cat and the Mouse and Drop the Handkerchief. Surely you haven’t forgotten how excited we were when [20]

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Glass J-fistory Scene: Two girls, Vivienne and Mary, members of the class of ’28, are rummaging through an attic with flashlights. They have difficulty in finding the switch. Mary. Where is that switch? I never had any trouble finding it be- fore. [Shuffling sounds as they move about. Vivienne finally finds socket. The light comes on.] Oh, Viv, don’t you just love to go up into old attics like this and poke around? One always finds so many articles which have been stored as souvenirs. Vivienne. Yes, and what stories they would tell, if they could speak! Mary. [Goes toward an old trunk.] You know, Viv, I hate to de- stroy all my school day souvenirs, but I can’t take them with me to Hono- lulu. I’ve put them all in this old trunk, and this will probably be the last time I’ll be able to look them over. [Looks longingly at the trunk.] Vivienne. I’m so glad I came to see you today. I’ve saved most of my souvenirs, too. Wonder if you’ve saved the same ones that I have. Let’s compare them. Mary. [Leaning against the trunk in a reminiscent mood.] Viv, how much do you remember about our first day as Freshmen? How did you feel? Didn’t the white walls impress you? We were so used to the buff-colored walls of the Junior High. I overheard Miss Ward say to Miss Smith as they passed a group of us in the hall, “Oh-h-h, aren’t they small? And how young they look.” Vivienne. What a hard time Miss Jauch and Miss Mclntire had trying to find room for us all in the study hall. Mary. And do you remember how strict Miss Jauch and Miss Mc- lntire were with us the first of the year? But I think they were really sorry when we left them in June. Vivienne. Oh, Mary, don’t forget desk inspection during that year. [Leans over edge of the trunk.] What’s in that notebook? I kept an ac- count of the socials in mine. [Looks through book.] Oh, this is a scrap- book. Here’s an account of our first class meeting. [Sits down and reads. J “The results of the Freshman class meeting w'ere as follows: George Rey- nolds, president; [Looks up]. Weren’t we proud of him? He helped to bring so much credit to Agawam both in athletics and scholarship. [Reads again.] Josie Novelli, vice-president; [Looks up]. Dear Josie, didn’t she work hard managing that “Mirror”? And do you remember how excited she used to get? [Reads again.] Edward Uschmann, secretary; [Looks up]. Eddie left us that first year. I wonder where he is now? My, he was tall. [Reads again.] George Tomasini, treasurer; George left us that year, too. Didn’t he have a wonderful voice? Mary. Yes, and how proud we were when we learned that he was to have a part in the Athletic play, “A College Town.” No wonder Dorothy Munson’s, pardon me, Mrs. Rickert’s head swelled so much she had to in- vest in a new' hat. I think we all showed symptoms of the same ailment. 1 9]

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Santa Claus came down the chimney and distributed his presents? I’ve lost my present, somehow. I wish I hadn't. Vivienne. [Looking through scrapbook.] Oh, you’ve kept an account of athletics, too. Here’s an account of the game with West Springfield. It says “Reynolds wins game. Players carry him off on shoulders.” Mary. [Excitedly.] I saw that game. I can see Reynolds now stand- ing in the middle of the fioor and caging those four baskets in succession. Do you wonder that the players carried him off on their shoulders? Vivienne. [Picks up medal.] How did you get this Tuft’s College Medal, Mary? Mary. Oh, that’s the medal the boys received as a result of their standing in the Twin County League. Never mind how got it. [Smiles knowingly. Picks up snapshot. ] Here’s a snap of the boys most closely connected with athletics. [Goes to Vivienne and points out members. Consolati, Channell, Wallace, Reynolds, and Johnson. Isn’t that a good picture? Have you one of those? Vivienne. No, I haven’t. But I have a snap of two girls in our class that I think just as much of. The two Esthers — Esther Pond and Esther Schwartz. Mary. Of course “Squitzy” looked upon George as her ideal, so that’s probably why she did so well in athletics. And I suppose “Pondie” was trying to keep up the record that her sister, Grace, made. [Picks up another snapshot.] Here’s a snap of Marion Allen, our canning champ. Marion’s family need never worry about having indigestion if Marion pre- pares the meals. They’ll probably never be hungry leaving the table, either. [Passes the snap to Vivienne. She nods agreement.] That finishes my Sophomore year. [Replaces them in trunk. Takes another pile from trunk.] These are the memos from my Junior year. You remember we had that pleasant room overlooking the river for our homeroom? Vivienne. Yes, and part of Miss Baker’s room, too. Who were our class officers that year? Mary. [Counting on fingers.] Let’s see. George Reynolds was pres- ident; Marion Allen, vice-president; Esther Stebbins, secretary; and Ralph Channell, treasurer. Vivienne. Almost the same ones every year. The Commercial Club, Alpha Beta Gamma, was formed that third year, too. Mary. Yes. That was rather an exclusive club. The members had to take two or more commercial subjects in addition to obtaining an aver- age of “B” in all major subjects. You belonged to the club, didn’t you, Viv? [Vivienne nods agreement. ] Remember the initiation we were put through? [Takes placard from file.] We had to wear these placs on our backs. But that was only part of the initiation. Vivienne. We had some pleasant socials in that club, though. Wish we could get together again. [Mary nods.] Alary. Then came the Junior Prom. Didn’t the assembly hall look pretty? Here’s a flashlight picture that was taken just before the grand march. I had the picture tinted to bring out the colors of the class of ’27, green and silver. That’s Esther Stebbins over against that wall viewing the finished product. Of course, Steb was always willing to help make things