Auburn High School - Trojan / Oracle Yearbook (Auburn, IL)

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will and testament, unto which we subscribe our names and affix our seals this 24th day of May, 1922. Blanche Snell Adella Bigler Mervin Foster Ray Nuckols George Mehr Virginia Clark Cecil Crouse Ralph Easley Violet Stevens Ruby Crafton Harold Williams Minnie Parrish John Masterson Kathryn Clarke Orville Fry Catherine Regan Elizabeth Brunk Floyd Harris Goldie Suydan Ruth Knox Teddy Skaggs Helen Murphy Hubert Hatcher Walter Britt in Lottie Engert Prophecy True to the old adage that “A bad penny always returns,” I found myself in 1942 coming back to my old home. The twenty years had brought about such a change in the city of Auburn that it is no wonder 1 got lost in the outskirts of the city. After realizing my predicament I decided to inquire the direction of the business district. The first person 1 met was a small boy to whom I put the question, ‘‘Which way is the square from here, sonny?” lie glanced up at me and then stared. “Square?” he repeated, “What do you mean?” “I mean the down town district.” I explained. “Oh, its down that way,” he indicated with his thumb. “Only that’s the first time 1 ever heard that name for it.” I thanked him and took a street car in the direction he had guided me. Soon the car was passing between long rows of large buildings. The streets were noisy and crowded with people and traffic. Here I alighted and going to a newstand on a corner, purchased a paper. A glance over the first page gave me quite a surprise. It was The Auburn Citizen, but how it had grown ! Beneath the name was printed “Central Illinois Greatest Semi-daily.” And then came the real surprise. The next thing I read was— “Editor—John I. Masterson.” Glancing up at the buildings near by, I found that I was standing nearly in front of the Citizen office. I could scarcely wait until I got into the building. I was shown into the office where a short, dark man of large girth and thick little moustache worked over a pile of papers. He knew me at once and our talk lasted over a considerable length of time. 1 rom him I learned that Ray Nuckols still lived in Auburn and was directed to his place of business. It turned out to be a large shop where he sold Ford cars. He seemed to have changed very little in his comical ways and carefree disposition. However he proved his salesmanship to me, and before I left I had bought a Ford car with flying attachments, so that it could easily be converted into an airship. As I did not know much about it, he went out with me to teach me the work- ings of the machine. As we were driving through town we came in view of a group of large buildings only recently erected. When I asked what they were, he told me that they belonged to a hospital and orphans’ home. 20

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Item. To the Sophomore class we leave our “Stand-in with the faculty.” Item. To the Freshman class we leave the Seniors’ pep and push. Item. I, Blanche Snell, give my permanent hair wave to Ada Masterson. Item. I, John Masterson, bequeath my popularity and good grades to Opal Sutton. Item. I, Helen Murphy, leave my seat in the English and History classes to Susanne Mulcahy, trusting she will look after the welfare of the Irish. Item. I, George Mehr, wish to give my chewing gum to Bessie Miller. Item. I, Cecil Crouse, leave my memorandum to Miss Patton, with the hope that she will remember her birthday. Item. I, Ralph Easley, gladly leave all my earthly possessions to Edna Fry Item. I, Ruth Knox, give my precious lamb to the girl who will take the best care of him. Item. I, Ray Nuckols, leave my ready-made excuse book to Albert Hart. Item. I, Violet Stevens, leave my frivolous ways to Helen Christopher. Item. I, Teddy Skaggs, leave my vanity to Ray Brooks. Item. I, Goldie Suydan, bequeath my ability, as Editor-in-chief of the Oracle, to the Junior getting the job next year. Item. I, Elizabeth Brunk, bequeath my basket-ball ability to Lena Caccia- tori. Item. I, Adella Bigler, gladly leave my specks to Claire Nuckolls, so she can read the sign “Five dollars fine! Keep off the grass.” Item. I, Harold Williams, seeing his distressing need, do hereby bequeath my stature to Austin Van Doren. Item. I, Kathryn Clarke, having no material possessions with which I wish to part, do leave a word of sympathy and encouragement to any one who has need of it. Item. I, Catherine Regan, do hereby bequeath to Otis Miller, the mud from my buggy wheels, hoping that next year the roads will be a little drier. Item. I, Virginia Clark, leave my ability to peddle noise about the halls to Perry Lorton. Item. 1, Ruby Crafton, do hereby leave my dainty step to Rose Shields. Item. I, Floyd Harris, do leave my affable manners and pleasant smile to Norman Stout. Item. I, Lottie Engert, do leave my reserved dignity to Carl Cline. Item. I, Hubert Hatcher, bequeath my evergrowing appetite to Mr. Carlson. Item. I, Minnie Parrish, leave my ability in playing the part of an old woman in plays to Edna White. Item. I, Walter Brittin, bequeath my penmanship to Miss Ehnbom with the hope that she will improve. Item. I, Orville Fry, by request of Miss Spencer, do take my paper-wad shooter with me. Item. I, Mervin Foster, gladly give my pompadour to John Carlino. Item. All our other earthly possessions we bequeath to be used as prizes at any future carnivals. Lastly, we do hereby name and appoint Charles Morrison, president of the Sophomore class, with the assistance of his cohorts, as executor of this our last 19

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“Oh, yes!” he exclaimed, ‘‘1 nearly forgot; you remember Helen Murphy? Well, she’s the matron of the “home.” And Ruby Crafton is a nun over at the hospital.” 1 was so surprised that I nearly forgot what the steering-wheel of the Ford was for. “She was disappointed in love,” Nuek went on, “so she just entered the hospital as a nun. Turn in here and we’ll stop a little while.” 1 did so and together we walked toward the orphans’ home. Soon I found myself looking into a face that seemed to have changed very little from the time when we had all been Seniors. She had grown very portly and with all seemed to be an ideal person for her place. How Irish she looked! I could not keep from telling her so, at which she laughed in such a way that the twenty years of my absence seemed only a few days. As we left for the hospital, Nuck told me of how well she got along with the children under her charge. It was like a delightfully large and happy family in which she was tin1 central factor. At the hospital we found Ruby in her own office, for she had charge of all the other sisters. Frail and graceful she was, as in the days of twenty-two, but her gay smile had changed to one of tenderness and thoughtfulness for others. Before we left, she told us that she would not give up her work for the world. The next day I took my leave of the delightful city, over the old hard road. The machine ran fine and for several hours I sped between prosperous farms. Then suddenly I came to a stop and, upon investigation, found that I was out of gas. Seeing a large house a short distance away and back from the road, I walked toward it, hoping to obtain the gas there. There was a large lawn covered by a perfect carpet of grass, abundantly scattered with shade trees. Everything was well kept from the spacious house to the dog kennel. This must be the home of a real, up-to-date farmer, I thot as I came nearer. 1 found the farmer in his garden working industriously with a hoe. As I came to the fence the straw hat tilted back, and to my surprise I looked into the perspiring face of Walter Brittin. He was as surprised as T and before 1 could explain why I had come, he had turned toward the house and called, “Virginia!” “Oh, Virginia!” at which I heard a voice answer, ‘Yes, Walter.” In a moment Iho screen door opened and a neat little figure tripped down the walk toward us. “Virginia Clark!” I exclaimed, scarcely able to believe my eyes. She laughed gaily and snapped airly— “Brittin, if you please!” And then I recollected how the two had always got along so well together during their years at high school, how they had shared similiar views on all mat- ters that had come up in their classes, but I had never suspected that this would terminate in marriage. The next day we all went together to a little country church, that was near the farm. Virginia told me of the wonderful minister they had, a very lovable man, kind and gentle, and loved by all his devoted parishioners. On arriving I found the ecclesiastical dignitary to be none other than Orville Fry. He smiled when I thoughtlessly addressed him as “Chick” and said that he still liked the nickname. From his sermon I learned more than from three average ones. I could easily see why his little flock was so devoted to him. The next morning I decided to return to Auburn and within an hour’s time I had my “flivver” fixed for flying. Soon after T had risen and started toward 21