Axton High School - Axtonian Yearbook (Axton, VA)

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THE AXTONIAN Reveries of A Bachelor HE man in the lounging chair shivers as he hears the patter of rain on the roof. He gets up and pokes the open fire into a glowing flame. The light flick- ers and dances, casting a rosy glow over his face and makes large shadows on the wall. He sighs contentedly and walks to a large bookcase on the other side of the room. He glances over the rows of books, smiling with appreciation as he reads the titles of his favorites. He reaches forward and takes out a large volume. As he puts it under his arm, he notices three thin books, two bound in blue and one in gray. When pulling them out, he sees the title of each to be “The Axtonian”. Returning with them in his hand to the fire, he again settles himself in his lounging chair. He drops the the large book at his side but fondles the three thin books gently. After lighting his pipe, he gazes into the fire and looks back across the past. Memories make images in the glow- ing coals. He sees many things of his half-forgotten youth. He turns on the light and begins examining his thin books. Beginning with the bright blue one, “The Axtonian 1942”, he turns its pages until he reaches the word Freshmen. He remarks to himself, “Why yes! that’s my class when I entered high school. What a group there was of us!” He counted, “There were sixty-four. Whew!” He glances below the picture and notices, “Class A: President, Lois Grant; Vice-President, Randolph Jones; Secretary, Blanche Jones; Sponsor, Miss Clara Norvell”. As he reads the class roll he remarks, “These are not all; where are the others?” He turns another page and reads, “Class B: President, Anne Starling; Vice-President, Pearl Garrett; Secretary, Mary Elliott; Sponsor, Miss Margaret Ward.” Below he finds the names of those he had missed. His glance moves to the glowing coals again, and he is back in Axton High School. He recalls the excitement of the first day of his group in high school, the mad rush from the busses up the walk by the well and the bewilderment of having so many in the large room back of the stage. Miss Norvell is in charge. He seems to hear her say, “Copy the outline on the blackboard and fill in .” He sees Mr. Saville enter with another teacher whom he introduces as Miss Ward and about half of the group go out with her. As he muses, he sees a group of small boys playing basketball and imagines himself shooting goals again. He hears the girls telling of cooking, sewing and playing volley- ball. He is taking part with others of his group in S. C. A. and F. F. A. work. It is win- ter; he is at a banquet. “What banquet?” he murmurs. “Oh yes, the F. F. A. banquet!” His father is there, he sees the holly decorations and the place cards in bright colors. The girls of his class, wearing white aprons, with Miss Nutter, are serving a feast to the men and boys. He hears the jokes and the ceremonies and enjoys the fun again. It is spring; he sees Sam Barker and Claiborne Hankins of his class playing on the inter- scholastic teams of basketball and hears himself holloing, “Hoorah for Axton! Hoorah for Sam!” as a home run is made. He is now at Field Day in Bassett where the games are in progress ; he sees Harold Brown getting a blue ribbon for winning a race. , He is back at school again; a man is taking a picture for the annual. He has that very picture in his hand. He gazes long at the picture. In his imagination, some seem to fade out of it. He recalls that Ruth Woodall, Marie Draper, and Marjorie Mize moved away during the year, and that for various reasons Jerline Bray, Harold Brown, Robert Kidd, Lloyd Turner, Ruth Lewis, Edward Bui’gess, Ruby Garrett, Lester McDaniel, Betty McDaniel, Betty Moore, and Joe Wilson dropped out. He turns for the next book, but he finds “The Axtonian 1943” is not there. Yes, it all comes back. The war was in progress and the seniors did not have an annual. But he does have a pictur e of his class in the back cf the 1942 book. He turns to it. Some faces of the year before were not there. He scratches his head in thought. “Yes,” he recalls, Page Sixteen

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THE AXTONIAN COMMENCEMENT EXERCISES AXTON HIGH SCHOOL AUDITORIUM BACCALAUREATE SERMON Sunday, June 3, 1945, 8:00 P. M. PROCESSIONAL DOXOLOGY INVOCATION HYMN “God of Grace, and God of Glory” SCRIPTURE PRAYER HYMN “Are Ye Able? Saith the Master” SPECIAL RENDITION Miss Alice Tudor SERMON — “The Good Warfare”... Rev. L. G. Tinnell BENEDICTION RECESSIONAL GRADUATION EXERCISES Thursday, June 7, 1945, 8:00 P. M. Part I Invocation Rev. W. A. Hawley Welcome Mamie Eanes History, “Reveries of a Bachelor” Anne Starling “From A to Z” (Original Jingles) Belva Riddle “Whispering” (Parody by Lois Eanes) Class Tribute to Axton High School Edith Gravely “Axton High Loyalty Song” Class Our Elementary School ..Rebecca Still “In Memoriam” (Original poem to deceased classmate, Engle Hankins) Christine Lavender The Axton Victory Corps Lois Grant Our Boys in Service Billy Barrow and Joseph Law “We’ll Welcome You Home Again, Our Men” (Poem composed by Christine Lavender and dedicated by the Class to Axton boys in service) Class Salute to the Flag Class Our Athletic Program ..Randolph Jones A Little Fun in Axton High Frances Wyatt, Edward Eanes Axton Future Farmers of America J. T. Richardson, Madeline McGuire, Clair Still Advice to Juniors Helen Gregory Action Song, “Singing in the Rain” Lois Eanes, Christine Lavender, J. T. Richardson, Billy Barrow Grumbler Mozelle Robertson Will Lee Agee Prophecy Ellen Earles “Classmates” (Poem by Lois Eanes) Class Gifts Tom Barker and Christine Wells Part II Salutatory, “What Is The Postwar Outlook For Moral Standards?” Mary Elliott Song, “America The Beautiful” Class Announcements and Delivery of Diplomas Mr. H. L. Saville i M ary Elliott, Lois Grant, Christine Wells, Lois Special, “Sing, Robin Sing” ...... Eanes, Anne Starling, Edith Gravely, Mamie ( Eanes, Helen Gregory, Christine Lavender Valedictory, “Postwar Education” Gladys Talbert Song, “Star Spangled Banner” Class and Audience Page Fifteen

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THE AXTONIAN “Marie Bowles, Claiborne Hankins, J. T. Moore, and Fred Barrow did not come back in the fall, and Miriam Turner remained a freshman.” He notices a new one had come into the class, Varley Norton from Martinsville. As he gazes he sees others fade out. Sylvia Shelton first — “Yes, she moved to Spray, North Carolina.” Next, others disap- pear — Blanche Jones moved to Martinsville; later Hazel Turner and Sallie Riddle to Brosville and Jeanette Jefferies to Draper. Another fades out — Pauline Hankins. He recalls an accident, the visits of the class to the hospital, the flowers and gifts for Paul- ine. Though she recovered, she dropped out of the high school picture. Finally he sees Frank Motley, Leon West, Jimmie Morrison and Marvin Gilley drop out. He remembers that all these boys and most of the others that left were in service during the war and the slogan at school was “All out for victory!” A picture of the Victory Corps booth in red, white and blue passes before him. He sees girls making Red Cross kits and boys salvaging iron. He shakes himself out of his dreaming and looks at “The Axtonian 1944” ; there on the first page was the same old school. As he idly turns the pages, he finally reaches the picture of the junior class. He is sorry to find some more of his classmates missing — Sam Barker, Marie Barker, Pearl Garrett, Thomas Winn, Gene Yates, and Sam Robert- son are not there. Sam Barker and Sam Robertson joined the navy, Marie stayed at home, Pearl married, Gene moved away and Thomas remained a sophomore. But thirty- one were left, with Mary Elliott as president; Helen Gregory, vice-president; and Lois Eanes, secretary. He closed his eyes as he lives his junior year in high school again. How proud all were to be in the row next to the seniors in chapel. He remembers Mr. Bergdoll was there the first of the year teaching math and helping on the playground and that he had a variety of instructors until the second term when Miss Bailey came in and settled them down with ’low marks’. He sees the juniors getting anxious about their ranking as Mr. Saville makes the order for the class rings. What a thrill he had as he drew his on his finger! He had accomplished something. His picture was put in the annual as a full fledged junior. He was again at the F. F. A. banquet, eating the good dinner served by Mrs. Bryan and the Home Ec. girls. In April he finds himself helping Mrs. Bryan and Miss Norvell arrange for the moonlight picnic the juniors are giving to the seniors at Turner’s Lake. He strolls on that romatic walk to the spring above the cottage and lake; he can’t remember with whom, but perhaps she does. Now it is the last of May and he sees the seniors happy, and he receives their farewell gift. But why think so long of this now? Had not the juniors become seniors, too? So he quickly puts aside that book and picks up the last, “The Axtonian 1945”, the most dear of all to him. Every page glows with memories of his school life ! Did he not help make this book? Was his name not there on the staff? Here were his last dear teachers and a picture of each of his classmates. But a few were missing. Where were they? Hazel Brumfield had dropped out to get married; Gladys Hodges and Nellie Comp- ton were at work; Noel Lavender, in the army; and Shiela Burchell had remained a junior. He gazes in the fire. Twenty-seven were sitting on the front row in assembly. Mary Elliott was again president; Lois Grant, vice-president; Gladys Talbert, Secre- tary; and Miss Norvell, sponsor. He lives again the excitement of the first class meet- ing for planning the plays to start the annual fund. He recalls the rehearsals, the squabbles over the stage, as to whether “The Southern Cinderella” needed more practice than “So We’ll Just Pretend”. He, of course, takes sides with the latter as he is a mem- ber of that cast. It is the night of the play. He is appearing behind the footlights, and is happy because the audience is appreciating the 1945 players. At times his heart is heavy because one was missing from the cast. Engle Hankins lay suffering from a terrible accident in the hospital, but youth had hope that he would survive. Alas! he did not, and the next week the class mourns his loss. Page Seventeen