Axton High School - Axtonian Yearbook (Axton, VA)

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Senior Superlatives (Left to Right) 1. Most serviceable — Billings and Agee. 2. Valedictorian and Salutatorian — L. Starliiig and Martha Hol- land. 3. Best all round — Agee and L. Starling. 4. Wittiest — Watkins and Jones. 5. Most athletic Mildred Holland and M. McDaniel. 6. Most intelligent — L. Starling and Billings. 7. Best dress — Lawrence and A. M. Ashby. 8. Quietest A. M. Ashby and C. R. Jones. 9. 10, Best looking— Moss and Agee. 11. Most popular— Martha Holland and Lawrence.

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THE AXTONIAN The Last Will and Testament W E, the class of 1947 of Axton High School, make this our last will and testament to take effect at 11 P.M., June 4, 1947, when we shall have departed from this high school life forever. We hereby revoke all previous wills and jointly and severally dispose of all our possessions and privileges in manner and form as follows: To our principal, we leave our sincere appreciation, deepest respect and loyalty. To our beloved sponsor. Miss Norvell, we leave our gratitude for her untiring efforts on our behalf and a quieter, better senior class next year. To Mr. Tavenner we leave all the athletic ability of our present senior class and all the future farmers in the Axton community. To Mrs. Barker, we will a helicopter to fly to and from Axton High. To Mrs. 0. W. Hairfield, we leave a big room to hold all who are promoted to the fresh- man class next year. To Mrs. Bryan, we leave an up-to-date set of kitchen equipment, in appreciation for the nice teas given us in the home economics cottage. To the juniors, we leave the privilege of having a home room to themselves. To the sophomores, we bequeath our dignity, so that they may be accustomed to it by the time they become seniors. To the freshmen, we bequeath all our ambition and dreams. May they not be tarnished by the time they have spent four years at Axton High. Individual bequeaths are as follows : I, Ralph Wright, leave Roberta McMillan my happy smile and a portion of my wit. I, Cyrial Ray Jones, leave my good disposition to R. J. Barker. I, Lyne Starling, leave Billy Riddle my habit of studying quietly as he will need it if he expects to graduate. I, Cleo Martin, leave my talent to interpret the southern negro dialect to Rosie Burnette. I, Dil- lard Gravely, will Isabel Wray my ability to know the right answers at the right time. I, Peggy Billings, will Eloise Barker my ability to get along with the teachers. I, Charlie Agee, leave Juanita Manning some reducing tablets, so she may acquire a streamlined figure for that sailor dream boy of hers. I, Mildred Holland, leave Maude Brown my skill in playing basketball. I, Katherine Moss, leave my high temper, with a brace to keep it down, to Faye Wyatt. I, Melvin Jones, leave Raymond Elliott my ability to pitch a base- ball. I, Billy Lawrence, will Gene Gravely a new baseball glove with the hope that he won’t miss catching the balls next year. I, Martha Holland, leave Irena Barrow my ability to hold one man. I, Julian Compton, leave Cecil Carter my mechanical habits. We, Charles Manning and Norman Cassada, leave Carl Eggleston our skill in getting by without studying. I, Gertrude Watkins, leave Alice Eggleston my quiet ways with the motto “Silence is golden’’. We, L. C. Hankins and Mack McDaniel, leave Dale Matthews our lessons in history, prepared outside class for Mr. Long. I, Anna Mae Ashby leave Ma- rie Wilson some stationery on which to write to a certain boy friend. All the rest of the property, not disposed of, we leave to Mr. Long to distribute as he deems best to the pupils of Axton High School. We hereby appoint and designate the said principal executor of this, our last will and testament. Signed : Witnesses : Charlie Agee Mrs. 0. W. Hairfield Attorney-at-Law Mrs. P. H. Barker Mr. R. a. Tavenner Page Eighteen

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THE AXTONIAN Opportunities For Life’s Work C LASSMATES, friends, patrons and teachers : Tonight I have the honor of welcom- ing you to our graduation exercises. I am very happy in doing so. As I look into your faces, I know that you are thinking of us and the opportunities ahead of us. Perhaps some of you are wishing you could be in our places and relive your lives and be able to grasp the opportunities open to us as we leave Axton High School. We as students should have been thinking more, throughout our four years in high school, about the work for which our own particular abilities may fit, and we should have prepared ourselves to win a good place in the affairs of the world. Some of us have; in fact, most of us have made some plans for our future. Our school has offered us the great priv- iledge of preparing ourselves for a future career. It has been the key to unlock the door which leads to the outside world and its opportunities. We American youth must grasp these opportunities before us to fill the positions of importance and become as good or bet- ter leaders in the future than you, dear friends and patrons. We have won our first round in graduating tonight — our second one will be selecting a life work in which we can use our own type of brains and our own physical and moral equipment to the best advantage. There are more than seven hundred different occupa- tions which offer opportunities to fulfill cur ambitions and inclinations. Some of us are undecided as to what field to enter. Our decisions should not be hasty. We should study ourselves. Perhaps we should take advantage of the aptitiude tests and get profesisonal advice if we cannot come to a decision as to our life work. Ex-service men are using such means to advantage. Whether we make our choice to become industrial workers, account- ants, nurses, doctors, or teachers in life, the third round is in taking advantage of what- ever general or special education that may be helpful in the chosen career. We are only commencing tonight. We mmst become better prepared for that life work. There are so many opportunities open. Schools of all kinds exist. If one does not have the funds, one can borrow them. Man.v scholarships are offered from colleges to challenge youth to better preparation. Some of them are working scholarships. We should not be afraid to work! Some commercial companies are offering scholarships which cover entire expenses. These may be obtained by ambitious youth who meet the requirements. To those of us in Virgin- ia who desire to become teachers, there is state aid. For instance, at a special session of the General Assembly of Virginia. Governor Tuck was authorized to initiate a special Vir- ginia Teaching Scholarship plan. Some of us should avail ourselves of this opportunit.v. In nearby cities are industrial schools, liberal arts, professional and business school. No one need be uneducated in his chosen field ! When we shall have made ourselves efficient enough by further training to plunge into the work of our choice with that spirit and persistent energy which makes of any useful work a glorious thing, we shall have then reached the fourth round. That is our goal ! Success is not reached at a single bound. Nor will it always be obtained, for “The best laid schemes o’ mice an’ men Gang aft a-gley. An’ lea’e us nought but grief an’ pain For promised .I ' oy.’’ When success does not attend our efforts, we must not lose courage, for other oppor- tunities will come and we must go on building and seeking other goals. The world today is a world of opportunity and there are many ways to travel the road to power, honor, and success. We must have sticking qualities, and not listen to those who would discourage us in our life work ! Let us listen to the poet, “Somebody said that it couldn’t be done But he with chuckle replied That ‘maybe it couldn’t,’ but he would be one Who wouldn’t say so till he’d tried. So he buckled right in with the trace of a grin on his face. If he worried he hid it. He started to sing as he tackled the thing That couldn’t be done, and he did it.” Martha Holland Salutatorian Page Tweyiiy