Bellows Free Academy - Alpha Omega Yearbook (St Albans, VT)

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B. F. A. Mercury lst. row: l.-1'. Sue White. llillio Swislor. 2nd.row:l.-1'..lm1 Sil,I1l70l'll. lfrmik N?LI'CllIl0. Nunn-y Catlin. 'l'lmnms Pierce, Carolyn lTl'llLll1LLl't. Denis llv Nluntiguy, l'i1l llziilvy. CQ iris cmd Boys State in

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B. P1 A. Mercury qfzafifu e I There is nothing more appreciated than genuine gratitude, nor are there many things more difficult to express. It may be this latter fact that has caused America, and indeed the whole world, much of its trouble. Having established this fact, let us consider our faults. Our gratitude is too often a perfunctory thing. Brought up in safety and sufficiency, if not in plenty, we accept too much for granted. The Bill of Rights is hardly ever appreciated except by history teachers and those seeking the shelter of the Fifth Amendment. Our churches are many times only the place to display milady's new bonnet or a handsome window donated by a wealthy member. Homes are a sort of refueling station for the local gilded youth g schools, a place to play basketball and bait the teacher. Not until hard years come do we appreciate prosperity. The true value of the present is seen when it is the past. We gallop gaily through life and our thanks for it are meager. Many times we are insincere when we express appreciation. Nothing is easier to stop than insincere expressions of gratitude, even when masked by an actor of consummate skill. Graceful hypocrisy might just as well carry a red flag and flashing neon lights, everyone can recognize it. Furthermore, it hurts the feelings of the person to whom you are talking. Genuine gratitude brings a glow to the heart of any recipient. This is es- pecially true of those whom we see almost every day! Parents, teachers, and friends all try to help us and most of us have no idea how much a sincere thank you , which takes so little time, can brighten the gloomiest of days. To whom should we as graduates be particularly grateful? Perhaps first we should think of our early American forbears, who believed that everyone should have the right to a free education. The Puritans in particular felt that every person should be able to read the Scriptures: consequently, they set up the first tax-supported schools in America. To them and to such persons as Horace Mann, we owe a debt of gratitude. They gave us a Cl13.IlC0 for an education and the liberty to enjoy it. Next we should remember our fathers and our mothers for the help and en- couragement which they have given us. Many times their judgment and under- standing have surpassed ours. We should respect their wisdom, for it comes of experience. It is they who pay the taxes which provide our education. Our teachers deserve gratitude for the patience which they have so often shown in riding herd on a bunch of flighty students incidental to giving us a little knowledge and culture. And lastly, we are grateful to a Divine Teacher, the greatest Educator of all. Too ma11y people refuse to recognize the fact that existence is 11ot chotic, that for every rule and law of nature there must be a Creator and a Law above all. He alone can teach the most difficult lessons of life. Call Him what you will, he is your Instructor, whose justice is tempered with mercy.

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6 B. F. A. Mercury cl,Qc'3vllvi'.'5iC.'NluvQ'.'5iG'?v1ivi'5i'G'Nuvi'3ll'G'Ni1vt'D1i'C'N1M'Dii'G'9vliviC5i'G'?vu1vi'3ii'G'ivlnvi'5l'G'NiM'5i'G'Ni Glass History Sue Gaines and Millie Swzfsler KwliwrwllwrwilwrwllwrwlIseereaalfhwreeellbwreaaffwiwliwiwllwiwilwil One sunny day last May when we were inves- tigating the lost and found department in Room 27 in search of a pair of red mittens, we came upon a dilapidated five year Diary dating back to nineteen hundred - 49. There was no name but obviously it belonged to some member of the class of 1953. The first pages were written most carefully expressing our good intentions on regis- tration day. The first comment written on September 1, 1949, ably expressed the feelings we shared on that day. It read. How will I live through four years of this? On September 2, the fresh- man class made their first mistake. Some senior made profit selling us seats in assembly. Turning to a page in October we found that we had successfully held our first elections: Eddie Bailey led our class as president, Tommy Hall assisted him as vice-president, Carol Bisson was secretary and Sue Gaines held the ofhce of treas- urer. November 4 - Now we are officially members of Bellows Free Academy. We were the guests of the sophomores at our Freshman Reception. The highlight of the evening occurred when Gerald Coon drank a pint of lemon juice from a baby bottle. On December 21 the diary tells us that with the excellent prompting and stage managing of Nancy Catlin, Jean McMahon and Carolyn Ur- quhart, Nancy Foster, as the only freshmen in the cast, stole the show in the Christmas Play. Found across the pages of January 12 to the 15 was the lone word Exams'l. On the pages of March 15 and 16 an accurate account of our first Junior Jamboree was given. Ringing in the Groom was presented by Nancy Foster, Nancy Alexander, Jimmy Hodet, Nancy Catlin, Howie Dodds, Jon Sanborn, Patty Prou- ty, Jean McMahon, and Carolyn Urquhart. Yippee! We wonl Leafing through the pages of our first year, we found several outstanding achievements by mem- bers of our class. Eddie Bailey played varsity football and basketball. Joan and Carol Bisson were members of the J. V. Cheerleading squad. Some rather interesting events occurred during the summer vacation but as much as we would like to tell you about them, they do not come under the heading of class history. Turning back to September we find that we en- tered our second year with a little more confi- dence. We elected Ronnie Toof as our president, Howie Rhodes as vice-president, Eleanor Smart as secretary, and Tommy Pierce as treasurer. This year the tables were turned. On Novem- ber 4, we had the laugh on the freshmen. We quote from the diary these words. Of course it was a lot better than last year. This year another member of our class stole the show in the Christmas play. Nancy Catlin, the acrtess, was prompted by Jon Sanborn and Nanc- cy Foster. On March 15 and 16 we were again successful in the Junior Jamboree with our presentation of The Blue Teapot . The cast included, Nancy Alexander, Jon Sanborn, Frank Nardine, and Jean McMahon. The prompters were Carolyn Urquhart and Kathleen Riley. In the back of this diary under the heading, Memorandum, we find certain privileged chai- acters. Our ahtletic ability was strengthened by the addition of Howie Rhodes to the baseball squad. Pat Finn was our cheerleader. On the Mercury Staff Frank Nardine, Nancy Foster, and Jon Sanborn gave their excellent advice to