Benjamin Franklin High School - Electron Yearbook (Philadelphia, PA)

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HISTORY OF THE N FEBRUARY, 1943, we entered the auditorium of Franklin for the first time. Our first impression was given to us by our excellent Principal Mr. Williams, who warned us against buying lunchroom seats from the upper classmen, and gave us many other bits of kindly advice. Mr. Belofi, the football coach, gave us a fine talk on football and persuaded many of us to try out for the team. We learned that we would have assemblies every Wednesday and Friday morning, and were advised to be in our seats by 9 o'clock. We were a winter class and therefore entered at the close of the basketball season. Our team put up a good fight and ended the season better than average. In our classrooms we found that we were working with boys of all races and creeds, and we soon began to cultivate that Franklin spirit which is so well known in Franklin and so little practiced outside. Summer vacation arrived and we were grateful for the opportunity for rest and recreation. We returned with quite a different outlook from the previous term. Foot- ball season was on. Our team had been hit very hard because of the war inductions, but in spite of these handicaps our team of Greenhorns and Rookies came through with a poor but hard fought season and nothing to be ashamed of. This term our cutters were unpleasantly surprised by the advent of Mr. Boerckel, who sat on them pretty hard, but won the respect of every true citizen of Franklin. He organized our student court and en- couraged student government. Hangman Boerckel, the terror of our wrong- doers will ever be remembered by us all. Mr. Sewell's barnstorming candy agents and Mr. Gratz fine school paper, the Iunto, can never be forgotten. The lazy fellows will never forget this term, for it was at this time that Mr. Williams granted us a week's holiday before Christmas, provided we came to school an hour earlier for a month before Christmas! Did we like it? Well, you can just about guess! February, '44, and another milestone toward graduation. Our assem- blies proved especially interesting this term, when a number of celebrities accepted invitations to visit us and entertain us. Dr. Michener and his side- splitting jokes, eminent speakers and musicians, and other events of out- standing importance made this term a memorable one. We were indeed, proud when Mr. Delaplaine presented our fencing team with the champion- ship trophy, the bust of Mr. Terroni, our country's outstanding fencing instruc- tor. Several amusing personal incidents mark these days, such as Gold- stein's loss of his pants, and the reign of terror when the Deacon got washed. FRANKLIN ALMANAC Page 12

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FOURTEENTH CLASS We lost our baseball coach, Mr. Smith, to the Army, but were fortunate enough to secure Mr. Eliasson, who carried on with a fine job. Summer, and another vacation. September brought some more hard work for our football team. The rookies had by this time developed into experienced players and handled themselves exceedingly well on the gridiron. They knocked the first place Olney team out of the championship race, but were hurled to defeat by St. Thomas More on a frozen field. Basketball progressed very favorably, espe- cially against the Alumni team Who lost by a narrow margin. Our last year is beginning, and it proves to be indeed an eventful one. With the cessation of the European war our hearts were qladdened and we began to look forward to possibilities in education heretofore placed in the background. We were a small class, but were not wanting in outstanding students and fine organizers, and under the guidance of our own Morton Cot- lar and the assistance of Mr. Lempert our class activities proceeded along well outlined paths. This term marked the death of our nation's president, Mr. Roosevelt, and made us sit up and take notice as to what policy we would pursue in the years to come. The atomic age had arrived and we went to our summer vacation With chastened hearts and thoughtful minds regarding the future. At last the coveted goal is in sightegraduation. We had seen great history made over a short span of time. As the boys returned from the war, our school opened its doors to the Veteran's Administration program and we welcomed these fine self-sacrificing fellows with open arms. Although we did not share the same classrooms we felt that we were working with them, and that the goal of us all was the same-a better informed youth to carry on the work of the new world that had evolved from the chaos of war. We were informed that a new school building for Franklin was no mere fantasy and we wish it the best of success, even though we cannot share personally in its pleasures and advantages. Our aeronautics course, the greatest in the city, offers no small claim to the greatness of the progress of Franklin. As we leave, we want to express to Mr. Williams and all with whom we have come in contact the keenest appreciation for their help and guidance and we assure them that we can never forget what we owe to them. As a result of their cooperation and understanding of us we feel that we can now go on- ward toward higher fields of education and a more comprehensive manhood. URIEL WALLACE. Page 13 1946