Benson High School - Tatler Yearbook (Benson, NC)

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Raymond Johnson leaves his quiet ways to Homer Johnson. Bobby Langdon leaves his Little Black Ford to Randy Overby. Shirley Langdon leaves her ability to write shorthand as fast as she can talk to Ova Lee Parker. Dewey Mangum ' s ability to ask questions to Helen Capps. Meta Sue McLamb leaves her one-man policy to Belle Matthews. Stacy Miller wills his position on the Basket- ball team to Alonzo Parrish. Every dog has his day. Grace Moore leaves her personality to Sarah Adams. Graham Mosely wills his smartness to Fred Raynor. Lettie Pearl Neighbours leaves her ability to have a love affair and keep it a secret to Leona Johnson. Joseph Lee Penny leaves his ability to wise- crack to Theodore Partin. Ken Pritchard leaves his job as class treas- urer to anyone who likes to get money an easy way. James Rabon wills his parts in class plays to anyone who has the time. Patricia Thornton wills her witty ways to Evangline Blackman. Betty Margaret West leaves her love for Forty Fords to Doris Pope. Ruth West wills her ability to learn French to anyone who dares take it. Bobby Wheeler leaves his Charles Atla course to Howard Jackson. Jimmy Wheeler leaves Lunette to any one who will promise to take good care of her. Shirley Whittington leaves her 14 K. curls to Rollins Johnson. Thurman Whittington leaves his job as class comedian to Stacy Beasley. Shirley Whittington, Faye Barber, Testators. Alma Matesi (To the tune of On The Road To Mandalay ) Far above all institutions Ever to tradition true, Stands our noble Alma Mater, And so glorious to view. Far removed from whirling traffic Of a busy bustling town Arched against the brow of Heaven Looks she proudly down (Looks she proudly down.) Though enduring fame be thine Though thy praises travel far Truth shall always be our motto Wisdom ' s bright alluring star Alma Mater live forever All thy children praise thy name Ties of love shall always bind us Ever more to sing thy fame. 13

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lait Will and ediament COUNTY OF JOHNSTON TOWN OF BENSON We, officially known as the Seniors of 1953 of Benson High School, being of sound mind and body, realize that our days at dear old B. H. S. are now very few. For this reason we do hereby will and bequeath these pos- sessions to the very fortunate persons listed as follows : SECTION I Item 1. To our parents we leave our deep- est thanks and love for helping us reach our goal. Item 2. To our dear old Alma Mater we say Goodbye, to the happy years behind us. SECTION II Item 1. To Mr. Barefoot we leave a thou- sand page book in which to keep tardies, but we hope he won ' t need it after we ' re gone. Item. 2. To Mrs. Lobban we leave our willingness to keep quiet while she is talking. Item 3. To Mr. Ashcraft we just leave and say Goodbye. Item 4. To Mrs. Moore we leave a new kind of shorthand book for stupid seniors. Item 5. To Mr. Stephens and Mr. Nance we leave the old basketball team and hope they improve. Item 6. To the remainder of the faculty we just leave and hope they are happier without us. SECTION III Item 1. To the little Freshmen Class we leave our love, best wishes, and deepest sympathy for the next three years, with the hope that you too may become Seniors some- day. Item 2. To the Sopohomore Class we leave one hundred and eighty good hard school days, hoping you will enjoy them. Item 3. To the Junior Class we leave the honor of becoming Seniors along with all our Senior privileges. SECTION IV Item 1. To the Students: We, Ray Allen and Barbara Woodlief, being perfectly content, refuse to leave our love to anyone. Faye Barber leaves her winning smile to Faye Surles. (A smile goes a long way.) Kenneth Barbour leaves his big mouth to Linda Lee and hopes that she will be able to accomplish as much with it as he has. Annie Mae Barefoot leaves all her short- hand grades to Joyce Smith. Clara Jean Beasley leaves her even temper to Stacy Barbour. Sally Lou Byrd wills her ability to get a man and keep him to Belva Johnson. Donald Creech leaves all his girl friends to A. T. Johnson. Joseph Edward Denning leaves his seat in the Senior Class to Jerry Miller and hopes he gets to sit in it. Jo Anne Eason leaves her ability to dance to Shelby Coats. Patricia Gregory leaves all her boy friends to Glenda Norris. Melba Hall leaves her perfect manners to Martin Parker. Golda Hardee leaves her old Chevy to anyone who can drive it. Charles Jackson leaves his intelligence to Shelton Barefoot. Gwen Johnson leaves her love of basket- ball to Julia Ellis. Harvey Johnson leaves his many girl friends to Rollins Johnson along with the blue buick. It helps. Jane Johnson leaves her job at Abdalla ' s to Sharon Moore. Kenneth Johnson leaves his reckless driv- ing ability to Frank Watson. We learn to do by doing. Leroy Johnson wills his job as class Casa- nova to Kenneth Ivey. 17

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The time is a warm June night in 1962. The place is a beautifully decorated barn for a square dance on the outskirts of Benson. This is the scene of the reunion of the Benson High School class of 1952. Ten years have passed since this class left its Alma Mater to enter the great drama of life. These years have indeed been eventful for everyone concerned. Now as the band begins playing Buffaloe Gals, we see our old classmates entering through the main door. Some look the same as they did in 1952, but some are a little different. However, there should be no diffi- culty in recognizing any of them. Ray Allen is our first target. He has recently won the Memorial Day race at the Indianap- olis Speedway. Ray married Barbara Woodlief , and her schedule is so completely filled with domestic things that her other activities are limited. Look! There is Pat Gregory. Pat is a well known Metropolitan opera star. At the present she is unmarried, but we expect to hear wedding bells for her and a Wall Street multi-millionaire very soon. We see Shirley Langdon and Meta Sue McLamb talking near the main door. Shirley is now press secretary to the President. Meta lives on a farm, happy with her husband and six offspring. Ken Pritchard is so engrossed in a conver- sation that he doesn ' t hear his wife, Jean Lee, speaking to him. Ken attended the New Eng- land School of Theology in Boston, Massa- chusetts, and remained there as pastor of the Advent Christian Church. Our mechanically-minded Graham Mosely is discussing the latest thing in radar with Kenneth Johnson. Graham specializes in radar for the government. Kenneth took his father- in-law ' s place at the Barefoot potato house. It seems that people are taking to corners tonight. Clara Beasley, Shirley Whittington, and Jo Anne Eason have just been located. Clara is dean of women at Meredith College. Shirley is an interior decorator living in Seattle, Washington. Jo Anne has the highest position in the revenue building in Raleigh. Pat Thornton has just joined the little group. Pat has taken Minnie Pearl ' s place on the Grand Old Opera. The band has begun playing Possum In The Simmon Tree. Everyone is gathering for the Virginia Reel. Charles Jackson and his wife, Faye Barber, have paired off. Charles, our annual editor, is now editor of The New York Daily News. Faye is a famous photog- rapher ' s model. Gwen Johnson and Leroy Johnson will be second in line. Gwen is a big buyer for Mar- shall Field ' s department store. Her husband is top singer for Don McNeil ' s Breakfast Club. Leroy is a simple bachelor who has taken over the operation of his father ' s woodworks shop. We have a few disinterested parties for this dance. Three have been located engaged in an agricultural conversation. Joe Denning, Don- ald Creech, and Lee Penny have become the richest farmers in North Carolina. As the dance progresses, we see Kenneth Barbour and Betty Margaret West doing both hands around. Kenneth is, along with Harvey Johnson, a professional football player for Los Angeles Rams. Betty Margaret is married to a slick operator living in Johnson County. Near the bandstand, talking excitedly, are Annie Mae Barefoot, Janie Johnson, and Lettie Neighbours. These three are topnotch tele- phone operators in Raleigh. With the Virginia Reel ended, a new song begins a square dance. More are taking part in this. At the head of the line are located Stacy Miller and Ruth Evelyn West. Stacy plays second base for the New York Yankees and is a greater star than Babe Ruth ever was. Ruth has just returned from Russia with top American officials. She has become the most valuable interpreter for the United States government. Raymond Johnson and Grace Moore are doing the birdie-in-the-cage. Raymond is head of the motor vehicles department for the State of North Carolina. Grace is dean of women at Campbell College. Sally Lou Byrd and James Rabon are also dancing this round. James is the star player of the Sauline Players. Sally succeeded in marrying Levon. She is now busy keeping house, and combines this with private-duty nursing on the side. Golda Hardee and Melba Hall are watching from the sidelines. They are the top two nurses at Duke Hospital. Bobby Langdon and Thurman Whittington are drawing a crowd near the center of the room. Bobby and Thurman are finally rival comedians on competitive networks. In the crowd we see Bobby Wheeler and Jimmy Wheeler. Bobby teaches students in New York for Charles Atlas. Jimmy is a great painter who gained his fame in Paris. Dewey Mangum, warden of Sing-Sing Prison, is standing with his hat pulled over his eyes as if he were searching for a criminal. As the band plays Turkey In The Straw, the old classmates separate and begin moving toward the main door. This reunion has been a joyous occasion for the Benson graduating class of 1952. The past decade has brought fame to several of the class members. We hope the future will bring fame to many others. As the band plays our Alma Mater, everyone will re-enter the drama of life, playing the role that fate has determined for them. Ruth Evelyn West, Prophet. 19