Benson Polytechnic High School - BluePrint Yearbook (Portland, OR)

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Each Ianuary there comes to Benson a new class of freshmen, as consistent as the return of the spring. Members of this graduating class entered in the spring of 1937 and the spring of 1938. Like every class coming into the school their interests variedg some were interested in the shops, some in the courses, some in the sports, and others had no interests. CLASS HISTORY F During their stay they progressed from freshman to sophomore and then to junior and finally to the rank of the senior. On the twenty-seventh of March, 1940, the class was organized under the direction of Mr. Cleveland, and the advisers, Miss Leon and Mr. Boline, were announced. The class immediately took over its duties and a short time later had its officers as follows: President ................ .... I ack Iernander Vice-President .... ....... W illiam Gray Treasurer .....,. .... A ugustine Amato Secretary ......,,.,,,...,, ....,. R obert Libby Poly Tech Editor ........ ...... U go Raglione Sergeant-at-arrns ,,,,,,,,,..,,,,.,,,,...,.,,,....,,.,,,,......,,......... Gilbert Nielsen Capping the spring term activities, the class in traditional style gave a party for the outgoing seniors of Iune. The party consisted of an auditorium program, refreshments, a moving picture, and a dance. From all appearances the party was a huge success. The class began its work anew with the arrival of the fall semester and immediately elected Dore' Studios as official photographer of the class and Crown Engravers as the official class engraver. Soon after the beginning of the fall term the boys in the class belonging to the National Guard were called upon to begin a two-year period of training and were forced to leave school. Twelve members of the class were in this group. Also in line with this National Defense movement the naval reserves were made ready to leave, but none of these left until the latter part of No- vember. The senior play, What a Life, was given on the night of November 15 be- fore a crowd of thirteen hundred people. CLASS COLORS Purple and Gold CLASS FLOWER Talisman Rose For They' Shall Conquer Who Think They Can l 25 l I CLASS Morro

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fi First row: Berst, Davidson, Stephenson, Chamberlain, Iohnston, Gossler. Second row: Steinhauer, Eggiman, Hood, Kurtz, McDowell. Third row: Scopacasa, Gambert, Kanas, Hyde, Cone, McDowell, Scopacasa, and Cone were dropped from the cast after the picture had been taken. SENIOR CLA SS PLAY The night of Friday, November l5, marked the date of the senior theatrical production, VVhat a Life. The play, a three-act comedy, was one of the most hilarious ever to be staged and probably one of the most modern, since it had hardly made its debut on Broadway more than a year before. In great part the success of the play is attributed to Mrs. Doris Smith and Miss Lydia Pliter, under whose direction the cast was trained. What a Life depicts the daily occurrences in the life of Henry Aldrich, the typical problem child of Central High School. Henry is one of those fellows which every school has. He isn't dumb, but merely trying to enjoy life with the least effort. Henry by some quirk of fate can never get along in school, not of his own fault, but, to top his mournful plight, he is always being made the goat by a fellow student, George Bigelow. Henry, however, has one faithful friend whom he can trust, his school-day sweetheart, Barbara Pearson, who is always trying to keep Henry out of trouble. The play centers itself around the disappearance of the school band instru- ments, and immediately Henry is suspected. The instruments are finally found in a pawn shop by Mr. Ferguson, a small town super-sleuth, and his unwelcom- ed assistant, Miss Wheeler. After admitting his guilt in the cheating which occurred during a test, Henry will not admit the theft of the band instruments. The cheating in the exam is destined to cause a split in the school office, and as a result Mr. Nelson, the assistant principal, takes sides with Henry, while Mr. Bradley, the principal, takes the part of George Bigelow. Mrs. Aldrich through- out the entire play will not believe that her son is guilty of these charges, but rather her only interest is to have Henry go to Princeton at a time when he borders on going to 'the reform school. The case is finally cleared, and George Bigelow is proven guilty of stealing the school band instruments in order that he might buy a tuxedo. Henry as a typical hero wins the girl of his dreams, Barbara Pearson, with whom he gets Recognition should here be given to Phil Young, manager of the stage crew in whose charge was all scenery and lighting. l24l a date to the school dance. I

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What they will be doing in 1950 I Augustine Amato Secretary of the Treasury Bill Gray .....,............. ........ E nlisting in the Highlanders lim Hyde .................. ...... P ropasing to Barbara Pearson Al Brinckerhoff ........ ............................... R aising skunks Kenneth Bartel ..... ..,.., T elling the same jokes Paul Hines ........,... ......................... O pera star Iohn Kanas .....,.. Russell Cone ........ Edwin Weiss ........ lack Iernander ..... Ben Stangel .......... Prank Gambert Bob Libby ............. Trevis Brazada ........ Augie lohnson .... 7 Dick Iohnson ........ Ray Schiewe ........ Robert Clare ..... Lester Kurtz ....... Dick Niklas .,....,.... Harold Steinhauer Dean Stuart .......... Getting his first shave Giving his wife an alibi College Professor Laying bricks Graduating from Benson Collecting junk Running a lending library Shoeing horses Circus barker Painting White side walls Eating lunch Principal at Benson Playing a barrel organ Delivering for a florist G-man Newspaper editor CTech PepD less Wagner ......... .......,............ D rafting for the army Phil Young ............... ....... P ulling the Paramount curtain Richard Buckley ........ ..,,................v...................... D entist Roy Walker ...,...,...... ....... R unning for legislature Solomon Babani .. Steve Kosztics ......i Ernest Zanni ............ Kenneth Bradford Vernon Hood ........... Gilbert Nielsen ........ Harold Zahler ....,........ Thomas Iohnstone William Bennett ..... Iohn Copper ....i... William Eggiman Collecting pledges loining the navy Teaching geometry Prize-fighting Army bugler Bootlegging on the farm Stopping noon-day shows Recruiting officer City Commissioner Rear Admiral Coroner Robert Gilbert ..,... ....,......., A second Edison Delos Hale ,........... .................. L ooking over the girls Ed Holden ......... Dale lllig ......,..,..... Fiddles While Scappoose burns William Knight ,..... .......,... ...,..........,.,i......... P r ofessional footballer Helping raise nuts