Berkeley High School - Olla Podrida Yearbook (Berkeley, CA)

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President $ Jiddress Ladies and Gentlemen : To-night the class of ' 99 performs its last function as an organized unit. Henceforth it may exist in spirit only, with but the ties of friendship and pleasant association to hold it together. We do not present our program to you in order that you may criticise and form an estimate of the ability and knowledge of any individual member of the class, nor to emphasize the fact that we are taking any crucial step in our careers, for we fully realize that such is not the case, as we, or the most of us, merely step to the next higher plane of the education which is to fit us finally for the works of our lives. To you, our patrons and benefactors, though we hold that many of you have been too chary in providing for our needs, we desire to afford an evening of such pleasure as we may, expecting of course that you will not be too critical and will keep in view the fact that it is for your enjoyment primarily, and through this for our own. In the preparatory course which we have just finished, we have experienced all the phases of modern education, prescribed and voluntary training, physical and mental exercise ; and having had the example of our collegiate neighbors, we shall take easily to the work required of us when we enter the institutions of higher education. And indeed, our present knowledge, or what we might reason- ably be supposed to have after three years in high-school, is not so limited as to prevent the success of those few of us who are unable to further pursue the path of learning, provided of course that they have the energy and other qualities necessary to the success of any man, be he highly educated or not. During the past year have transpired events which afforded a test of the stuff of which the youth of the country is made ; and be it said to their honor, in no way were they found lacking. From the class ' 99, there A ent forth a number of young men whose minds and bodies were well prepared for the ordeals and unusual hardships which have been forced upon them. There has been no complaint from these boys, and their patriotism is as undying as on the day of their enlistment, while their staunch courage is demonstrated in every engagement they enter. The class of ' 99 has little to boast of in the way of achievements. All the prominent athletes of our class enlisted, and hence we have been able to make but little showing in this line. We have, with the aid and backing of the school, carried off the honors in debate ; and this together with the high standing of the members of the class constitutes the honor of which we are as proud as any other class has ever been of their triumphs and achievements. It is with a firm determination to maintain this standard of intellectual excellence that we pass on to our further and higher work ; and if we are successful in the end, we can look back and say that our success was largely due to the firm foundation we laid during our preparatory work on which to base the structure of our educa- tion, through which success must come. 20

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IT is with a feeling of pleasure that we complete the task which has been ours as Editors of the Olla Podrida for the past year. And still there lingers a feeling of regret within us, for the Olla Pod. and its interests have become endeared to us. It has been a constant companion to us for a whole year, and we leave it as we would part from a friend. The duties of the editprs may be made light or heavy according to the degree of support given the paper by the students. We sincerely regret that we have had to complain on several occasions ; but it is a well known fact that the paper has not had sufficient support from the students. The Board of Editors has exerted its greatest endeavors to make the paper a success throughout the whole year, and we hope that our efforts have m.et with the approval of all. We sincerely believe that those to whom the care of the paper has been entrusted for the ensuing year will, like the Vestal maidens of old ever keep aglow its mortal flame. To those who take our place for the coming year we wish the height of prosperity. All praise is due the business management for keeping the paper upon a sound financial basis throughout the year. Without their unceasing and untiring efforts very little could have been accomplished. We have done everything in our power to turn what trade we represent to the benefit of our advertisers, and hope that they have all found recompense and satisfaction in their transactions with us. Grateful acknowledgments are extended to those who have so liberally contributed from time to time. Many have submitted articles which have not been published. We ask them not to think that their papers were retained through prejudice, as we have tried to serve all alike, selecting those which seemed most suitable. We have endeavored in this issue to give to our friends a paper that would best represent the school, and beg that those inclined to be critical will consider the difficulties which had to be overcome in publishing this issue of 104 pages. The entire staff will feel amply repaid if this our final effort meets with the approval of the friends of the High School. For the many contributions of art work from Miss M. E. Brehm, Miss E. Cham.berlain ex ' 99, Messrs. McKee, ' 01, Kruschke, ' 00, and Dungan, ' 98, we are exceedingly grateful. Success to the Olla Podrida in 1900! 19

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WM. GIRVIN. PEARL WAGNER. ELSIE KIRK. WM. FOX. MARCIA TAYLOR. THOS. R. HANNA. EVELYN KENNEDY. CATHERINE PEAKE. R. ALLAN CAVEN. HENRY ATCHISON. EMMA WARREN. ERNEST ALLEN. WINIFRED BIGLEY. ELSIE SULLIVAN. HOWARD HENDRICKS. ROMILDA PARONI. 21