Big Island High School - Islander Yearbook (Big Island, VA)

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CLASS WILL (Continued) Patria Manley Johnson leaves her Marine Corps friends to Gayle F ifer and her typing ability to Janet Camden. Audrey Markham leaves her athletic ability to Lacy Goff. Norma McNeely leaves her interest in the boys to Jean Wise and her ability to be a housewife to Barbara Oliver. Jackie Oliver leaves her business abilitv to Helen Wright and her chances of being a bride in the near future to Patsy Arthur. Myrene Ross leaves her business like ways to Della Tolley. Iris Routon leaves her soprano voice to Patsy Arthur. Emma Lou Sanderson leaver her smile to Janet Camden and her honor roll book to Gayle Fifer. Shirley Tolley leaves her charming ways with the boys to Donna Spence and her Ford to Bug Taylor. Aline Tomlinson leaves her hobby of collecting Glenn Miller records to Carolyn McGee. Phyllis Turpin wills her homemaking ability to Donna Spence. Given under our hand and seal this fifth day of June, 1956. Class Testators: Betty Arthur Jean Harris Witnesses: Jackie Oliver Glenna Fifer TO THE CLASS OF ' 56 We ' ve reached the top rung in the ladder of school Where joy and sorrow ensue. We ' ve come a long way but just a small way With much left to do ere we ' re through. To each has been given a talent and a mind To make our task here well done. To each has been given a choice to make. . Our duty to do or to shun. We ' ll soon take our lives to where we see best To labor, to toil and to play. But may we remember our duty to do Before the close of each day. This world holds in store a place for us all Our destiny shines plain and clear. Our Father above grants us faith pure and free That our good works may ever adher To you is a challenge to meet every day For some day your life here will end. And then you must answer for all you have done. How has your life on Earth been? Class Poet Robert Perrow Taylor

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CLASS WILL We, the Senior Class of 1956, being of sound mind and body, declare this to be our last will and testament: duly witnessed and signed on this fifth day of June, 1956 , to wit: To our principal, Mr. Burkholder, we leave our appreciation for the wonderful job he has done for our class and for the school. To Mrs. Oliver, our sponsor, we leave our thanks, also we wish to express our appreciation for her understanding guidance through a difficult year. We leave her good qualities and kindness to the classes who follow us. To Miss Harris, we leave best wishes and a well equipped chemistry laboratory department for the future. To Mr. Oglesby, we leave all the pop quizes and a successful boys basketball team. To Mrs. Glass, we leave a more intelligent typing class than ours was. To Mr. Emerson, we leave many shop and mechanical drawing supplies to work with in building a recreation center in Big Island. To Miss Owen, we leave our appreciation for the nice work she has done her first year here. To Mrs. Parks, we leave a winning girl ' s basketball team from now on and a piggy bank of pennies for art supplies. To the Junior Class, we the Senior Class wish to leave our beloved Senior spon- sor, and an interesting Senior trip. To the Sophomore Class, we leave our best wishes for success in earning money for the Junior-Senior Banquet. To the Freshmen Class, we leave the ability to become good cheerleaders and basketball players. To the Eighth Grade, we leave the ability to become real scholars in the years to come, Carl Arrington leaves his History book and all his history notes to James Vest. Bobby Brown leaves his common sense to Della Tolley. Arthur Burks leaves his memories of eating at the Shamrock Restaurant to Ed Sanderson. Pendleton onepnerd wills his ability to become a p rincipal to Reginald Wilson. Milton Sowell leaves his dignified looks to Irvin Putney. Bobby Taylor leaves his brains and dictionary to James Vest. Randy Williams leaves his Rock Hudson looks to Wayne Wilson, Robert Williams leaves his ways with the girls to Don Burks. Betty Arthur leaves her Sixteen Tons to Patsy Arthur and her wavy hair to Barbara Oliver. Edith DeWitt leaves her date book to Helen Wright and her slim looks to Carolyn McGee. Dottie Farley leaves her easy-going ways to Della Tolley. Glenna Fifer leaves her Home Ec. teacher to Ed Sanderson and being a ten o ' clock scholar to Donna Spence. Jean Harris leaves her ability of cheerleading to Jean Wise and her good looks to Gayle Fifer.

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CLASS PROPHECY It was the summer of 1975 when I left my home in Hawaii and plunged into the Pacific to swim to the United States and visit all my old classmates. However, after swimming about two hundred miled I decided to continue by boat, which I found to be faster and a great deal easier. Upon arrival, my first stop was Burks ' Ford Motor Company where I was pre- sented a 1975 Ford convertible by Arthur Hugh Burks, owner of the Company. He was assisted by his wife, the former Emma Lou Sanderson. Their eleven children are all in high school or college. After a tour through the plant I continued south- ward, in my new Ford, to a huge sawmill. It was the G. D. Smith Lumber Company, of which Bobby Brown is General Supt., and his wife, the former Myr ene Ross, is head bookkeeper. My next stop was the David Mitchell Elementary School at Sedalia, of which Pendleton Shepherd is principal. He became principal of this school after resigning as assistant principal of Big Island High School. Soon he will go to Bedford to become principal of the new $6,000,000,000 County High School. lam certain he will be a great success. While at Mitchells ' School, I saw another of my classmates. Miss Edith Mae DeWitt. She has been teaching school for fifteen years. She is an Old Maid, but I think she has her eye set on Mr. Shepherd. While talking to Edith, I found that Glenna Fifer had become a professional basketball player. She has won many awards for her great playing. In her spare time she coaches at Mitchells ' School. Another of my former classmates. Professor Robert P. Taylor, who has made a name for himself in nuclear research, has just been awarded the Order of the Garter by the young King of England for inventing a gas which covers the British Isles so completely that they are impregnable from attack by any type of nuclear weapons. Robert has just given $4,000,000 to the Nuclear Research Laboratory. I know his name will live forever. After traveling a while, I stopped for gas at the Big Island Crossroads Garage of which the proud owner is Carl Arrington. He took over this job after retiring as Captain of the National Guards. From here I continued southward to Crocodiles Pond where I witnessed some fancy water skiing. One of the leading attractions was my classmate, Randolph Williams. He had won all trophies in the United States for water skiing, and will soon be crowned King of the Water Sports World. During the winter months, Randy designs high speed boats and airplanes at the C. Q. Boeing Aircraft Plant up North. After spending several weeks in Florida, I returned to Big Island and went on a tour of the huge new paper mill built by National Strainer Corporation. As I stepped into the main office there was Robert Williams seated behind a four by eight foot mahogony desk from which he directed the mill ' s operations assisted by his wife, capable secretary, who is the former Norma McNeely. While talking with Robert, I learned that Milton Sowell has become a world-wide evangelist. He is now preaching in Paris where he will stay for six weeks. He is a great person and I know he will continue in his good work. After leaving the mill, I visited Patria Manley who is now living at Parris Island, South Carolina Marine Base where her husband. Colonel Johnson is in command. Patria ' s oldest daughter is forward on the Parris Island High School basketball team, and her son is a great tackle on the V. P. I. football team. They named their home at Parris Island, Red Hill in memory of her childhood home, near Big Island.