Blake School - Reflections / Call O Pan Yearbook (Hopkins, MN)

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Those were three years of preparation for the time when we should head the school and shape its destinies for better or for worse. Last fall we came back ready for our responsibilities as Seniors: We elected Carpenter president for the first half year and buckled down to work immediately. Athletics last fall were doomed to failure, Brooks organized his team, but was barely started on the road to success when the “Flu” broke out and half his men were taken sick. To cap the climax lirooks resigned to enlist in the Red Cross, Mintener took the lead of the team and football only to further disasters. The new captain broke his ankle and Confer ran the team in the final game. During the winter basketball was supreme. Stabeck captained the school team and Mills, Confer. Beltz and Stabeck won their letters. Roberts' class team took the school championship. This spring Mintener is baseball captain and is supported by many old “B” men of the class. Here 1919 will probably add another triumph to her list. Our athletic record of faithfulness and zeal, of victory and success is an honor to us at Blake. In our Senior year we have not neglected the quieter side of our life at Blake. Handicapped by the influenza vacation, Best, Rallord and Peck have maintained an average which places them almost at the top of the school in scholarship. 'The usual round of winter activities has been a little meager this year, for all our time has been occupied by lessons. We have found time to continue many of the old activities, however, and we believe to them. Under Beltz and Brooks the Blake Union has extended its valuable and interesting part in the life at Blake. Xewton has edited the Torch, while Confer has guided the destinies of the CALLOPAX. The class has also won honors in various competitions. Peck, Rees and Xewton formed a class debating team which triumphed over the Juniors and Peck was made captain of the school team which defeated S. P. A. Carpenter, Xewton, Best, F. Howard, T. Howard and Mulliken were chosen for the Williams speaking contest. F. Howard won the competition for the Thorpe Cup. The class of T9 has been well represented in the Dramatic Association for the last two years. Again this winter the class has proved its powers in every line of activity at Blake. One of the things in our line at Blake to which we can look back with the greatest pride is the part we have played in the world war. The war began in the year we organized and ended in our final year at Blake and in those five years we have done our best to serve our nation in every possible way. We have subscribed to our last limit of ability to every appeal for financial aid alone. In our Junior year we purchased $350.00 worth of Liberty Bonds, and War Chest. Red Cross, and Relief calls have been answered to the limit. We have supported our nation in every possible way in school and at home. When the military company was formed in 1 17 almost every man took the opportunity to train himself 21

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basketball. In baseball once more we distinguished ourselves, having seven of our classmates on the team and Mintener being elected to captain the ’19 team. Surely here is a series of athletic triumphs, as under class men of which we may well be proud. While we excelled in athletics there was a lively interest among the fellows in more scholastic attainments. Special attention was paid to public speaking. We asked to be allowed to speak in the weekly contests and volunteers from the class won praise for their work there. In our Freshmen year we started our debating record—Rees, Confer and Peck winning from the Sophomores bv a unanimous decision. ()nly once in the inter-class debates has our team met defeat. In 1917 we won over the Freshmen and in 1918 we took our onlv defeat from the Seniors. For his excellence in this debate Mulliken was picked for the school team. In other fields of speaking we were also well represented: The I Make Union instituted a declamation contest in our Sophomore year and eight men took part with Wells, the victor: Rees spoke in the Thorpe Contest winning third place. Again, as Juniors, we were represented among the Thorpe speakers. These three years gave the class extraordinary training for future public speaking, besides winning honors for 1919. Interest was also exhibited in literary expression. As Juniors, Newton and Best were elected to the Torch Board in recognition of their ability, while Brooks made the CALLOPAX Board, and Beltz, Best. Brooks, Carpenter, F. Howard, T. Howard, Mulliken, Xewton. Roberts and Wells were elected to the Union. The interests of our members were various and so our scholarship average was never the highest; a group of fellows, however, maintained a consistently high record. In ’16 Xewton. Best and Rees were among the best scholars at Blake. In 1917 Xewton took third place and Rees sixth in scholarship. As Juniors, Xewton, Rees. Best and Burns were among the ten highest stand men in the school. 1919 excelled in extra-classroom activities also: Xewton. Mintener and Mulliken scored in the Information Test: Mulliken won honorable mention in the Strieker Debating Contest. Stevens won first place in the short story contest and Cooney and Rees took first and second honors in the Blake Union Editorial Competition. Altogether the class may certainly take pride in the part it has taken in the scholastic activities of the school. Certainly one of the things of which we should be proudest in those three years is the Boy Scout Troop. Even in our Freshmen year great interest centered in the national movement and in 1917 we organized Blake d roop 85. It is one of the largest in the city and has won many honors in the city contests. Here onr fellows met the “great outdoors, some of them for the first time and here we gained some of the noble qualities for which the Scout Badge stands. The Scout Troop is surelv an activity in which succeeding classes must continue to excel. 20

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for future service. Several of our number enlisted in different branches of the service. Clark and Hudson were among the fighters, while Brooks, Mills and Boquist were in the Red Cross. In every way 1919 has been 100 per cent loyal and devoted. Perhaps among all our successes for Blake in every field of endeavor—two decisions of our class will have most effect on the school. Early in the fall the question of continuing the student self-government arose. There was no thought of its abandonment, however, the existing system seemed to need improvement. The student council was large and ineffective and we set ourselves to evolve a remedy. 'Hie result is our present self-government organization, which we hope has promoted the welfare of the school. Along with this question came the question of the honor system. This we have continued and we hope perfected. These two things—self-government and the honor system—seems to us to be essentials if Blake shall continue to do its work in Minneapolis and we leave them to your care. Here is the story of our class. From the small beginnings we have done our best to rise and to make the name of the class of 1919 glorious in the history of Blake. We have done our best to serve her on the athletic field, in the class room and in all the activities of the school, that she might fulfill the purpose in her motto, “urbi ct orbi lumen. We trust the decisions we have made and the victories we have won, our efforts and our successes, have been worthy of Blake. Now we leave to your care the institutions we have erected, and to your judgment the record we have made. Douglas Rees, Class Historian. 22