Boston Latin School - Liber Actorum Yearbook (Boston, MA)

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Mr. McKim’s Message The year 1953 marks the end of one era and the beginning of another. It is the year in which the Democratic Party of Roosevelt and Truman lost control of the government of the United States to the Republican Party of Eisen- hower and his followers. It is the year in which Stalin died and Malenkov took over the reins of government in Russia. It is the year in which the Boston “Braves” transferred their franchise to Milwaukee, Wisconsin. And it is the year in which you young men graduate from the Boston Latin School. Truly, it is no ordinary year that sees the end of your secondary school career and the beginning of your college course. As I write these lines, the Communist aggressors in Korea, China, and Russia are putting out peace “feelers”, and the Western nations are cautiously considering them. The outcome of the peace con- ference about to be held will have a very important bearing on your future and the future of the world. Yet, I cannot refrain from warning you that our country can- not afford to be lulled into a false sense of security; and that it cannot afford to slacken its present plans for national defense. Hence, our government must of necessity continue its present draft policies, and the continuance of these policies will mean that you young men must look forward to at least two years of military service. So far as I am able to ascertain, the prospects of military service do not seem to worry you boys too much; but it is your parents who look into the future with anxious eyes. On their behalf, may I urge you to start your college careers in the fall, and to pursue them insofar as you are able. Each year, I witness some of our graduates needlessly dropping out of college to enter the armed forces. This, I believe, is a mistake. The country will be far better served, from the short-term point of view as well as from the long-term point of view, if you boys stay in college and earn your degrees. The country needs leaders, and it is to you that it looks for leadership. The country needs trained leaders, and the only way it can obtain trained leaders is for you young men to complete your college education. Long before you complete your college education, you will have to decide upon your life’s work. Naturally, you will want to succeed, and bring great honor to yourselves, your families, and your school. I wish I could give you a secret formula for success, but I am afraid I am unable to do that. May I suggest this: — Re- member always that you stand or fall on your own work. It may seem to you, now, that the above advice is no formula for success. You may now think that you will never fall, but will always stand erect. Let me assure you that you will have a great many falls before you realize the soundness of the counsel given. As you graduates leave our hallowed halls, I am reminded of a New Year’s message delivered in 1939. Although you are not at the beginning of a New Year, you are at the beginning of a new era. Here is the message which I would like to make my own: — “I said to a man who stood at the gate of the year, ‘Give me a light that I may tread safely into the unknown;’ and he replied, ‘Go out into the darkness and put your hand into the hand of God. That shall be to you better than light and safer than the known way.’ ”

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George L. McKim

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FOREWORD In tlin prge ' s of this Lihcr . ctorunt, we, the Class of 19, ' )3. have recorded tin ' e ents ol our final year at tlie Latin School. W ' e have reviewed the many phases of the school-life which v.as taniiliai to every one of us. With words and pictures, wc have atliered ineinentocs of our hist days here, .so that in years to come we niav lock had; upon them for pleasure or, pc ' rhaiJS, consolation. Althouf lt tire interests and activities of members ol cur Class have been ckverr-;- fi; d, one symbol has united us all. I ' liat, of course, is the Class Ring. The school :cal ujron its stone renrinds us constantly of Alma ' later. The numerals on its band link us by an mdesti ' uctable tie with our classmates. Indeed, as the emblem of oiu ' f ' l.- ' ss, the ring has become th.e fundamental sign ol our affihation with the Latin School. It has rcprescn ' .t ' d the basis upon which our academic lives have been built. It is pro;3 ' ' r thcri,fore. that this ring be used as the .symbol of our class record. . atin School is symbolized by the ring, v ' arious aspects of school life are wali reflected by the nrany facets of its stone. In one, appear likenesses of our masters. In c.nctl ' cc c.an tx plainly seen our own images. In a third are found pictures of special events in our school calender. In a fourth are photograjohs of athletic contests; and a hftli is a view ol club activities. rJaturalh ' , .e cannot always see a line representation of Latin School life in th.c ' se pictures. To our eyes, the reflectiems have frecjuently been somewhat distorted. In many cases, what has been the actual situation and what has appeared to be the si nation have been completely different. They hav ' C produced the apparent truth as well as the real truth. Losing all the reflections — both real and apparent, wc have compiled in this vfilume a conijrlete review of our Latin School days. We have shown in careful detail our many undertakings in tlx ' ir actual form. At the same time, however, we have attempted to r ' cord our personal impressions of these same activities. f .VeULTY Si.Nions 17 AnriviTiE.s 87 , thletics 111 . Org.vniz.vtions 133 6