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

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CONTENTS FACULTY SENIORS ACTIVITIES .... ATHLETICS .... ORGANIZATIONS

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Headmaster’s Message Each year, throughout this nation of ours, a new group is added to the ever-growing army of those who have finished their secondary school education. You have now joined this vast horde. But you are a very special group. You are i)roducts of the olde.st public secondary school in these United States. You are graduates of a school which for three hundred twenty-one years has held rigidly to the purpose foi- which it was tir.st founded, that of preparing its graduates for college. The Boston Latin School is world-famous for its classical courses of study and its rigorous standards of discipline. Our alumni throughout the years have brought great glory to their Alma Mater by their great successes in their chosen field. They did not attain these successes by chance. Each one of them achieved his present position by hard work and unfailing devotion to the principles which the Masters in this school tried to hold eternally before them. Not one of our famous sons was satisfied with mediocrity. Unfortunately, this mediocrity of which I speak has become the curse of our present way of life. So many of our contemporaries seem to be satisfied with ju.st getting by. You yourselves have shown signs that this disease has affected you. Many of those who entered with you fell by the wayside. They were infected and succumbed; you were exposed, shook off the infection, and recovered. You have proved your worth. You have conquered yourselves, your handicaps, and your disappointments. You have persevered where others have failed. Now you .stand at the threshold of even a greater challenge. If you follow in the footsteps of the thousands of boys who have left these halls in bygone years, you will go on to college. You will .still be faced with many difficulties. Whether you succeed or not is strictly up to you. If you are satisfied with mediocrity, your life in college can be easy and pleasant. If you want to stand out, to be a leader, to gain for yourself an honored place in society, you miust re- solve now to use every ounce of will, energy, and intellect you possess to reach the goal. Set your sights high and never waver in your course. We are proud to welcome you into the ranks of our Alumni. We want to be more proud of you in the years to come. We want to receive word that you are on the Dean’s List, that you are leaders in college activities, and in later years that you are successful in your chosen field. You can do it. You have been given the training necessary to carry out any program you choose. Use it. Work hard, scorn miediocrity, and we shall be happy to acclaim you as one of our worthy graduates.

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FOREWORD P or a period of 321 years the Boston Latin School has jjro- vided a classical background for countless students. Many of its grad- uates have achieved lofty positions in busine.ss, politics, the learned profe.ssions, and the arts. Perhaps no alumnus who has received his entire formal education from this school has left so indelible a mark on so many fields as Benjamin I- ranklin. When people hear the name of Benjamin P ranklin, some immediately think of the man who risked his life with the kite, key, and string in a thunder.storm to prove a theory; others think of the states- man, through whose untiring efforts France entered the Revolutionary War on the side of the Colonies; .still others think of the witty pub- lisher, whose “Poor Richard’s Almanac’’ informed and entertained a new nation. Surprisingly enough, these are only a few of Mr. Frank- lin’s accomplishments. He has contributed much to literature, educa- tion, science, civil reform, and even sports; and has well deserved the honor of being called one of America’s founding fathers. We, the Class of ’56, to commemorate the great man, are including in our yearbook some significant excerpts from his life and letters. Surely he was one of hi.story’s most inspiring examples of individuality and ingenuity.