Charles W Baker High School - Lyre Yearbook (Baldwinsville, NY)

Page 26 text:

CLASS PROPHECY As we neared an intersection, I noticed a car speeding towards the intersection from the road on our right. Our car reached the intersection at the same time as the other. Baker stood on the brake pedal and barely avoided a collision. “Who was that maniac?” I asked. “Oh, that’s Carol Chamberlain,” he replied. “She runs a driving school for women.” Hearing this, 1 decided to walk the rest of the way to my hotel. So he let me off directly in front of a grill which seemed to be surrounded by pickets carrying signs which read: “Don Hammond unfair to customers—S.P.C.I. (Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Inebriater.) This group was lead by three former members of the class of ’48, Rosalyn Reeves, Janice Van Nostrand and Margaret Mc- Dermott. I hurried quickly away from the spot in hopes that they would not recognize me. After my narrow escape I decided to take a bus the rest of the wav to the center of the city. Just then one came along, so I hopped sprvly onto the first step, falling flat on my face. A voice from above me boomed, “If ya can’t stay sober, stay off the busses.” I looked up and saw Jeanne Ecker happily pushing crushed passengers into the back of the bus. She told me that Doris Meaker and Helen Hulbert wetfe also drivers on this bus which was run by Barbara Keefer. She also said that if I owned any property in this neighborhood, I’d better look out. “There’s a fire bug on the loose. The police, who. like their chief, are none too smart, believe the fires were set by Paul (hotfoot) Reeves who plays his Clarinet while the city burns.” The next stop was my hotel, owned by Miss Johanna Euess, the great hotel magnate. 1 stepped off the bus and walked into the cigar store next to the hotel. There, much to my surprise, I saw a young lady puffing on a large cigar. When the smoke cleared, I found that it was none other than Patricia Tillotson, the president of the First Trust and Deposit Company. Standing with her, were her two chief aides, Barbara LaPoint and Eleanor Kaye, the financial wizards. On the counter was a sign depicting the matinee idol, Allan Eidt, smoking an F.I Ropo cigar. Purchasing several cigars, I walked back onto the street. Here I met Duane Coville, Supervisor of the Town of Lysander, and the great electrical wizard, Robert Hayes Wilder, who informed me that Prof. Corinne Rosti had just been appointed assistant professor of Pots and Pans at the Frieda Smith Institute of Home Economics. Leaving this pair of great minds, I entered the hotel. I had just gotten inside the door when I spied a man completely surrounded by women. When I asked the desk clerk, who happened to be Dick Young, who this chap was, he informed me that he was Jim Fryer the famous football star from N. Y. U. Dick also pointed out a girl sitting in a chair in the lobby, who, he said was Jovce Pacelli, who is now touring the country with her all-girl basketball team. The star members of this squad are Rosalie Reeves and Barbara McArdell. Just then Jim Fyler walked by. Upon spying him, I said, “Don’t you remember me, Jim?” He turned partially around, looked at me and said, “I’m afraid so,” and walked on. After I recovered from this blow, I happened to notice a poster in the lobby, announcing that Mary Jeanne Delaney and her tumbling tornadoes, starring Betty Lou Huveldt. the queen of the big top, are coming to town. Included in the act were the famous lady wrestlers, Mary Sartwell and Mary Anne Glanville. I dedded that I’d seen enough so I walked over to the elevators. I pushed the button and a minute later the door of the elevator was opened by the pretty operator, namely Shirley Ridall. On the wav up, she told me that Lorin Marlin, the famous race driver had crashed into the railing at the Indianapolis Speedway this afternoon and seriously injured the railing. I was glad to get to my room and take my daily dose of Dr. Doran’s Soothing Syrup, which is guaranteed to cure rheumatism, bunions, house maid knee and also scare away such characters as Mel Edwards. On the wall of the room was a calendar with a picture of the famous dance team of Helen Bowen and Norman Gee. The calendar was printed by the Howard Publishing Company, run by June Howard. The second page of the calendar had a picture of Mary Regan, Evelyn Searle. Betty Luke and Dorothy Dimon. all-star members of the Olympic Chess team. Oh, well we can’t all be successful. I guess I’ll put my false teeth in a glass of water and go to bed. 25

Page 25 text:

CLASS PROPHECY The lights were just going on in the stadium as we entered. It was a big night for the home town, the first major league baseball game to be played in Baldwinsville. The league-leading Red Rock Pirates were opposing the Boston Braves. As 1 entered the locker room, manager John (Gieasy ) Wilcox was just giving his last minute instruction to Dick VanderVeer and Jack Russ, the leagues best double play combination. Just then trainer A! Telrault entered, took a couple of swallows from a bottle labeled lini- ment” and announced that pitcher Ed Kratzer had refused to start warming up until his salary de- mands were satisfied. Jack then sent A1 to find Bob Bitz and Tom Appleby, the local land barons. The manager opened the door and we walked onto the field. “Quite a crowd tonight, I remarked. “It would be bigger if there wasn’t a counter-attraction,” he answered. “ ’East Lynne with Paul Naumann, Jerry Auyer and Mary Wood is playing at the Palace.” He was broken off by a loud cheer from the crowd as a large delegation of local celebrities walked onto the playing field. Included in the group were Tom Adsit, proprietor of the world’s largest billiard room, and Lyndon (Moon) Snow, the world’s pocket billiards champion, also Hon. Edward Vought, chairman of the Common Council and Dominic Anthony Nicholas Carfagna, Esq, newly elected mayor. Mayor Carfagna, who is never at a loss for words, began to speak. Two hours and fifteen minutes later I was rudely awakened by the sound of applause which marked the end of the Mayor’s speech. As the party left the field, the ground crew appeared from the dugout and began work on the diamond. The crew was led by Doug Church driving an Allis- Chalmer tractor. When the ground crew finished, the National Anthem was sung by Barbara Bond, the star of the B’Ville Opera Company, organized by the great impresario, Gordon Rode. Just before the game got under way, Ron (Lippy) Aplin, manager of the Boston Club, was struck by an empty beer bottle, thrown by a slightly inebriated gentleman in the box seats. As he was carried from the field by two pretty nurses, who, Manager Wilcox told me, were two of my old school mates, Norma Harkins and Shirley foster, I heard him mumble something to the elfect that more people should get drunk at ball games. The drunk, who was now being escorted from the stadium by two burly police- men turned out to be none other than Jim Hanley, the local grocer. During the first inning of the game I noticed two more of my class mates, Jim and Bill Weston. They were busily carrying bats and catcher’s equipment from the Boston dugout. I walked over to Jim and asked him how he happened lo be in this business. He merely pointed to the large sign in center field and said, He did it. The sign read: “Walter N. Thompson’s Friendly Loan Service. Jim explained that last year he had borrowed $25 and inside of two months the interest bad grown to $825. So he had to work to pay off his debt. The remainder of the game was very dull except for an incident during the seventh inning stretch. Mary (Haywire) Johnson, the head usher at the park insisted that Mary Carol Pederson must pay a double admission because she occupied two seats. The argument resulted in Mary Carol’s ejection from the park. The game ended with Baldwinsville on the long end of 5-4 score due to brilliant relief pitching of I'red (fireball) Bellows, the local fireman. As the crowd filed out of the l’a|k, I couldn t help but think what a success most of the members of the class of ’48 had made of their lives, but I was in for a bigger surprise yet. 1 was just walking out of the stadium gate when I spied a well dressed man attempting to siphon gas from the tank of a parked car. I was just about to give mm a lecture on stealing, when I discovered that it was Charles A. Baker, the president of Standard Oil of New ork He explained that he was just tasting it to see if it was Mobilgas. Bake asked me if I wanted a ride downtown and I assured him that Ed be only too happy to ride with him (at the risk of life and limb). 24

Page 27 text:

SENIOR CLASS WILL We being the only surviving members of this Senior Class of 1948 of Baldwinsville Academy, being in various degrees of mental confusion and disorder, do hereby outline this, our last will and testament, in hopes that in due time it may benefit someone, somewhere. To our faithful advisors, Miss Winchell and Mr. Brown, we affectionately leave all our apprecia- tion for their much-needed guidance. To the ungrateful, untrained undergraduates, the Seniors, renowned for generosity throughout this entire world of men, women, and children, do bequeath the following articles: 1. Our well-worn, familiar school, beloved Baldwinsville Academy. 2. The library and the cafeteria for the homerooms for the oncoming seniors. You lucky kids! 3. All honorable won trophies to be found, if any. 4. Our competent and learned faculty who practically pushed us through four years of physical torture and mental agony. 5. Miss Steirley, with her ability to cope with the problems arising in the library during ninth period. 6. Those lovely seats in Hoorn 2 which succeed in making the girls look more clumsy and the boys like overgrown first-graders. 7. All text books we have been unable to lose, and all other well-carved desks. We, being of unsound and unbalanced mind, did believe that if we did not sufficiently train the faculty to our noble standards, they would promptly train us to theirs, so employed all our fiendish abilities to prevent such a terrible catastrophe. As results from such fiendish practices, our noble and learned class does hereby, herefore, and hereto bequeath to the unappreciative, ignorant undergraduates the following properties, habits, de- formities, and vices: Peggy McDermott and Mary Alice Johnson will their ready laughter to any sourpuss who needs some good humor. Norma Harkins and Mary Carol Pederson leave their ability to make friends to Marv Lou McCullock. Pat Tillotson bequeaths her golden locks to Ann Bucci. Dom and Vincent Carfagna will their double exposure to the Slyes, the oncoming twins. Mary Wood wills her title as prettiest senior to one of the Junior beauties. Doris Meaker wills her ability to “hold her man” to Nancy Carter. Carol Chamberlain bequeaths her witty remarks to Mona VanderBerg.. Norman Gee and Duane Coville will their quietness to John Delaney, while Catherine Ryan and Dorothy Dimon leave theirs to Martha Ann Cary. The double dose is sure to help! Mary Anne (Bugs) Clanville leaves her changeable moods to unchangeable Louise Chappel. To Bob Paciencia, Alan Baker wills his baby face. Lee Lee Reeves bequeaths her mulishness to Mary Luke. Tom Adsit and Jim Haydon will their laziness to Beverly Houck. Betty Lou Huveldt leaves her ability to make herself heard to all timid freshmen. The talented Albert letrault, June Howard, and Evelyn Searle have consented to leave their drawing abibty so that the school will not be completely without competent artists. Helen Hulbert’s and Mary Regan’s pint sizes go to James Coleson. 26