Chelmsford High School - Yearbook (Chelmsford, MA)

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1947 YEAR Book crystals into a small machine that grinds the crystals into powder. As you can see, there's no end to his abilities! Now that he has his substance prepared, he proceeds deliberately and forcibly to fill the man-sized cave that he has dug out of my back molar, and I mean forcibly! The job is now complete, except for some nasty tasting mouth wash. Boy, what an experience! ' And to think that after my going through all this, the man has the nerve to ask me for money in return for his services! And more than all else, he says cheerfully as I leave, I'll see you next Thursday at 10 A M IVIATILDA CAPuANo '47 MY GREAT FEAR People talk about fears. Most people have many apprehensions, and most of them are quite silly. My fear is my one and only, and it is far from being silly. Every two months we get our report cards, and there is never a sadder day at my house than that. Well, anyway, last marking period I got my card, and what I saw! Not one, not two, but three of the most beautiful F's you ever laid eyes on! That's one thing the teachers can do, make beautiful F's. They're always so-o-o neat and so-o-o well written. All I could think of was what my parents were going to say when they saw my card. I knew that they wouldn't appreciate the teacher's hard work to make those F's as I did! Wheii I got home, my father said, Hand it over, so that I did, unwillingly of course. One look was all that was need- ed. If you haven't guessed what my great fear is by this time, I'll tell you. Oh, you guessed? Yes, that's right. It's my father's right hand. LURRAINE Boucrisa '47 I LATE ARRIVAL lt was the night of the Senior dance. I had left my partner of the evening at her doorstep, after having observed all the formalities to which young gentlemen are heirs. I had danced all my duty dances, held her coat, helped her over two inch steps, stuffed my pockets with the customary lip- stick - handkerchief - rouge - powder puff - mascara - comb collection, fed her refresh- ments, and paid the proper number of usual compliments. It had been a wonderful eve- ning, and I drove through the town in an agreeable and hazy state of reminiscence. I was definitely pleased with myself. Sud- denly and without warning I was awakened from my happy retrospect by a single mel- ancholy note of the village church bell. One o'clock! and, in the midst of my recol- lections, growing to such dimensions that it overshadowed all else, loomed the memo- ry of my own voice saying, Yes, Dad. I'll surely have the car home by twelve. Although I had already exceeded the al- lotted time by an hour, I stepped on the accelerator. Luckily the house looked as peaceful as Grant's Tomb as I coasted noiselessly through the yard and in breath- less silence slid the car into the garage. Then, as luck would have it, alighting, I planted my large foot squarely on the cat's tail. Why felines always stick out their tails directly in the way of my advancing size tens, I never could guess. Fortunately, in spite of all, the house remained quiet and dark. My key slipped cautiously into the lock, and slowly and gently I pushed open the door. Oh! How I wished I had oiled those hinges the previous week as I had said I would! Climbing up the creaking stairs in stocking feet and with shoes in hand, and quaking at every stealthy step, I passed the closed door of Father's room and sneaked furtively into my own. No lights cast brightness on the familiar objects of my sanctum. In total darkness I dropped my clothes to the floor and crawled between the cold sheets, leaving even the windows undisturbed. Boy! that bed felt good, but I lay there wondering if I had succeeded in my burglar-like entrance, until, unknowing- ly, I fell into a deep, fitful sleep in which l was chased up and down innumerable stairways in my stocking feet by an out- raged bob-tailed cat! Now I know how Mickey the Dip or Mike McGurk feels when he has com- mitted some crime which goes undetected. Mother beamed at me the next morning. Father said pleasantly, Have a good time son? but at about that time son was feel- ing pretty small and saying with fervor to his innermost soul, Never again! ROBERT MORRISON '47 9

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CHELMSEORD HIGH SCFHOOL has grown so it has a few leaves, the ob' jectionable weeds must be removed, for they tend to choke its growth. Finally, aff ter much care and trouble, the seed blosf soms and bears fruit. As with the plant, so it is with people. The home into which we are born is like the soil in which the seed is planted. Books, teaching, and all patient instruction are our water, sunshine, and air. Eventually, if we grow well, life blossoms for us into some' thing fruitful and fine. This is the end of life, and to this end our efforts are bent. GEIIRCIE MERRILL '47 BUSSES Convenience and comfort, is a famous slogan of bus companies. Sure, that is a good idea, I decided. Con' venience and comfort, why not? Since it was necessary that I go to Lowell, I def cided to take the bus instead of arguing for the family car. So I started down to the bus stop, wondering how long I would have to wait for comfort and convenience to come along. I waited, and waited, and waited. Finally after twentyffive minutes of standing, first, on one foot and then on the other, the bus jolted into view. I was tired from standing, and my feet ached, and I thought to myself what a welcome relief a nicely upholstered seat would be! Imagine my surprise and chagrin when I turned around after paying my fare, to discover that there were no vacant seats! I lurched to the back of the vehicle and clung desperately to one of the hangers that dangle so deliriously from the roof of every bus. We went our uneven way, around dizzy corners and over holes and bumps. It seemed as if we dropped off a cliff every time we hit a frost heave. We stopped at every door step to pick up passengers. We started, we stopped, we started, we stopped all the way until we got into the city, and every time we stopped, we stopped with a jerk, and every time we started the bus was more crowded than before. I was pushed, trampled upon, kicked, and elbowed all the way. When at long last I reached my des' tination, a lot of pushing and shoving, which I now secretly enjoyed, won for me an exit. No, I won't try to explain how it was coming home, for that would be too much, but if this is what the bus companies refer to as comfort and convenience I would much prefer to walk, thank you. LESTER FLETCHER '47 THE DENTIST AND I After sitting in the dentist's office for more than half an hour, my turn has final' ly come! I now find myself seated in a large, roomy, black leather chair above which hangs a huge light extending from the ceilf ing. Placed on a white tray in front of the chair are the various odd looking instruf ments to be used in the approaching or- deal in which I am to play a major part. There at the left is the instrument that the dentist holds dearest to his heart. This is called a drill, and what a bore that thing is! Suddenly I wish I had taken an aspirin, two aspirins, morphine-anything! I have never been able to account for the pictures every dentist has tacked up on his wall. Why he selects humorous subjects and enjoys looking at decayed and def formed teeth is too much for me to under' stand and personally I have never found anything either soothing or encouraging in displays of Xfray irregularities, or in exhif bitions of false teeth. Here comes that man in the white coat now and he seems to be in quite a hurry. I must be cool, and collected, and I am to keep my eyes closed. Peeking out under halffclosed eyelids, I see the long needle he has made ready for me. You just can't imagine how this makes me feel! The man apparently gets a big kick out of punching holes in people's gums with it! I seem to be the only one who feels reluctant about the whole affair. Well, what a relief, that's over with! Now for the drill! I can see where I'll be here for hours. There's something about the noise of the fiendish contraption that fascinates its operator. Too bad he isn't privileged to try it on himself once in a while. I am really growing quite vicious. I truly wish the dentist were in my place, and I in his. I The fellow even proves to be quite a chemist! He is now putting some silver

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CHELMsFoRn HIGH SCHOOL PHYSICS FOR GIRLS The most terrible thing that could ever happen to a girl is a course in physics, un- less she is one of the rugged modern indif vidualists. Learning the principles of the lever, the laws of motion, and the operation of a generator and a motor are, in my es' timation, not only nonessential, but imposf sible for a lady of the gentler type. Take me, for instance. I am definitely of the gentler sort. Why rack my brain a whole semester trying to realize that H: .2412Rt? Why should I understand fif I couldlj the four strokes of a gasoline en' gine? And what care I about measuring ref sistance with the Wheatstone bridge? Be that as it may, I signed up for the course, and in the natural order of events it comes time to do the assignment. I open my book and make a very determined effort to study. The diagrams swim before me, and technif cal words, such as armature, centrifugal, coulomb, eddy current, electvophoms, Fraunhofer lines, manometric flames, ophf thalmoscope, stereopticous, and synchrof nous motors so confuse and scare me that my few simple wits leave me in a complete mental void. As the book docsn't help me, I resolve to try the notes I took down in class, only to find I noted all the lesser facts and none of the important ones, and anyway I can't read what I do have. In desperation I go out to the garage to try to match the parts of the car with the diagram in the book. l crawl under the car, and when I gaze at it from the vantage point of a cold cement floor, there are so many nuts, bolts, screws, springs, gears, and so much grease withal on the eontrap' tion, I forget all about matching anything in my bewilderment. The nightmare of bolts pursues me to the very end of the day when I try to sleep, and my brain ref frolves as fast as the generator I'm supposed 'to know all about. In spite of all this, don't let me discourf age you, girls. But remember when you make out your program for next year, just skip over physics, that is, unless of course, it is your most secret and most cherished ambition to become a professional grease monkey! MARY MULCAHY '47 SPEAKING IN JUNIOR ASSEMBLY Nervous excitement can be caused in many ways. To me the surest way is speak' ing before an audience. Let me recall my experience in junior Assembly. The moment arrived. I had been an' nounced, and I bravely walked to the rosf trum. I was now before the audience and I gave the name of my topic. I spoke in a clear voice. Good work, Jimmie, I thought to myself. Then it was time to start my oration. I saw eyes staring at me from below like a thousand gleaming daggers. I swallowed. My voice faltered and my knees began to shake. Somehow the most crucial point of my speech arrived. My nervousness increased. If I put my mind upon keeping my knees from knocking, my voice stammered and falteredg if I concentrated upon my voice, I found my self shaking like a tuning fork. My clothes felt like a clinging wet towel. I found myself eagerly but alas, too soon- saying the last few lines of my speech. Realizing my mistake, I started back over the regular course, hurrying until I again arrived at the longed for conclusion. I tried to put that ending over in the effective manner in which I had been coached, but it didn't work. ' After the horror was over and I had ref treated to my scat, I concluded that no ex- perience life could offer could ever be worse, and having endured such misery, no trial could ever be unbearable! To this day I have never altered that conclusion. JAMES WHITWORTII '47 BLUE SKIES Oh, glad we see blue skies break through The clouds so dull and gray, ' The clouds that just this morn we thought Would darken all our day. So through the clouds that fret the mind, The ray of hope shines bright, The sun of happiness breaks through And blue skies bless our sight. ARTHUR EDWARDS '47