Christopher Columbus High School - Anchor Yearbook (Bronx, NY)

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The ofher nighf I dropped in fo bid goodbye fo a lad I have known since he was born. He was leaving his home and his family, for dufy in fhe Armed Forces. As I enfered fhe living room he was holding in his lap a five monfhs old son-and all fhe pride and love of a fafher shone in his eyes as fhe baby gurgled, sfrefched and fhen grinned af me. He sure is a fine lad, you know, he looks iusf fhe way you did af his age. Guess he's a beffer baby fhan I was, he assured me. Banferingly I said, Oh yes! A wonder child. I suppose he'II grow up sfrong, be a foofball hero and fhen go on and do greaf fhings, be a greaf man! Very seriously fhis man I had known as a baby, an adolescenf, a college man, and now fhe head of a family answered, No, Mr. Fonfaine, he won r be one of fhe greafs. We are nof fhaf kind of people. We have fhe brains, fhe imaginafion fo do big fhings buf we don'f have fhe aggressiveness, fhe almosf rufhless ambifion, fhaf is needed fo gef up and up. And who wanfs fo be a 'big shof'? I don'f wanf him fo be and his mofher doesn'f. We iusf wonf fhis lad fo grow up wifh fhe love of God and man in his hearfg fo be a square shoofer fowards himself and fowards ofhersg fo have personal humil- ify buf wifh if an undaunfed courage fo defend fhose ideas, fhose insfifufions in which he believes. Thaf is whaf spells happiness on fhis earfh. Thaf's all we hope for. Tha+'s all I'Il work for-if I gef back! To you graduafes of I943, I pass on fhese words of fhis young fafher leaving fo do his dufy for his counfry as I accepfed fhem, wifh fhoughfful emofion. ANDRE C. FONTAINE ADMINISTRATIVE ANDRE C. FONTAINE

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Principal JOHN M. LOUGHRAN

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i ASSISTANTS ELSA G. BECKER The war progresses and calls info ifs ranlcs fhe young men and women of America. Our four grad- uafing classes since Pearl Harbor have swelled fhose ranlcs in fhe armed forces on land and sea and in fhe air, in war services and indusfries, and in essen- fial pursuifs on fhe home fronf. Long cherished plans for higher educafion and chosen careers have had fo be laid aside fo awaif fhe longed-for days of peace. The quief courage fhaf has accompanied fhis relinquishmenf affesfs fo fhe realisfic aecepf- ance of a difficulf iob fo be done, and fo fhe promise of heroism in finishing fhaf iob. Of fhis we, your elders, who have shared your deliberafions, are cerfain. We have no reason fo fear fhaf summer soldiers or sunshine pafriofs will be found among you, because we lcnow how much fhe goal which exacfs so much suffering and sacri- fice means fo you. Our hope is fhaf you will never lose sighf of fhaf goal, which is nofhing less fhan fhe spirifual redeeming of our civilizafion. Posf-war weariness and disillusionmenf fend fo dim fhe vision and relax fhe spirif. Wifh fhe refurn fo peace will come fhe need for courage even greafer fhan fhaf demanded by war, for if will be unaccompanied by fhe sfimulus of milifary discipline and clearly dis- cernible vicfories. Lef us pray fhaf our boys and girls will bring fo fhe posf war period fhe same singleness of aim and fighfing spirif fhaf is now winning fhe war for freedom. ELSA G. BECKER