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

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Principal JOHN M. LOUGHRAN

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ln crucial fimes such as fhese, when all of us are played on by mighfy forces beyond our confrol, each of us musf choose befween fwo affifudes fo- ward fhe fufure. One is fhe affifude of defermina- fiong fhe individual feels fhaf, despife many infer- ferences, he is sfill direcfing his life, confrolling his acfions, and furfhering his plans. The ofher affifude is fhaf of hopeless profesf, or of helplessness, fhe individual feels fhaf fhe world cafasfrophe has de- prived him of all opporfunify for self-asserfion or self-direcfion. I+ is nof necessary fo sfress fhe dan- ger of fhis second viewpoinf. If we were fo adopf if on a nafional scale, if would lead swiffly fo ruin. Yef many of our young men, feeling fhaf fhe educa- fion on which fhey infended fo erecf fheir fufure is being inferrupfed, have fallen info a mood of in- difference. Acfually educafional opporfunifies for so many have never been so widespread. From fhe beginning of fhis conflicf, our governmenf recognized fhaf educafion was parf of fhe program for vicfory. Our army and ofher armed services have become, in addifion fo fighfing organizafions, highly developed educafional insfifufions. Half of fhe personnel in fhese forces are offending fechnical or professional schools. Every young man in fhe services has an opporfunify fo confinue his educafion on fhe high school or college level wifh fhe cerfainfy of receiv- ing credif for his sfudy in schools and colleges affer fhe war. There is no iusfificafion for discouragemenf, no reason for any feeling of irreparable loss or of dis- asfrous inferrupfion. A vigorous and infelligenf efforf fo fif your personal plans info fhe larger program of fhe nafion will in mosf cases show fhaf fhe one can be pursued as parf of fhe ofher. When fhe hisfory of fhis war is wriffen in fhe perspecfive of lafer years, one of fhe mosf praiseworfhy aspecfs of ifs conducf by fhe Unifed Sfafes will be found in fhe facf fhaf in fhe course of a fofal war, edu- cafional opporfunify for American youfh was nof diminished buf was in facf increased. JOHN M. LOUGHRAN OUI'

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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