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

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On fhe same day we mef Gino, Freddy and Sanfina, who had iusf come here from lfaly and spoke no English. I pracficed my high-school lfalian on fhem and was elafed fo find fhey undersfood me. We had an inferesfing conversafion, and fhough fhey were very bashful af firsf, fhey have come back offen fo play wifh us. These are only a few of fhe many friends we have made fhrough our soffball games. If is amazing and hearf-warming fo see how many people congregafe fo wafch us play. Passersby and neighbors, sfanding on fhe sidewalk and hanging ouf of windows, laugh and joke fogefher. Our baf and a ball may seem insignificanf, buf, when if comes fo making friends, fhey cerfainly score a big hif! - Joan De Vergiles WHILE YOU WERE HERE . . In I954 . . 0 Baskefeers smashed Clinfon af fhe Garden, 67-46. Triumph broughf our firsf Bronx fifle in I5 years. Thanks go fo Slavin, Levi, Tavalocci, Rickover, and company. 0 Recenf addifion Mr. Sfark faughf in every deparfmenf in Columbus excepf Girls' Healfh Ed., and proudly declared he wouldn'f mind fhaf af all. 0 Miss Dorofhy Vislocky confessed she would like fo be Winsfon Churchill for iusf 24 hours. lf would be so nice fo be brilIianf. 0 The faculfy-senior baskefball game proved Mr. Nafhans can gef fhere fhe fasfesf wifh fhe mosfesf. 0 Fashion Nofe: Solid or plaid knee socks fhe fhingl To be worn wifh fhose collegiafe whife bucks, of course. 9 Paul Kravifz became Bronx, Cify, and Sfafe l00 yard champ. 0 Music replaced mayhem on Blue Leffer Day. Having a cosfume ball on school fime proved fo be a huge success. I Compiled by Suzanne Surkes and Marion Fox

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A BAT AND A BALL Five ol us, all Columbusiles, chipped in a dollar each lo buy a bal and ball one spring. Every pleasanl allernoon aller lhal we would organize a game in our slreel. Al lirsl only lhe five ol us played, lhen Mary and Larry ioined us, and somelimes Richie, and lhe olher neighborhood kids. ll lhey weren'l playing lhey walched, and il gol so a crowd galhered every lime we had a game going. They aren'l very elaborale affairs-our sollball games. A rock and a pole serve as bases and lhe sewer cover is home plale. We drop lhe ball more ollen lhan we calch il, and il we wanl lo be sure il goes where we wanl lo send il, lhe besl lhing lo do is lo roll il lhere. Somelimes our pilching bears a resemblance lo bowling, bul we do play a game ol one sorl or anolher. As I said, we gol a crowd ol people every lime we played, so lhal by now our games have become a neighborhood lradilion. Housewives, looking oul ol lhe win- dows lor homecoming husbands, now linger every evening lo keep lrack ol lhe score. Homeward-bound husbands slop lo lake a lurn al bal, or shag a lew in lhe oullield. proving age has laken nolhing from lheir game. Bobby, back from Queens College, hils a lew lo show us how il's done. Mr. Daly parks his car lar down lhe slreel lor us, lhen slays awhile lo josh our championship lorm. Mr. Cameron, who always waves as he goes by, slops larlher down lhe slreel lo walch an inning or lwo. Kids come lrom blocks around. Sidewalk and window allendance al our games is high-and nol always lhe same people eilher. Jusl lasl week we mel seven new boys and girls in one day. Four ol lhem, brolhers and sislers, recenlly moved inlo a sevenleen room house on lhe corner. NNhen I asked Edilh, who is lhirleen, il she was lhe oldesl, she replied, No, lhere are live older lhan me, and seven younger. We're looking lorward lo meeling lhe olher lweive! One of lhe mosl beaulilul bouquels I have ever received came from lhree year old Johnny-yellow dandelions which he shyly handed lo me, running away as soon as he had delivered lhem. Even Alberl, who lold us, l don'l play wilh girls! has become a pal ol ours.

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TGMORROW CAN WAIT You sil in lhe house alone and you're bored. You walk lo lhe window and look oul, lhen pace around lhe room lrying lo lhink ol somelhing lo do. You sil down again, looking lor a book lo read bul you don'l find anylhing lhal will hold your allenlion. You go lor a drink ol waler and lhen slare oul lhe window again. ll's raining oul and lhe slreels are emply. You pul on your coal and go down inlo lhe slreel. The rain comes down againsl your lace and il slings and makes you leel cold. You hope lo meel someone you know bul you don'l and you know you won'l. And lhen you gel loo wel and loo cold and you go back home, nol knowing whelher il's worse lo be home alone or in lhe wel slreels wilh nolhing lo do. ll leels beller lo gel inlo lhe dry house again. You sil down and pick up a book, delermined lhis lime lo read il. Bul you can'l concenlrale and your eyes keep wan- dering lrom lhe prinl. You look oul lhe window again and you begin lo lhink. You wonder aboul yoursell. You wonder whal your lile is lor. Wha+ does il mean and whal will il lead lo? Whal has il broughl you so lar and whal is lhe poinl ol going on? You ask yoursell whal you, a sevenleen year old boy, has had oul ol lile. And you +eIl yoursell lhal lhere's your ballplaying and sporls and you lry lo lhink ol all lhe olher lhings bul you can'l lhink ol anylhing besides lhal. For lhe lirsl lime you wonder if ballplaying is really lhe only imporlanl lhing in your lile. And il scares you lo lhink lhal your lile can mean so lillle. You lhink ol how lew lhings ol inleresl you've done lalely and how you've been gelling more and more disgusled wilh your- sell and everyone else. Then lhe doorbell rings and you answer il and il's one ol lhe boys. You go down inlo lhe slreel wilh him and il has slopped raining. And soon you're cracking iokes and laughing and even lalking aboul lhe very same lhings you were lhinking aboul. Bul you've slopped wondering and lhe answers seem very lar away and unimporlanl now. So you keep on lalking and laughing and kee ing lhose lhoughls oul ol your mind. Soon, perhaps even lomorrow, you'll wonder aboul lhe same lhings once more. Righl now il's easier lo ioke and lalk lo lhe boys. Tomorrow can wail. Ernie Herman