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

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THE ORIGINAL CGLUTWBUS FACULTY Here are the members of the first Columbus faculty who are still with us. Unable to be present for their pictures, but also included in the original group are: Miss Menna, Mrs. Rowan, Mrs. Malloy, Mr. Fried, Mrs. Governale, Miss Halstead, Mrs. Hewitt, Mrs. Helfer, Mrs. Leaycraft, Dr. Isaacs, Mr. Nathans, Mr. Speed, Mrs. Weinsteiii and Miss Yama. COLUMBUS FIRSTS 1939 Columbus opens its doors. Dedication Exercises were held on October 11, 1939. On this memorable occasion the dedication was made by Mr. Alberto Bonaschi, member of the Board of Education. The Honorable Fiorello H. La Guardia, Mayor of New York, and Dr. Frederic Ernst, Superintendent of the High School Division, gave the main addresses. Many dis- tinguished guests were present. An original play called Land Ho was directed by Mr. Stasheff with original music by Mr. Phillips. First Prom, Blue Letter Day, Admiral , Mr. Nathans led the first Senior Class to graduation. 1940 1941 1942 1944 1945 1946 1947 1949- 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954- 1956- 1959- -G.O. Elections, intramural team Qsoftball with Mr. George Zimmermanj. -Horizon, Annual Music Festival and Dance. -junior Arista, basketball team. -Basketball team at Madison Square Garden, Columbus leads the Columbus Day Parade. -Baseball team, uniform examinations. Alumni reunion. Dr. Loughran, Father of Columbus, retires. Track team, football team. Skating party. Bronx Park Community Center. -Columbus adopts a French town, Annual G.O. Elections. -Columbus-Soccer Champs of New York City. Faculty Basketball game, first boat ride. Swimming party. Mr. Kolevzon becomes Principal, New dress code inaugurated. G.O. Carnival, Twentieth Anniversary Show.

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THE BEGINNINGS dear Matty. May you be with us for a long, long time ! In early Columbus days, the area was so rural that it did not seem out of place to see a vegetable garden on the school lawn. Matty would pick up a few vegetables and greens from April to late October. Matty remembers rabbits being raised in our basement, and she recalled to Mr. Nathans an incident of these first years. As Matty bent down to pick up some rubber bands, the rubber bands moved away. She screamed and called for Mr. N. who had to retrieve the tiny snakes that had wandered from the biology lab. ALAN NATHANS It was a snowy Sunday in February, 1939 that most of us Old Guard teachers had our first glimpse of Christopher Columbus High School. The snow was really coming down hard, and we had to plow through knee deep drifts to get to our destination. In those days this was really open territory. There were no houses at all to the west or north of us. The project didn't exist and a farm with horses and chickens was right across the street. Qln season many of us bought fresh fruit and vegetables direct from the farmer himselfj Each of us had received a postcard requesting that we report at ten am to help prepare the program cards of the students due the next morning. RFP and Registration Cards were new words in our vocabularies, but under the kindly direction of Mr Andre Fontaine, then Administrative Assistant, we soon learned how to program our pros pective students. MARGARET PARSONS Times have changed. It is not with regret for the changes but with nostalgia that so many of the early students and teachers of Columbus recall the days of super productions and music festivals. There was that full-length musical, Swordr Around flye Queen, the Stasheff-Phillips opus. There was Captain Applejark directed by Miss D'Amato, Mr. Stasheff and Mr. Phillips. There were One-Act Play Tournaments. There was even a concert that Mr. Phillips wanted all the faculty to attend in evening dress. Ah, well. Something of the old days came back to us on April 17th and 18th of this year, when a large cast of students and teachers, under the direction of Miss Imperato and Mr. Flaxman, presented our Twentieth Anniversary Show. The Columbus Show goes on, still buoyant, still playing to a packed house. In fact, the latest prediction is that the graduating class of June, 1960 will easily reach the staggering figure of one thousand. We carry on. The picture of Miss Madeline M. Hurton, known to everyone in Columbus as Matty , is a must for our Anniversary Issue. Matty was here long before any of us long before the school was ready to open its doors. The painters were still working all over the building. Matty remembers Mr. Wallace helping to clean up some of the worst of the debris. Columbus was in a lovely country setting in 1939. It wasn t merely the absence of sidewalks, says Matty, but the gardens and the trees. Along the south east corner of the building were apple trees and a good-sized vegetable patch Matty is a difficult lady to interview because she is too modest to tell us what we all should know: that without Matty this school would not be quite the wonderful place it has always been. No one in this building has ever been more devoted more attached to our school and its progress these past twenty years. Our hats off to you

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XWHERE DID YOU GO? . . . DUT! WHAT DID YOU DQ? . . . PLENTY! MR. PHILLIPS MR. STASHEFF MRS. ASCHER Many years ago, Mr. Wliel.1i1 of the English Department, kept our alumni list alive. Unliortunately, that task had to be limited in more recent times. Here, however, is .1 sampling of Columbus students and teachers who have gone on to do plenty! Muni Airlfw' former Clhairman of our Accounting Department. Poet and educator, she is also a distinguished painter, winner ol' many awards, including the Gold Medal ol' Honor for the bc-st oil painting at the annual exhibit ot' Painters and Sculptors. Pan! Bi1lZ6l'fflLlI1lOf high school principal. Gilfzrhz Bw'rlmfllP-Teacher of Health Education, Flushing High Nm'11f.u1 Bflll'kfOLllSlilI'lQllI1g metallurgist. femme Brjfimrzzzilavvyer Lenmmf Brjrkzmzzz-t'ornier Columbus science teacher, long our Dean of Boys, opened and ran our own evening center. Now Mr, Brickman is Director of the new Wagner Youth and Adult Center in Manhattan. Fnzzfrey Care3'+Instructor, Brooklyn Community College Szmzzz Calm!-Movie Star Milton CazjjIi11+Chairman, Industrial Arts Department, De Witt Clinton Erfber Claim'-returned to us, as you all know, in the Math, Department forepb Ciojfi-Manager of Gristede Brothers Stores folm Cotver-former Columbus teacher of English, elementary school principal. Now Assistant Superintendent, Board of Education. Merril' Dazicb-Chairman, Health Education Department, Haaren High Ilvalfei' Degmzzz-former Health Education Chairman at Columbus and our acting principal. Now principal of De Witt Clinton High Onnzr Dombmu'-former Social Studies Chairman of Columbus, and our acting principal. Now principal of Charles Evans Hughes High f.z1fxe.r Dfmleui-junior high school principal fart E.flri11iChairman of Social Studies Department, Richmond Hill High joan Farrell-Popular Dental Assistant in Parkchester Dazzjel Iieim-Chairman, Social Studies Department, Prospect Heights High BtII'b.1I',Z Fe1z,i'fe1'iGraduate in Speech Therapy, just married, will teach therapy at a New York hospital. Sheff.: Fe1z.i'fw'fAlso recently married, with a degree in Fine Arts from Boston U. Soon to be teaching. Slaljllell Finger-C.P.A. C.rr'fw11 FrcJw'n'i.ifrpopular singer and recording artist -