Climax High School - Eagle Yearbook (Chatham, VA)

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BIGGEST BABY Kathryne McDowell-Dwayne Tompkins MOST ATHLETIC Nancy Mayhew-Eugene West 12

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Y ou are There The time is September 1952. With rapidly beating hearts we are beginning the great adventure of high school. Stretching before us is an arduous and seemingly endless struggle. During this, our freshmen year, we must become initiated to our new way of life, forming a solid foundation on which to build. With the helpful guidance of our principal and teachers we shall endeavor to secure for ourselves the fundamentals of an education and of the art of living. The ultimate goal is success and with hard work and unfaltering patience, combined with plenty of fun, we shall achieve our ideal. The setting for our freshman year isthe laboratory and weare incapable hands, with Mr. Pistoleas our sponsor, Mr. Reynolds as principal, and the following class leaders: President, H. T. Yeatts; Vice-President, Marie Edwards; Secretary-Treasurer, Carlene Smith; Reporter, Horace Towler. There are 31 on roll, but before this year is over we shall lose J. D. Haley, Fred Kendrick, Donald Adkins, J. W. Mayhew, and Patsy Haskins. It is math class and, as usual, H. T. Yeatts is running his mouth. Watch out I Here comes Mr. Pistole with a menacing countenance and a good stout yardstick. Wham I But that isn ' t H. T. ' s head! It ' s Gordon Ray ' s watch crystal I Mr. Pistole will never get out of debt if he keeps that up! Mr. Pistole can be very entertaining with his tales of the South Seas and his knowledge of dogs, especially setters. The County Basketball Tournament brings thrills galore and congratulations are in order as the boys ' team wins the Group III Championship. Now it is early spring, nice and warm, just right for an old-fashioned picnic. Plenty of eats start things off on the right foot and the whole afternoon remains for rambling in the woods. Be careful or you ' ll get lost! September is here once more. A new home-room, the commercial room; a new principal, Mr. Halligan; a new sponsor. Miss Ruddle; a new Home Economics teacher, Miss Haley; and a new coach andphys. ed. instructor Mr . Littlejohn, are enough to induce speculation and excitement for months to come. The class officers are: President, Nancy Shelton; Vice-President, Gordon Ray Blair; Secretary-Treasurer, Clyde Rigney; Reporter, Kenneth West, and there are 26 on roll. This is our second year of high school and we ' re full of confidence with energy bursting out all over. It is October and the FFA and FHA are having a weiner roast-possum hunt. Call the dogs and here we go! The night is dark and eerie but everyone is in high spirits in spi te of briers, roots, and ruts inthe path. If we ' re quiet, we ' ll tree a possum, says Mr. Dunnavant — but who can keep sti 1 1 on a night I ike this ? No possums tonight ! Oh well, who cares? Off to Schoolfield for a FHA Federation meeting. Just a bunch of Sophomores, and are we worried when we discover that about fourteen of us have one convertible between us! Down comes the top and all pile in but — oops! no more room. Guess someone will just have to stay overnight. Here ' s hoping they get back to Climax sometime soon. Now it ' s basketball season. Several of us are on the team and school spirit is running high. Too bad we didn ' t win out in the tournament, but anyway, spring is almost here and for the first time we ' re going to have a softball team. Rebecca Kendrick joined us at mid-term but failed to finish out the year. Then, too, we ' ve lost three regular classmates: Eloise Adkins, Geraldine Gibson, and Kenneth West. However, it ' s June at last and, all in all, it ' s been a great year. Finally it ' s our junior year. We find ourselves still under the fond, easy-going, but firm, guidanceof Miss Ruddle and our principal, Mr. Halligan. There are 21 on roll and during the first week of school we must choose our officers for the year. They are: President, Gordon Ray Blair; Vice-President, Carlene Smith; Secretary-Treasurer, Herbert Linthicum; Reporter, Sharlean Bobbitt. At last we ' re big wheels , no longer scared still of teachers and seniors. How exciting to be ordering ourclass rings and how much more thril ling when they finally arrive. Forweeks we can hardly speak to anyone without showing off those rings. It ' s March and time for the Beta Convention. So what if the girls do back out! Boys can have fun all by themselves and the Climax crew is out to prove it this trip. We know they did, too, ' cause they brought back snapshots to prove it! For the first time we are sending representatives to the SIPA Convention and, besides having a lot of fun, theybring back loads of new ideas for next year ' s annual. The months roll by with a succession of classes, basketball games, parties, and picnics. In honor of our parents we of the FHA are planning a banquet at the Country Club. Everything works out wonderfully in the end and our parents are very appre- ciative. Before we realize it May ishere and it ' sthe day of the Junior-Senior Banquet. Juniorsget out of school todecorate at the Country Club and they leave early to a I low for the time they ' 1 1 lose getting lost- -which they did . Final I y everything is in order and the zero hourapproaches. Some of those Juniorswill neverforget theone-way street that was thewrong way! The banquet is a great success although the orchestra is late, which causes no little consternation among us juniors. Now the seniors want us to decorate for their baccalaureate service and Class Night. Wonder if they ' re going to give us a party afterwards? Oh, we needn ' t have worried . We ' l I get our shindig. School ' s out once more and next year — well, that ' ll be the day ! Senior year and senior privileges at last! We begin this final struggle minus three of our members: Novella Custer, Anna Mae Osborne, and Edgar Lee Shelton . Things start off with a bang, as senior play practice begins almost immediately . Novem- ber 10th and 1 1th are the dates for the presentation, and For Pete ' s Sake ought to be a real hit. As seniors we take pride inthe achievement of our long sought goal, butwe are humble, too, in the recognition of our added responsibilitiesas the leaders of our school . Ourbeloved sponsor. Miss Ruddle, and Mr. Halligan, our principal , are still with us. As class leaders we elect the following: President, Gordon Ray Blair; Vice-President, Herbert Linthicum; Secretary, Shar- lean Bobbitt; Treasurer, Linda Bowen; Reporter, Betty Sue Williams. During the summer Nancy Carol Shelton became Mrs. J. W. Mayhew and, though little did we suspect it, before the year is over, Carlene Smith will become Mrs. Reynolds and Linda Bowen, Mrs. Shelton. The death of our former principal, Mr. Fred Reynolds, in November saddened the hearts of all, for we have always loved and respected him deeply. As the year nearsits close we are looking forward to the traditional Junior-Senior Banquet but even this event pales in sig- nificance before the moment we shall receive our diplomas, those documents which are the embodiment of twelve long, yet fleeting years of hard work, occasional tears, and abundant laughter. With heads high, heartsquaking, we mount the steps toreceive the key that will open the doors of our future. All is as it was then, except - YOU ARE THERE ! 11

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BEST ALL AROUND Gordon Roy Blair-Betty Sue Williams MOST LIKELY TO SUCCEED Sharlean Bobbitt-Wallace Shelhorse FRIENDLIEST Marie Edwards-Wal lace Shelhorse MOST STUDIOUS Nancy Mayhew-Horace Towler 13