Clinton High School - Eagles Nest Yearbook (Clinton, LA)

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WITHIN THESE WALLS . The story of a school is the story of people. The history of the world, the state, even the parish goes on around it, but it is a world apart. Then, when each class graduates, it passes into memory, and memory takes on a life of its own. To write the story of the forty-seven years in the red brick school we asked a member of each class to give a memory, and we mixed in a history of the times. Sometimes the forces of history broke into the consciousness of the school, but usually not. The simple realities of high school, football, proms, teachers, pranks prevail from earliest to latest days. Here we begin. 1939-The governor of the state of Louisiana fRichard Lechej would soon resign his office under a cloud. Franklin Roosevelt, a charismatic popular president, was in his second term, Germany and Italy, threatening war in Europe signed a military alliance, and Clinton High School graduated its first class from the new red brick on Plank Road. Arch Doughty '39: Our new school with its whopping big auditorium was the finest school in the world to us after our years in the old white frame school. 1940-War had broken out in Europe after Germany invaded Poland. Earl K. Long, Leche's Lt. Governor was serving out Leche's term as governor while Leche served time in prison. Wendell Wilkie and F.D.R. squared off in the Presidential elections, and Germany invaded Belgium. The class of 1940 graduated at CHS. Mildred Beauchamp Willarealj '40: Our junior-senior picnic out at Mrs. Martin Young's lake was rained on and nearly flooded out. We all scrambled under a flat-bed truck to eat. Our banquet was held in the Gulf States building next to Hubbs' Cafe. The boy who sat next to me h d H . . . . . . a a y in his tea. We all thought that was Q funny. Our graduation was memorable because the girls wore white dresses and carried roses, and it was so hot. 1941-The Battle of Britain, pitting Hitler's Luftwaffe against the spunky British, was raging. The U.S. stepped up military preparedness as Roosevelt began his third term. Sam Jones became governor, and the Class of 1941 passed onto the state of local history. Charles F. Rex Record, jr., '41: Dick Munson, Skeet McKnight, Hollice jackson and others were with me on the first football team. My class picked the mascot and colors. We went to play Port Sulphur which was supposed to be the best six-man team in the state and Prof. tRogersJ surprised us with brand new uniforms. We beat Port Sulphur 32-28. No way could we lose in those new uniforms. RSX Rewfd V117 -The bombing of Pearl Harbor in December, 1941, brought our nation into war. The Selective Service draft of ages 20-44 began. The U.S. was immediately involved in battles in the Pacific, and Bataan fell involving its defenders, including some local men, in the infamous Death March. Despite this grim world picture life still went on at CHS, and the 1942 class finished W. Conner Percy, Sr. '42+ The first thing that comes to my mind is Rex Record and Ed Partin fighting-all the time.

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WITHI THESE W LLS THE STORY OP CLINTON HIGH SCHOOL 1938-1985 Toler Hatcher 1938. First year in new school. .... They showed us a picture fwhich turned out to be an artist's renderingj of the new school. I didn't understand how they had a picture of a school that hadn't been built yet. My grandfather KE. L. Dunn then president of the school boardj finally made me understand. That picture is now at the new new school. H. Toler Hatcher 1948. The New Clinton High School was commissioned by the Parish school board early in 1938. Members of the board were: Mrs. I. P. Carruth, Mrs. I. W. Ross, A. F. Guttzeit, C. C. Chapman, I. L. Street, J. W. Gersch, C. E. Gillum, W. P. Sowell, and E. L. Dunn, president. Herman I. Duncan 8: Co., Architects, of Alexandria, La. drew the plans. The contractor was W. M. Bozeman of Covington, La. who bid 537,000 for the job. Construction took only four months. At the beginning of the 1938-39 school year the students marched from their old wood frame building on Bank St. to the new brick structure on Plank Rd. The design of the new school was up-to-date and incorporated steam heat. Much thought was given by the adults in the educational system to ins iring the proper awe and respect for the wonderful new facility in the consciousness of the young people who would benefit from its modern design and conveniences. The reaction of these pupils, even after nearly fifty years, is uniformly one of feeling fortunate to have been privileged to go to school in such a fine edifice, surrounded at every turn by tangible proof of how much their elders cared for their education and hoped for their success. After all, a school building is just that, the tangible sign of one generation's investment of hope in future generations. The red well. '

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1943-The draft age was lowered to 18. Enrico Fermi demonstrated the feasibility of atomic reactions at the University of Chicago. Roosevelt signed a presidential order for non-discrimina- tion by race in companies seeking war contracts. The date was set for D-Day. The war crept closer to the Class of '43. Iean Butler QMontgomeryj '43: We entered the new building in the 7th grade. It was brand new and so wonderful. When I graduated, we were all concerned about the war. The girls wore their first long dresses to graduation, but the two boys in our class didn't bother to buy new suits because they were headed for the service. 1944-Jimmie Davis ran and won the governor's race with the theme Peace and Harmony. Governor Dewey was nominated to run against F.D.R. The Allies controlled Southern Italy and North Africa and were on the initiative in all theatrics of war. D-Day was about to take place. W. G. Buck Powell, Jr. '44: The best years of my life! I went to I.,.S.U. briefly after high school and then into the navy in February 1945. I was so eager to get into uniform. Of course, the war was all but over when I got in. The enemy heard I was coming and gave up! Q12-The last major German counter offensive of the war, The Battle of the Bulge, had been launched the previous December. The Ger- mans were pretty well beaten by the time the small senior class of '45 was due to march down the aisle. FDR died.'Truman was sworn in. Suddenly the war in Europe was over. The class of 1945 was all female. Diane Buchanan QWinterj '45: l moved here and found no school newspaper and no boys. There were only six girls from Wilson, Alareen Matthews, and I. The other girls wore make-up, and we didn't. I had been to school in Chicago and New Orleans, and it was quite a come-down. A pretty bad year! Lg-The atom bomb had been dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in August of 1945 bringing World War II to an end. Rationing ended. Winston Churchill coined the phrase Iron Curtain at a speech given at Fulton, Mo. The Chinese Civil War heated up. In Clinton the first postwar class was graduated. Wm. F. Billy Kline, lr. '46: We were so impressed with the size of the school and the steam heat instead of the pot bellied stove. As the kids say today, it was just awesome. Q42-The wartime draft ended. Jackie Robinson became the first Negro player in baseball's major leagues. The Marshall Plan for the economic revitalization of Europe was formulated. Down the aisle of the auditorium came the Class of 1947. Alice M. Dawson lHatcherl '47: I'll never forget Mr. Rogers, our principal. He was unforgettable. Q12-With Earl K. Long's attainment of a full term as I..ouisiana's governor, colorful Long politics returned. The Koreans moved closer to war. Isreal became a nation. Thomas Dewey ran against President Truman. The tenth class of graduates of the new high school stepped out into the real world. H. Toler Hatcher '48: I remember going to the new school in the second grade. Before the school was even built the teachers walked the little children over to the site to show us where our new school would be. I also remember that my class was the last to only go eleven years. The Class of '48 beforetheir big moment. Jean Butler C431 in her graduation dress. The six-man football team of 1943. Graduation for the Class of '47.