Huntington High School - Huntingtonian Yearbook (Newport News, VA)

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pases on | | ' i i een SOS ? LIES YESTERDAY AND WHAT WE CALL THE PAST UNDERNEATH THE SURFACE OF TODAY, THE VON TAY = GEN G WHICH CAN NEVER DECAY Eugene iL. Hamilton

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In Memoriam A beautiful woman kneeling and kissing a flag draped casket, a little girl's hand tenderly searching under that same flag, a little boy saluting his father for the last time, a black riderless horse carrying empty boots reversed in the stirrups signifying that its rider will never again mount, the muffled drums beat- ing a slow march, the world's leaders walking together united in their grief, our own feeling of emptiness and of personal loss --these are just some of the thoughts that flash through the minds of Americans everywhere when recalling the commit- ment of our beloved President, John Fitzgerald Kennedy, to the hands of the Almighty. With his commitment, a part of us, the youth of America, was also committed; for the late President was more than just a good President to us. To the nation's youth John F, Kennedy was a living symbol of the younger generation at its best--an example to admire, an example to try to imitate; he was a man's man, giving life to every verse of Rudyard Kipling's immortal If ; he was a source of inspiration; and most of all he was our friend. And now all his bright light is gone from the world. We remember the day he entered our lives. It was a cold, snowy day in January, 1961, just two years and ten months before his death, when John F, Kennedy was inaugurated 35th President of the United States of America. Hatless and coatless he faced the nation proclaiming, Let the word go forth from this time and place that the torch has been passed to a new generation of Americans--born in this century, tempered by war, disciplined by a cold and bitter peace. John F. Kennedy carried that torch well. We remember his courage in the face of national and personal crises. We remember his warmth and vitality when dealing with people. We remember his keen intellect and interest in learning, which set the pace for education in America in the JOHN FITZGERALD KENNEDY (1917-1963) BLAe Ss We remember his vigor and concem for good health which resulted in the formation of his physical fitness program. We remember and admired his Boston accent. We remember his compassion for the oppressed peoples all over the world. We remember what he gave to America--confidence. We remember what he gave to the world a hope for peace. We re- member what he tried to make America give to all men--freedom. With horror and pain, we remember the day he left our lives. It was a bright, sunny day in Dallas, Texas, when our President and his beautiful First Lady embarked on what was to be an exciting speaking tour. Everything was perfect; then three shots rang out, and it was no more. In his moving tribute to one whom we all loved, Sen. Mike Mansfield expressed our conglomeration of confused emotions best: There was a sound of laughter; in a moment it was no more. And so she took the ring from her finger and placed it in his hands. There was a wit in a man neither young nor old, but a wit full of an old man's wisdom and of a child's wisdom. And then in a moment it was no more. And so she took the ring from her finger and placed it in his hands. There was a man marked well with the scars of love of his country, a body active with the surge of life far, far from spent. And in a moment it was no more. And so she took the ring from her finger and placed it in his hands. There was a father with a little boy, a little girl and a joy in each other. In a moment it was no more. And so she took the ring from her finger and placed it in his hands. There was a husband who asked much and gave much, and out of the giving and the asking wove with a woman what could not be broken in life. And in a moment it was no more. And so she took the ring from her finger and placed it in his hands, and kissed him and closed the lid of a coffin. A piece of us died at that moment. Yet in death he gave of himself. He gave us a good heart from which laughter came. He gave us of a profound wit, from which a great leadership emerged. He gave us of a kindness and a strength fused into a human courage to seek peace without fear. He gave us of his love that we too in turn might give. He gave that we might give of ourselves, that we might give to one another that there might be no room, no room at all, for the bigotry, the hatred, prejudice, and the arrogance which converged in that moment of horror to strike him down.

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The Present is the living sum total of the whole faked Thomas Carlyle The Huntington of today is the result of the composite efforts of its past inhabitants and their achievements. ‘Through the efforts of all who have passed through her portals, Hunting- ton has grown from a one-room school with a handful of stu- dents to its present size with a school population of over two thousand. Consisting of one small room which had been set aside in the John Marshall Elementary School, one of the first high schools in the city of Newport News started in 1919 and had an enrollment of fifty-two students. These students had come from all parts of the city to greet Miss Inez Sanders, a graduate of Wilberforce University (Central State) and the only teacher in the high school division. The first year was a difficult one, and six of the students dropped out. For those who remained, however, the first year was a fruitful and unforgettable one. Many changes and improvements came to the high school in its second year. A four-room frame building on 18th Street became the first structure known as Huntington High School. Later, four additional rooms were built to make a two story building. An increased enrollment necessitated a principal and additional teachers. Professor Lutrelle Palmer re- ceived the principalship and Miss Camille Young, Miss Mabel Thomas, and Miss Lora Bassett joined the Huntington family as instructors. Clubs were introduced that year; a girls' and boys' basket- ball team, a football team, and a debating team provided new and challenging forms of interest for the students.