Coopersville High School - Zenith Yearbook (Coopersville, MI)

Page 29 text:

The color dims and we find ourselves gazing once more and reminiscing on Longfellow’s lines “Our fortunes must be wrought.” Time, toil and hardships—these he discovered in daily experiences. Meeting and battling with them he realized the mis- sion of the flaming forge of life. And so we are beginning to real- ize tonight our mission, the thought of which is beautiful in its solemnity, sorrowful in its omnipotence in departing from its ear- ly life and leaving for wider fields, for larger fires and greater an- vils. Each will manage and direct for himself just as the village blacksmith performed his daily tasks at the open door. Tonight, friends and classmates, we are sad at our farewell. But a feeling reigns significant of the future. It pictures for us the golden days, showered with good fortune, that we could have wrought at the flaming forge. The anvil sounds its last note, the echo fades away, and we find ourselves treading along the highways to a future that we are shaping for ourselves from our burning deeds and thoughts. G. H. 0. PAGE TWENTY-FIVE

Page 28 text:

Salutatory As the sinking sun at eventide ends another day, so this eve- ning’s exercises draw the curtain on our high school scenes. It is to these ceremonies that I wish to extend to you all the evening’s wel- come and greeting of my classmates, the graduating class of 1928. As we vision that glorius sunset at close of day. we are re- minded of a poem by Longfellow. In this poem Longfellow gives to us a picture of a village blacksmith. Week in and week out, year in and year out, the blacksmith goes to his shop moulding pieces of iron. So likewise we have gone to our work shops week in and week out, but we are molding the Future. Longfellow pictures for us this comely and honest village smith accomplishing his daily toil. But besides this he visions the result of his efforts in great rewards in these words: “Thus at the flaming forge of life Our fortunes must be wrought; Thus on its’ sounding anvil shaped Each burning deed and thought!” We, who stand here, are shaping and moulding for futures as the blacksmith moulds with iron. At the forge bf life our for- tunes must be wrought, and by steadily pushing on, we will make for ourselves a livelihood, a success, and happiness such as was created by the mighty smith. Are we not here tonight at our graduation enthused and en- dowed with rigor and desire to earn for ourselves a reward befit- ing our attempts and acknowledging our accomplishments ? Through the harmonious blend of the colorful sunset we gaze fartherward, and what do we see? A mighty anvil is sounding. The ringing echoes peel for us the revelation of our burning deeds and thoughts. During our four four years we have had our ambi- tions and our ideals. In a small measure some of these have been realized. But now as we stand at the forge of life, we comprehend that many ideals and ambitions which before have lain dormant and latent can and must be crystalized into deeds if we wish to be successful. Peering and searching still longer, we witness from our aspir- ations, struggles, conquests, victories, defeats, friends, and ene- mies. And again we realize that side by side with our ambitions and ideals will be defeats, disappointments and probably enemies. But we are also confident if we conquer these, they will give beau- ty and color to our lives. PAGE TWENTY-FOUR

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Class Will We, the Class of 1928, having successfully rounded the last curve of our career in the High School of Coopersville, Township of Polkton, County of Ottawa, State of Michigan, United States of America, by the arduous labor of our beloved teachers and the unlimited sacrifice of our parents, do hereby wish to dispose of the following possessions: To the faculty the undisputed right to ring the bells, pick up the paper in the assembly, and to play with the window shades. To our parents the privilege of writing excuses for our brothers and sisters. To the Juniors the right to hold class meetings in room 1. To the' Sophomores the right to advertise their Carnival in any way they wish without any interference. To the Freshmen the permission to hold their chins up as high as they wish. Feeling that we have no more need of these personal trillings, we wish to distribute them as follows: I, Roland McClain, bequeath the back seat in the Southwest corner of the assembly to any member of the masculine gender who will promise to keep Imogene entertained. I, Maynard Lubben, bequeath my manly voice to Isaac Gins- berg that he may become a world known debater. I, Lewis Albrecht, bequeath my unruly locks to Virgil War- ren. I. Jessie Braamse, bequeath my sweet face to Vivian Lieffers. You’ll end in Hollywood, Vivian! I, Robert Sickles, bequeath my marvelous ability to bluff to Clifford Scott. Enjoy yourself, Clifford, you’re young only once. I, Maurice Haas, bequeath the undisputed privilege of driv- ing a taxi between school and town to “Dude.” We, Doris Preston and Nettie Thompson, bequeath our ever- lasting friendship to Marian Marshall and Bernice Hancock. I, Earl Haas, bequeath my ability to receive good marks in Physics to the future Physics students who may need them. I, Doris Nibbelink, bequeath the term “Miss” no longer useful to me to Irene Bond. Better hang on to it “Bondie.” I, Maurice Garter, bequeath my ability as a business man to Richard Witham. Become a man of affairs “Hap.” I, William Ball, bequeath a deeper hue of red hair to Garrett Bennink, with one condition, that he becomes another “red headed football player.” PAGE TWENTY-SIX