Coquille High School - Laurel Yearbook (Coquille, OR)

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Sears, Roebuck Company. Maude Pierson had married a former C. H. S. graduate but had finally been divorced by him for cruel and inhuman treatment. She was now supervising the running of a hair-net factory. Nellie Morgan had conducted a beauty shop, specializing in the marcel wave until the wave went out of style. Since then she had became professor of elocution and debate at Yale College and was astonishing all the students with the tones of her majestic voice. The next morning I left on the aeroplane for Coquille. The aeroplanes were very commodious and with every convenience possible. Around the walls were advertisements. I noticed in particular one which announced in large red letters to “Chew Everlasting Gum. Made the Bell way. A secret combination of rubber and vanilla or peppermint. Guaranteed to give Basketball players fresh pep while playing.” Upon closer examination of the advertisement, I found that the manufacturer of the wonderful chewing gum was Charlotte Bell. Let me add that after my arrival in Coquille I found that she had a large factory situated on the waterfront. My trip to Coquille was very interesting and I certainly enjoyed myself. The trip took less than two hours, and because of the speed of the aeroplane and the changed conditions in Coos County, I did not recognize Coquille when we arrived there. If the conductor had not told me that I was at the end of my journey, I would probably have traveled on to Brewster, the next station. Coquille was a city now of about 250,000 inhabitants. It covered an immense portion of the valley, and had many suburbs. There was a large depot covering about an acre of ground. The aeroplane station also had a depot. One unique feature about the station was that the passengers descended from the aeroplanes, (which were anchored about one hundred feet above the ground to steel poles), by an elevator. There were two large parks in Coquille besides several small ones. These two were where the Myrtle grove and Patterson’s grove were formerly. The next afternoon, while I was standing in the lobby of my hotel, I heard the clerk address a man by a name

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SENIOR PROPHECY In 1950 thinking I needed a vacation after my many years of newspaper work in New York and believing that a visit to my old home in Coquille would do me good, I decided to go back for a visit. I had tried to keep track of air my school mates after graduation but my work had gradually taken more and more of my time and soon 1 had no definite idea of the whereabouts of any of the members of the Class of ’23. I was prepared to find a change in conditions at Coquille but nevertheless I was quite amazed on leaving the train at Portland to see directly opposite the depot, a l rge sign giving the aeroplane schedule to Coos County, and saying that the plane left every hour for Coquille. I decided that it would be a really enjoyable trip and so stepped over to the aeroplane office to buy my ticket. Over the window was a sign saying, “This aeroplane and subway system owned by Ralph Harry.” This was a surprise to me, as I had expected Ralph to be the business manager of some large establishment, because of his experience while in high school. But, I reflected, Ralph’s ideas had always flown rather high in the old school days and this may have accounted for his choosing the aeroplane business for a profession. At the ticket window I inquired of the clerk concerning Mr. Harry. He said he was in his office and conducted me there. I hardly recognized Ralph as his hair was quite white and long, and he was crippled up with rheumatism. He invited me to his home that night for dinner. Arriving there, I found his wife to be none other than my old friend, Irma Wilson. I had supposed all along that she was somewhere in the South Sea Islands converting the natives, but she told me that Ralph had persuaded her that charity should begin at home. Our talk during the evening naturally turned to our old schoolmates. Delia Sherwood, Irma told me, was a prominent worker. She had been the first woman Senator from Oregon, had studied law, and was now a judge on the U. S. Supreme Court Bench. Ruth Mathews was business manager of Smith’s Cash Store, a rival mail-order house of

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which was very familiar to me. It was Cyril McCurdy. He was now a prosperous farmer and banker of Cunningham, he told me. He had gone to 0. A. C., made quite a record for himself, and then had come home to start a model farm. He had! It was one of the wonders of the U. S.; and thousands came to view its up-to-date methods. He told me that he had just heard that Pauline Lorenz was touring in Europe as the wife of a prominent English Duke. She had met this Duke at one of the Club Room dances, and, as usual with her, it had been love at first sight. Cyril still seemed to feel quite broken hearted over it. I visited for several days with my friends in Coquille and heard many astonishing things. One afternoon while I was walking down a street, I heard a great commotion and racket. When I looked around I found that the noise was being produced by a truck coming down the street, driven by a woman. Being naturally of a curious nature, I went closer to the truck. In the back were several hundred chick ens which were the cause of the noise. Turning to walk away, I saw the driver staring wonderingly at me. She seemed familiar but I could not place her until she spoke. She asked me if I wasn’t Margaret White, and told me that she used to be Julia Dondono. She was now the wife of Velorous Call. They were running a chicken ranch down near Lampa Creek. I also met Ingie Reynolds. She was a peaceful old maid teaching in the high school at Coaledo. I wras not surprised to hear from her that Teresa Clinton was now touring the country as a lecturer on the Orpheum circuit. Her publicity agent was her husband, Ted Bennett. Poor Ted! After concluding my visit in Coquille I went on to Ban-don by way of the elevated. While we were passing through the city of Riverton, I noticed several strange looking buildings. They were large and clumsy, situated directly over the river, and very curiously constructed. When I asked the conductor what the buildings were, he said that it was a whale farm. I decided to stop and look it over, never before having heard of such a farm. Upon inquiry at the depot, I found that the proprietors of the farm were a Mr. Trigg and