Diman Vocational High School - Artisan Yearbook (Fall River, MA)

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PORTSMOUTH PRIORY REV. DOM. IOI-IN HUGH DIMAN, O.S.B. Erudite scholar . . . inspired youthful minister and teacher . . . benefactor of education for all . . . unfaltering patriot of his country . . . beloved Christian char- acter . . . humble priest of God . . . founder of Diman Vocational High School. anna vocmom H16 H 5 5 H 0 9 L I g l4c. PJ J, it i13LQgfeiN4 EJ, lb use

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-4 2-,:f'i- Le,-5' 21 ,4- 1 i - x 1-if 1'l 1-ng .4 ig f ' 2 ,Z D . To Charles E. Matte . . . Assistant Director who has personified to his students for the past thirty years the highest ideals exemplified in education. For his outstanding contribution to the wise counsel and self- reliance which he has endeared to us as a lasting heritage we are forever indebted. Now as We gaze on BLUE HORIZONS AND FUTURES WHICH KNOW NO BOUNDS, may we find ourselves transposed from students-immature and naive-to wise and confident men-capable to follow where Charles E. Matte has so ably and paternally pointed the way. 5 ,ff 9 -- '- - L..---Y ,-. ,-Q...-5,..

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Sedan! In a report of the Massachusetts Commission on In- dustrial and Technical Education, published in 1906, it was shown that 33121 of the children of the state of Massachu- setts who began work between the ages of 14 and 16 were employed in unskilled industries and 6591: in low grade industries. Unskilled industries were defined as those in which the work was a repetition of a single or simple operation easily learned in a short period of time, and in which the knowledge of one part was not essential to that of another. This called for a low grade of ability and led to nothing higher. Thus for many young workers who were forced into wage earning at 14 years of age there had been a pitiable waste of years between 14 and 21 for many of those Persons had excellent mental ability and strong aptitude for mechanical arts and trades. It was to help this class of boys that Mr. John B. Diman headmaster of St. George's School, Newport, in a far seeing spirit of philanthropy, gave an endowment in 1912 which made possible the vocational school in the John ,J. McDonough school building. Mr. Diman generously paid the salary of the instructor, Mr. 'Frederick H. Rundall for two years, and furnished the best equipment that could be procured for such a shop. The cost of the equipment for the first year was approximately 3500. This included two lathes, operated by electricity, twelve drawing tables, four woodworking benches, and all of the necessary tools, textbooks, drawing paper, and tracing cloth. For the school year 1915-'14 further equipment at an expense of nearly S600 was installed. This included a band saw, a buzz saw, iointer, motor, shafting, belting, and hangers. All the machinery was installed by the boys under the direction of Mr. Rundall. The general plan of training included instruction in the use of tools, the right way to sharpen the tools, and the processes of planing, chiseling, and sawing. As soon as the boy was ready, he made some article of practical use for which he furnished the material. Some of the articles made were Morris chairs, telephone tables, library tables and wardrobes. An important feature of their training was the part- time schedule. One week the boy would be in school and the next week the boy would be in a shop while his partner who had been in the shop would return to school. Some of the shops where they worked were the American Print- ing Company, Doughty and Welsh, Patten Brothers, Robert Powers, Kilburn and Lincoln, and Fyans, Fraser and Blackway. While the boys were in school their mornings were usually spent in the shop. Their afternoon sessions of two and a half hours each were given to instruction in business arithmetic, use of oral and written English. and Civics. The teacher for this work was furnished by the School Department. Instruction in mechanical drawing, reading and making of blue prints was given by Mr. Rundall. In 1912-'15 there were sixteen boys in the school. In September of 1913 nine of these returned plus eighteen new boys. These boys were eager to obtain instruction that would advance them in the industrial world. The school while yet in its infancy gave promise of nlling satisfactorily an urgent need. While the high schools and colleges provided oppor- tl... n-Q tunity for those between 14 and 21 who wished to further their education no provision had been made up to this time for those who had to devote these years to earning a liveli- hood. Fall River owes to the generosity and public spirit of Mr. Diman its first example of this much needed form of education. To parents and children it emphasized the dignity of skilled craftsmanship and taught them the fact that there was a bright future in this country for the well- trained worker in the useful arts and trades. The city owed a deep debt of gratitude to Mr. Diman for this invaluable addition to its educational resources. Due to an increasing enrollment the school committee on May 22, 1916 requested the mayor to lease the two upper lioors of the Kennedy Building to be used as quar- ters for a day industrial school to be known as the Diman Industrial School ,with Frederick H. Rundall as director. The courses offered were carpentry, painting and house decoration, and sheet metal work. Mr. Thomas G. Doyle was appointed carpentry instruc- tor on October 3, 1916 and Mr. Lindquist, instructor of painting and house decorating on September 1, 1917. ' On July 5, 1921 the committee authorized Mr. Run- dall to establish an auto repair class at the Diman Voca- tional School. As no funds were available the class was not started until September, 1922, when William O. Van Blarcom was appointed instructor. Upon the death of Mr. Rundall in 1940 Mr. Thomas G. Doyle was appointed interim director until June, 1942, when Mr. joseph P. Gilligan was appointed Director. At that time the school had an enrollment of thirty-two Shl- dents. Under his wise and capable leadership and with the wholehearted cooperation of the faculty the school has grown by leaps and bounds until today it has approxi- mately three hundred and fifty students. In September of 1943 the Machine Drafting course was set up in the Kennedy building with Mr. Charles E. Matte, our present assistant director, in charge. The Ma- chine Shop course was set up at the same time in its present location with Mr. Nelson Morse- in charge. In April, 1944, the physical education program was set up in the Kennedy Building with the appointment of Mr. Charles C. O'Keefe. Q In 1944 the school was moved to the Giesow Build- ing. Due to limited facilities some of the academic classes were conducted in the Lincoln School. It was during this year that the school department authorized changing the name of the school to the Diman Vocational High School. In September of 1945 the electrical course was set up in the Giesow Building with Mr. George Bishop in charge. Due to the increase in enrollment and the trades taught, the school moved in its entirety to its present loca- tion on Hartwell Street in 1946. The present Diman Vocational High School represents years of effort on the part of Mr. Gilligan and the faculty to provide a well-rounded vocational education for its students, and is a sitting tribute to the vision of its founder, the Reverend Dom John H. Diman. May it continue to grow in the future as it has in the past.