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

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CLASS HISTORY FRESHMAN ENTHUSIASM The men of the class of 'I959 began to make history and fame for themselves the very moment they entered within the portals of Diman. First of all their greatness in numbers commenced the tale, for they came in as the largest freshman class yet, a group 'IIO strong, and boosted the school enrollment above the three hundred mark. In short order they were known as the A B C Class i.e. ABILITY, BRAINS, 8. COURTESY FROSH. At the very beginning, they assimilated the rules of procedure and immediately settled down to work with a purpose. Like revolutionary heroes did the boys of '59 at once evince their athletic prowess when they com- peted with unquestioned pride against upper classmen on the gym floor. Yet as wise beings they realized that an exhibition of their physical prowess was not the sum total of their vocational activities. They knew that brain work was the counterpart of brown, that vocational training was something more than athleticism - thanks to an efficient faculty's persuasive argumentsl and to be brief they showed that they knew and realized all this in the class- room. Dispute it if you can, in the face of their scholastic record on the Principal's list! Was it any wonder that the men of '59 in Freshman year published to the world that they were true candidates for the field of future crafts- men and true sons of Alma Mater? Having passed their probationary period, they settled down to a two months' respite, in preparation for the second year of great ac- complishments. SOPHOMORE COMPLACENCY When the beginning of the second scholastic year called the Class of '59 Cwith the spirit of '76l back to Trade School, the aspect of things was of course very different from that of their first day there as Freshmen. The boys were inured to many things, they felt at home now, terrors of the past, to wit, algebra and shop tech were transformed into not unpleasant memories, in fact they had every reason to reioice that they were enjoying all the advantages of a vocational career. This second year saw the institution of our famous news- paper The Tradesman. Spearheaded by Jack Krupa, a group of enterprising writers launched what has proved to be an outstanding school publication among many editions of neighboring news reports. It has kept us in touch with all the important current events of our school life and bids fair to become a model for many such school newspapers. We appreciated their efforts by subscribing IOOSM. Likewise in Sophomore Year the A B C class deported themselves iust as splendidly in athletics and studies as they did in Freshman. They have manifested their ability to keep up the good work once begun, a tenacity to accomplish, motivated by the de- sire for perfection. JUNIOR WISDOM It is but one step from complacency to wisdom, - in the Vocational World anyway. However, some of the boys of illustrious '59 didn't care to take it, and so alasl they'lI never be wise in the crafstmanship sense. Yes, some of the disheartened members of the class left us at the end of Sophomore to begin a premature struggle in the world of hard knocks. We sent our best wishes after them, but we were sorry to have our ranks thinned to 80 odd members at this stage of our worthy careers. One bright note worthy of mention was the enrollment of several veterans of the recent Korean struggle, who brought us stories of stirring adventures upon battle fields far away, and we were delighted to welcome them as heroes who saw the light of day in the renewal of their interrupted educational careers. Many were the ioys of this year as well as a few bugbears or terrors tool May we mention a few of the terrors forthwith, that their memories may not linger too long. The story of Physics is sad to relate. The mention of Math in its upper brackets is one of agonizing memoriesl The Junior Year was made a remarkable one by our Basketball heroes on the Varsity, who coursed their way through many a hard-fought victory for Diman. No less in Soccer skill did our brothers of '59 show Championship form, for they rightfully claimed title as one of two leading teams in the State of Mass. In social life, at the Senior dances to which we were invited, it was notable that our fancy dancers were in great demand by the Blushing Belles of the place where the river falls. Withal our Junior year was one of many triumphs, successes and satisfactions for the A B C boys of Nineteen Fifty-Nine. SENIOR DIGNITY Dignity in itself is a very fine quality but add to it a certain accomplishment and you have a grandiose some- thing. lt was dignity plus Vocational Competency that made members of '59 this big sort of something in Senior. First of all it was the knowledge that our hearts and minds were satisfied with the acquisition of new and useful skills which would open the door to successful careers in the world of work. Again the dances and athletic events brought financial success in the culmina- tion of this our book of fond memories. We were ready now to struggle for much needed personal cash to get set for the big event, the Senior Dinner and Prom, what with renting Caps and Gowns, Tuxedos, Graduation Pictures, Flowers, et cetera. Above all, we captured that greatest of all laurel wreaths - A Vocational Diploma. I guess it must have been incumbent upon us from the beginning to be the school intellectual and physical champions. Fear not that we have lost our modesty and become veritable images of conceit! Our four years at Diman were indeed happy years. We know that in years to come our fondest memories will carry us back to D.V.H.S. May Alma Mater live long and train thousands of useful men in the years aheadl JOHN DIAS THOMAS DZIALO

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HIGHEST HONORS LEO LEVRAU LT JAMES SOARES HONORS MARTIN O'CONNELL ALFRED MELLO GERALD PAIVA JOHN DIAS ROBERT BEAUCHESNE DANIEL DENNIS RAYMOND LAMBERT

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CLASS PROPHECY One quiet summer afternoon as the sun was slnking fast, sending its quivering elfulgence of gold and crimson from over the horizon on Mt. Hope Bay, my eyes became weary as I gazed at the group picture of my beloved class of '59 hanging on the wall in my down- town pent house. Deciding to relax in my favorite chair before dinner, I was amazed to see the picture spinning around In my subconscious memory, and in no time I had proiected myself into the year 1980. Suddenly my partner and I had agreed to iourney to California to witness the Opening Night showing the super-production, The Long Texan, starring Richard Santos, Jr. wlth Elvie Pelvis as C0-stir. Our choice of transportation was, of course, the recently per- fected Beammobile, designed and built for use on the new elec- tronlc beamcontrolled highways by the M 8- N Corp., owned and operated by William Manville and Raymond Noguelra. This care-free highway had been designed and patented by .Iohn Blackburn, C.E., and Kenneth Thorpe, C.E., employees of the Ed Rodrigues Construc- tion Corp. of America, Ltd. Leaving Fall River via the new Billion Dollar Harbor Bridge, we decided 'to avallfourselves of the warning sign on the far shore which read Last chance to get Sousa's Chourico Sandwiches - charcoal broiled by Manny F. Sousa, Prop. Upon entering we were amazed to meet his smiling waiters, Michael Rusin, Martin Chichlow- ski, Gerald Carleton, and none other than Haystack Al Duclas. Manny confided to us that while his business should be in the black, it is habitually in the red because Delicate Al eats up all the protits. Continuing on, we were startled to see a huge sign on the shores of the great Metropolis of Touisset which read, 'Reelect Joseph Crook, Mayorl' Evidently the sign painter could not spell Croke correctly. On we sped, guided by the beam into Providence, the Capitol City of R.I. At Westminster and Dorrance Sts. we were sur- prised to read on the entrance of a towering skyscraper, The Charles Carvalho Paintslapping Co. Directly opposite we saw the Woodbutchers Specialty Bldg., owned by Walter Andrzeiczyk, Robert lafontaine and Fred Lawrence. These famous woodworkers now specialize under the motto a toothpick to fit every tooth. On the outskirts of the city, as we neared the control-tower of the high- way, we were suddenly halted by some unseen force. Alighting from our beam-car, we were welcomed by our old classmates, Robert Barry and Martin 0'Connell, Control Supervisors. We quickly asked how come? They explained that the operators, Profs. Gilbert Ayer and Richard Souza were experimenting with their near-perfect radar-stop-beam, which would some day stop the sun and moon in orbit. Bidding all a fond goodbye, we continued westward. On we sped, beam-guided through the lush Conn. Valley, over broad rivers lapsing down to the sea through cool groves and now and again passing close to cattle-spotted meadows which seemed to lull everything to sleep with the fragrance of the breeze. Suddenly deciding to leave the electronic highway which bypassed New York City, we shifted to the mechanical operation of our oar and entered the world's greatest community for the ten mile ride down old Broadway to 42nd Street. Entering the big vertical parking lot, we were delighted to renew friendships with the owner, Oscar Courville, and his part-time assist- ant, Ed Gibney. Ed's regular iob was Chief Sanitary Engineer in the White Wings Div. of N.Y.C. Oscar charmingly invited us to park indefinitely without cast. AIl you'll have to do is buy back your car before you leave,' he explained. Sauntering down Broadway, we were attracted by the sudden skidding of tires close by, followed by the clash of bumpers on the car behind. We quickly recognized Phil Pelletier In his 500 H.P. Fireball, angrily alightlng to reprimand Ray Lambert In his antique-licensed 1949 Lizzle. l was about to pass your big Lemon Eight, you bum, when you stopped short, yelled Ray. As a crowd gathered, we saw a police cruiser pull up and stop for Investigation. We soon recognized the cops as Sgt. Ed. Lewis and High Private James Reid, whose left arm was adorned with ten hash marks. Sgt. Ed exclaimed Forget it, brother class- matesp you both are driving refugees from the iunk yard, so get going. Before we could greet our classmates they took off and away for parts unknown to us. Feeling the need for food, we crossed the street and were at- tracted by a restaurant sign which said A little bit of Tokyo. At the entrance we were surprisingly welcomed by the head waiter, classmate Teddy Plourde. Ted recommended his most famous Oriental dishg rice on bread sandwiches together with a big order of fish and chips. They're imported, he said, because you can smell the ocean on them. Invited to inspect the sanitary kitchen by Ted we were thrilled to meet Chef Walter Tokarz as he finished his pearl diving before stacks of multi-colored dishes. Walter is also part owner of the ioint. After saying So long to both, we hailed a taxi and were stunned to meet again, classmate Bill Walker, the driver. Bill told of his great record with the Richard Arauio Taxi Co., and also of the etficient driving records of classmates Maurice Chouinard and Robert Deschenes. We have only one disgrace to bear, he said. The boss wants our other driver, Daniel Dennis fired. He claims that Denny wastes all his gas picking up girls instead of customers. Bill recommended the famous Pigeon Coop as the smartest place to stay and he cleverly maneuvered us to its site. Entering through the big bronze portals we approached the well appointed desk to register for the night. Recognizing a familiar voice which exclaimed welcome classmates, we knew at once the owner and manager to be Tony Rego himself, builder of the thrifty 2 x 4 roamed Pigeon Coop. You'll sleep tight here, brothers, he said, as good as sardines do in a can. We didl Early the next morning, hardly before the stars had hidden them- selves in the sky, we were off once again on the super highway, westward bound. From afar we could see the white towers of fair cities, perched on hill tops, basking in the morning sun or now and then rustic villages, sequestered on hillsides with little semblance of modern civilization. At lunch time, we expressed a wish to explore one of these quaint villages, and so we followed the arrows which led us into the little town of .Iustintyme, Ind. Pulling into a gas station, we found no one around and l honked several times for some service. After a short wait, we spotted a pair of big feet pro- truding from under the chassis of a car in the garage doorway. I went over to the spot and gently kicked one of the feet which showed from beneath the car. Surprise of surprisesl Out crawled Dennis Furnas himself to welcome us to his adopted town. Fellers, you ain't seen nothin yet, he said. Wait until I wash up and l'll give you a few real surprises. Leading us to the town's famous Cheese Club, we entered and were flabbergasted when saluted by classmate Leon Theroux, old .lustintyme's famous caterer, who told us that Ed Souza and Frank Guilmette own and operate E Bt F machine shops in Florida. After finishing our delectable lunch, we thanked him and sountered down the main drag, hoping for more surprises. As we paused in front of a huge super-market, a voice cried out hey, wait one minute will you? Out rushed friend Tom Dzialo, now Pres. and Treas., of Dzialo Markets, Inc. Come in boys and meet the gang, he commanded. Entering the swinging doors, I inadvertantly bumped someone coming out. Pardon me, I said. l'm glad it's you, he said, and who was it but Gerald