Drexel High School - Cavalcade Yearbook (Drexel, NC)

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PROPHECY ccwt) As the train came to a stop in Las Vegas, New Mexico, Evelyn was telling me about the charm school being operated there by Betty Jean Shuping and Freida Sigmon; I couldn’t resist going; so, I got off the train, bade Evelyn farewell, and took a taxi to the school. It wasn’t just a Charm School, they had a large dining room, complete with an all woman orchestra. The leader was Rheba Denton. Mary Florence Anthony, Gillie Mae Buff, and Josephine Rhoney formed a trio who sang with it. You should have seen the place—all plush carpets and huge chandeliers hanging from high ceilings! I wished I had time to stay and try to obtain a little charm, but-nevertheless, back to the train. Luck was with me again! I happened to notice in the train station the advertise- ment of the Texas-North Carolina football game which was to be played in Fort Worth. I lost no time purchasing a ticket since another schoolmate, Max Harris, is North Carolina’s present coach, and Merlin Shull holds the same honored position with Texas. And could you ever guess who added to our little reunion—Ray Burns, the Southwest’s most thrilling sports commentator! After the game, Ray told me that another Drevel grad was in Fort Worth. Ruth Secrest, who had joined the ranks of women doctors, was then at Baptist Theological Seminary preparing for the medical mission field. I looked Ruth up and she added to my Alma Mater news the fact that Pauline Childres is the owner of a fashionable furriers in Florida. (When she was selected wittiest” from the class of ’49, I didn’t realize it would be carried this far!) Andrew Hastings is the successful pastor of Riverside Drive’s largest Baptist Church in New York. As the train moved into Tennessee, I bought a morning paper and settled down for the home stretch. Behold—whose face should stare up at me but Elizabeth Berry’s who had just been appointed Head of the Graduate Physical Education Department at Peabody College. Yes—I got off in Nashville for a bit of gossip with Lib”. She informed me that Frances Golightly was residing in Oak Ridge, Tennessee. She helps her husband hold down a chemist’s position. After a long but enjoyable trip, I was in Drexel. I felt lost as I was walking down Main Street looking into all the store windows. The fast-growing town was such a mystery to me that I went by the Chamber of Commerce to get my bearings. I found Helen Watts to be the efficient secretary. She told me what I had missed by being a day late. Just twenty-four hours before, she had seen Ben McNeely, the Dare Devil, break all records at the Shelby Fair. This crazy thing all started when I was selected to write a prophecy for the Drexel High School Cavalcade. And I am thankful to be able to lay down my pencil and say, I have finished”—but—I was just wondering—what will become of us when we are tied no more to school, its exciting studies, its thrilling exams, and are left with only our last edition of the Cavalcade and the past year’s fond memories. JOYCE GATES

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AUTOGRAPHS