Durfee High School - Durfee Record Yearbook (Fall River, MA)

Page 14 text:

Although September, 1947, sounds like just another date to Durfee students, it means the inauguration of a most fruitful year in Durfee’s long history. After an early season defeat by East Providence, the football team rolled on to annex its first Clatss C championship. Included among the gridsters were juniors Dick Mullen, Ronnie Lamarre, Joe Andrews, Russ Angelini and Tom Long. The Durfee Dramatic Club presented its annual play. Over half the cast of the presentation, “Junior Miss” was made up of ’49-ers. The players thrilled large audiences at both performances. When time for report cards came around, we found that Durfee had its full share of scholars. The surprising number of 36 pupils attained All A-honors, while 231 pupils made the Principal’s list. Durfee’s basketball team gave evidence of things to come by thoroughly trouncing Providence Central 64-32. Included on the varsity were Joe, Bill, Bernie, Chuck and Peter. The Hilltoppens traveled to Maine and defeated Bangor High School. The Hilltoppers appeared again in Boston to compete in the annual Tech Tourney. Competing against the best teams in Eastern Massachusetts, the Dur- fee ites won successive victories to cop the crown. Traveling once again to Boston, the boys culminated their efforts by defeating Hill- house High and becoming the champions of all New England. The athletes presented their annual Varsity Nite, thrilling sell-out crowds at both performances. At the first showing, Durfee’s head cheerleader for 1949 was chosen, “Do-Do” Abdallah receiving the honor. On the social calendar were the Midwinter Hop and the Junior Prom. The Prom committee headed by President Peter Collias ar- ranged an attractive affair. The D. D. C. set out for Gloucester to present scenes from their hit play “Papa is All”. The judges voted a rating of “good.” Twenty-six top-ranking juniors were inducted into the National Honor Society. With the battery of Andrews and Burton showing the way, the Durfee baseball team went through their season undefeated, term- inating the year 1947-1948, a year that will live long in the memories of Durfee’s students.

Page 13 text:

As sophomores, many of us '49-ers entered Durfee from junior high. Mightily impressed as we were with our own importance, we soon became part of the activities going on about us. On the sports scene, we cheered for a good football team. Although its record was five wins and five losses, the team was up against very tough opposition. On Thanksgiving Day we saw our classmate Joe Andrews come close to scoring a victory over our traditional rival with some fine ball toting. In December the annual Christmas Concert was given, and a group of Christmas plays was performed by the Dramatic Club. About this time. Coach Urban sent out the call for basketball aspirants. Among the group reporting were some names strike a familiar chord, namely: Andrews, McDonald and Burton. sophomores whose Farrissey, Collias, After starting the season with a loss, their great basketball team swept through the season undefeated. Invited to the Tech tourney In Boston, Durfee copped the Massachusetts Class A title and ran a close second in the New Englands. Fall River, agreeably surprised by the doings of the quintet, sent this team on a well-deserved tour of New York and presented the coach with a new car. On the social side, several school dances were held, including the Pigskin Hop, Mid-Winter Hop, Valentine Dance, S. A. A. Dance, and the Record Book Dance. The existence of a thrifty student body at Durfee was shown by the establishment of a school banking system. In February, we were further entertained by the Dramatic Club with its presentation of “Captain Applejack,” a comedy. This or- ganization also performed at the annual Drama Festival with a well- received enactment of “Henry V ' In the spring, the Music Department gave a concert of American Music, some of which was performed for the first time in New England. Spring also brought baseball, and among the many contenders for positions on the nine were sophomores Andrews, Farrissey and Burton. After a successful baseball season came the bustle of gradua- tion. But for the sophomores, there was merely the outlook of another year of grind in the halls of B. M. C. D.

Page 15 text:

For almost all of us, the Senior year has seemed to pass by in a rapid blur of good times besides plenty of hard studying for that diploma. The swiftness with which everything seemed to happen gave us little time for reflection and contemplation of each separate event, so let's look back over the school year 1948-1949 to see just what did happen at Durfee. The election of officers to lead our class, was one of the first things accomplished. Peter Collias was elected president of the class, Mae Shackleton, vice-president, and Nancy Scott, secretary. James Chace was chosen as S. A. A. president. The annual “Get Acquainted Dance” was held on October 28 under the sponsorship of the S. A. A., giving everyone who attended a good time. The football team provided their classmates with plenty of exciting games, winning 8 out of 10 and the Bristol County Champ- ionship. A vocational conference for all Seniors highlighted the as- semblies in November. After a general assembly for the class, each pupil went to a group meeting where the specific vocation of his choice was discussed by a guest speaker. The social activities at Durfee in the Fall were carried on with the Pigskin Hop and the annual Thespian show, T. N. T. After one term of hard work, nine Seniors were placed on the A11-A List. Before our Christmas vacation all the classes enjoyed a most impressive dramatic cantata, “The Christmas Story”, presented bv the music department. This program will be long remembered bv all those who saw it. The Senior Debate Tournament held the attention of all members of fourth year English classes for several weeks. On January 14th Good Government Day was observed by electing student State officers. The Gold Rush Dance dedicated to the “’49-ers” who have been digging for learning at Durfee was a great success in February, The end of the second term saw an increase of seniors on the All-A List to 12, and 69 on the Principal’s List. These nunils deserve much credit for their good work, especially those two members of B-»e first basketball team who were on the All-A List. The Durfee Dramatic Club entertained many of us with their performance of the play “Our Town” in February. With a record of 3 wins and one loss the varsity debating team in March began their second round in the Narragansett Debating League. The girls’ basketball team represented Durfee in the Narragansett Girls’ Basketball League by winning four games out of their six. Durfee again in our Senior year turned out a championship basket- ball team, which won the Bristol County Championship, and was squeezed out of the semi-finals of the Eastern Mass. Tourney after playing a superb game. The band, cheerleaders, and team were heartily congratulated for the fine appearance they made at Boston Garden.